We have two different types of choirs with very different repertoire.  The gospel choirs sing . . .well . . . gospel music.  I’ll write about gospel in a later post.  The other choir we lead sings more traditional fare like Bach or Handel, and sometimes we sing something completely different like vocal jazz.  I usually ask myself three questions when choosing pieces.

1.     Do I like the piece?  If I’m not thrilled with the song, the choir will know, and that will color their opinion of the piece.

2.     Can the choir sing it?  Singing ability and experience as well as how many singers there are in each section help me determine this.  If we only have 3 basses, I’m not going to choose a piece that splits those basses up.

3.     Does it help me share the good news of Jesus?  Granted, I choose secular pieces too, but the majority of the music that we sing is sacred.  There is a wealth of music that is highly respected throughout the world that points to Christ.  As a result, dead composers like Bach, Handel, and Schubert continue to share the good news of Jesus with our singers.

Take for example a movement from Schubert’s Mass in G.  The text is in Latin, but it is the Nicene Creed, a clear, concise statement of what Christians believe.  As we rehearsed this piece, I took a few moments every week to explain the Persons of the Trinity, the significance of the crucifixion and the resurrection, the coming judgement, and the hope of eternal life that believers have.  Wow!  Who gets to talk through the Nicene Creed repeatedly with people who have very little contact with the church?  I do!  What a privilege. 

Take a moment to listen to this recording by a group in Cleveland.  (I wish I could put our recording up, but the mics didn’t pick things up so well.)  The piece just bounces around in an elegant manner and then at 1:30, the crucifixion, it becomes minor, jolty, and agitated.  At 1:51, you hear the burial as the strings descend into the depths, and at 2:00, the resurrection is glorious.  What a FUN way to portray and communicate the gospel!  We absolutely had a blast singing this.

So, what is it like to bring up kids on the mission field? 

Where do I start to answer this question?  There are the obvious benefits like learning another culture and language.  We also saw other benefits that we didn’t expect.  For instance, Ian has developed an understanding and heart to share Jesus with people.  On the mission field, he knows that most people around us don’t know about Jesus, and he has more than once started a gospel conversation with someone that we were inclined to continue and finish.  Our children also experience the truth that this world is not their home.  A typical conversation in Wal-mart these days goes like this: “Dad, can I get one of these jeeps that kids can drive around the yard?”  “No, I’m sorry.  It wouldn’t fit in our suitcase to go back to Japan in a few months.  You can’t take it with you.”  "Well, can we buy a bigger suitcase while we're here?"

Of course, our hearts break when we see our kids grieve as they say goodbye to family, friends, and toys at each parting on both sides of the Pacific.  I’ve often thought, “What am I doing to my family?  I’m putting them through too much!”  At those times, I’m reminded that our heavenly Father has ordained each “goodbye” and “hello” in their lives.  He is using the experiences, joy, sadness, and challenges of our way of life to mold the kids (and us) into who He is designing them to be.  We see that both Ian and Liana have become very adaptable as we travel from church to church and country to country.  A constant range of new situations seems to have influenced them to make friends easily, relate to people of all ages, brave new foods, and broaden their understanding of people different from themselves. 

If you’re thinking, “I’ll go to the mission field (or do so and so-whatever God may be leading you toward) when my kids are grown up, “ I think you should reconsider.  God will use the unique challenges and opportunities in their lives for His glory and their good.

A missionary mentor once suggested that in order to better understand modern Japan, we should read Shutting Out the Sun by Michael Zielenziger.  I've only read the first 60 pages or so, but have been impressed with the detailed accounts of people suffering as hikikomori, described in the book as a "social disease" wherein people withdraw from society.  I have met a few who have been hikikomori, and have heard snatches of their stories, but to read about several people and their gradual descent into isolation in detail has been enlightening.  
I certainly don't want to suggest this book as means of "Japan-bashing."  I present the book because it is encouraging to think of the tremendous opportunity in the midst of the extreme darkness portrayed in the book.  God's people will shine brightly in such darkness as they act as agents of mercy.
If you think you might be interested in the book, here are a few teasers from the back cover:
     The world's second-wealthiest country, Japan once seemed poised to overtake America as the leading global economic powerhouse.  But the country failed to recover from the staggering economic collapse of the early 1990s.  Today it confronts an array of disturbing social trends, notably a population of more than one million hikikomori: young men who shut themselves in their rooms, withdrawing from society.  There is also a growing number of "parasite singles": women who refuse to leave home, marry, or bear children. . .Shutting Out the Sun is a bold explanation of Japan's stagnation and its implications for the rest of the world.
Not dry at all, it's an interesting read.