Harmony of Grace

Many Christians claim that they first met God in a church or while reading their bibles. My story is a bit different. "God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars." - Martin Luther   I was introduced to metal music at a young age. I loved the husky screaming over grungy, melodic riffs on the electric guitar. When I rocked out to Avenged Sevenfold and Killswitch Engage, my soul felt refreshed and overjoyed. I starkly remember visiting one of my friend's youth events at a strict, fundamental church and being told by a leader there that rock music is from the devil and as Christians, we should only be filling our lives with good and pure things (which according to him was the multi-million dollar worship industry of the time). According to this youth leader, there was no holiness to be found in the rock-music scene and it was our duty as Christians to take Jesus to them! The problem was that, while I enjoyed some of the worship...

Image Source:  Aditya Chinchure I can clearly recall a local preachers meeting that I attended a couple of years ago where one of the members commented that one should not use humour in their sermons as it dishonours the word of God and preaching the gospel is a serious affair. I can't remember where he got his justification from, but it was well supported from various sources. This comment has stuck with me through the years and recently got me considering the way that we conduct our worship services. I have been to many church gatherings where the sound and lighting shows have rivaled Coachella and the beautifully-edited, tear-jerking promo videos of the church's current events could very well have been produced by Steven Spielberg himself. Is the entertainment factor a healthy addition to the church worship service or does it do more harm than good?   Is there there a place for it in our churches? How much is too much? Personally, I believe that God can work th...

Image Source:  Johannes Plenio British singer and songwriter Tom Walker released a song last year titled  Leave A Light On. The lyrics tell a heart-wrenching story of one of Tom's friends who is a drug-addict and is losing his life to the addiction. Tom claims that he does not want to lose another friend to drugs and that no matter how dark his friend's life gets, Tom will always leave a light on to remind his friend that he is always welcome back home. If you look into the distance, there's a house up on the hill Guidin' like a lighthouse To a place where you'll be safe to feel our grace 'Cause we've all made mistakes If you've lost your way… I will leave the light on I will leave the light on I will leave the light on I will leave the light on There is such powerful imagery in this song. We all make mistakes.  We all lose our way. But no matter how far we stray or how bad our life gets, God will always leave the ...

I'm sure we have all come across the phrase of playing second fiddle . According to the dictionary, it means to "have a subordinate role to someone or something; be treated as less important than someone or something." Image Source: Larisa Birta I found the origin of this phrase fascinating. In an orchestra, the string players (particularly the 2nd violinists) are said to often feel insignificant to the other musicians. The main reason for this is because there are so many violinists and because their parts are often duplicated by other instruments. As a result of this, it is common for 2nd violinists to develop a laxness in both their practice schedules and their performances. On the other hand, 1st trumpeters and 1st oboists tend to be the most dedicated members in an orchestra because their contribution is considered very noticeable and important. Human beings were created to be intentional, purposeful beings. If a person cannot find a sense of purpose in...

One of my favourite movies of all time is  August Rush . (SPOILER ALERT!) The premise of the movie is as follows: A Boy is separated from his parents and orphaned from birth. The boy grows up with no access to music in a strict orphanage. However, the boy feels like there is some type of song deep within his soul that still connects him to his parents. He decides to "follow the music" inside of him. He runs away from the orphanage and can't help but express his song in whatever way he can. Eventually, his song is heard by others and becomes so popular that it is played in front of thousands of people. The boy's parents happen to hear the boy's song and are drawn towards him, eventually reuniting the whole family in the typical Hollywood happily ever after  ending. It is a powerful movie about music, love and never giving up. Maybe it is just the musician in me, but I believe that - just as the boy in the movie had a song inside of him that drew him to find ...

Image Source:  张 学欢 Why did I decide to start this blog? Why call it Harmony of Grace?  One definition for the word harmony is "living in peace and mutual understanding with others." I have always been fascinated with music and in my opinion, the musical definition of the word harmony has a more accurate depiction of the word's true meaning. In musical terms, a harmony is "a note or group of notes that compliment the notes in the melody (main tune of the song)." There are many different possible harmonies, but if played/sung correctly, they all compliment the melody and emphasize the beauty of the musical arrangement as a whole. When I had my first encounter with Jesus, the concept of harmony became much more real in my life. But how does harmony have anything to do with God's grace? I believe that God's grace can be seen in the world we live in, through various means, as a complimentary harmony to God's nature an...