Worship Matters (Bob Kauflin)

In Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin provides some thoughts for those who lead musical ministry on what matters in worship. Though 'worship' often denotes the musical portions of a church service, and the book is focused on that element, the author does well to point out that worship is a good deal more- it ultimately involves everything we do- and so this work goes well beyond musicianship.

"Worship is about what we love. What we live for." And worship matters "because worshiping God is the reason for which we were created . . . that's why it's so important to think carefully about what we do and why we do it." The first thing to realize is "that worship isn't primarily about music, techniques, litrugies, songs, or methodologies. It's about our hearts. It's about what and who we love more than anything." So in part one (The Leader), Kauflin covers the important things, focusing on:

- Heart (what do I love?)

- Mind (what do I believe?)

- Hands (what do I practice?)

- Life (what do I model?)

In part two (The Task), he argues that "a faithful worship leader magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, skillfully combining God's Word with music, thereby motivating the gathered Church to proclaim the Gospel, to cherish God's presence, and to live for God's glory." He spends this portion unpacking each phrase in that sentence.

In part three (Healthy Tensions), he looks at guiding principles before delving into the tensions we hold in worship concerning attributes of God, man, music, and events, to include:

- transcendent and immanent

- head and heart

- internal and external

- vertical and horizontal

- planned and spontaneous

- rooted and relevant

- skilled and authentic

- for the church and for unbelievers

- event and everyday

In part four (Right Relationships), he talks about people, church, team, and pastor, and each's role and relationship.

-----------

The foreword notes that "Bob leads us skillfully through the Scriptures and through his experiences to better understand the why and how of biblical worship, regardless of style or form." I would agree. This book doesn't make the case for a certain style of music (like contemporary or hymns), and it does a good job of not being prescriptive, but rather providing principles or elements to consider as you plan the music ministry of the church. It is thoroughly biblical and profoundly helpful.

I'm not sure why I bought this book (I've owned it for years). I'm not involved in my church's music ministry, and the piano duet I performed years ago in a service ended in disaster, so I have no plans to change that. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read this fundamental and sound contribution to the topic. We're never not worshiping, so as a leader or participant, it's important to do it correctly.

Rating: A

Photosynthesis

Today's review is of the 2017 release, Photosynthesis. For 2-4 players, it takes 30-60 minutes.

Overview

Trees need light to grow and thrive. But in a forest, you've got competition. Can you place, grow, and harvest your trees more effectively than your opponents?

In Photosynthesis, you take turns placing seeds and growing them into small, medium, and large trees, after which they can be harvested for points. Each action has a 'light cost,' and light points are earned at the start of each turn. But beware! The sun rotates around the board (there are six positions), and trees near you may throw shade (quite literally), blocking you from the precious light and denying you the points you need.

This is a game where placement is key. Small trees block other small trees one square away, medium ones block small or medium trees up to two squares away, and large ones block small, medium, and large trees up to three squares away. But as the sun rotates around the board, what blocks you one turn might be blocked in the future. 

game in progress; image from here

To start the game, the sun is placed in one corner, and the first player places a small tree. Play proceeds in a specified initial order for the setup. Then the game begins:

- all players calculate their light points based on trees they have exposed to sunlight and their size (small=1 point, medium=2, large=3)

- starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, each spends their light points to place seeds or grow trees

- if you have a large tree, you can harvest it for points based on its board position (closer to the middle nets higher points)

- once all have gone, the sun moves clockwise to the next position on the board, the first player token passes, and the next round begins

- the game ends when the sun has completed three full rotations (so 18 positions)

Review

This is a simple and solid game. Timing is of the essence. As the sun rotates, the positioning that helps you one turn will almost certainly hinder you within a few more. But size matters, so you can overcome being blocked from the light if you have a taller tree (or are the right distance away). And you can always harvest the large trees once they no longer get you light points based on nearby competitors. Costs for a given size tree (or seed) are spelled out on the board, and do increase as your supply dwindles. But you replenish your supply by putting 'used' trees back on your supply, so timing is important there, too. In all, this is an offering that's quick to learn and fun to play. In theme and approach, it is similar to Bosk, but much better. Highly recommended.

Rating: A

National Museum of the US Air Force

Perhaps there aren't many reasons to go to Ohio . . . but one big one is the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Four huge hangars house aircraft, spacecraft, and other articles relevant to the history of flight. It is . . . an astounding experience. The first hangar starts at the beginning, looking at the Wright brothers and the first generation of aircraft:

The hangar continues, looking at WWII-era planes and includes Bockscar, which dropped the second atomic bomb on Japan:

This is why we can't have nice things. And why there is so much mandatory training now.

The second hangar is a mixture of Vietnam aircraft and some drones/stealth fighters:

The Third has Cold War aircraft:

Then you head through a ballistic missile gallery:

The fourth is space and presidential planes. You could go in three (FDR's, Truman's, and LBJ's):

Overall, this is an amazing experience and hard to see in just one day. I went on consecutive days and could spend a third easily. Highly recommended.