Before our praise band plays @ church we pray to be a participate in the worship service and to not take away from it. Which is a worthy thing to desire, I know I do not want to get up and make everyone think I am such a great musician.

However there seems to be this tendency within people who are wanting to use their talents for God to not do anything over the top because then you are 'exalting yourself' instead of exalting God.

What constitutes exalting oneself?

 If ones desire is to honor God with a creation of something artistic does it stop honoring God at some point if it suddenly has the complexity and technique beyond what others can do?

Is it because we think simplicity is more honoring to God?

Is it because we think it would cause people to not be impressed with God but with the artist?

Is it so we can be secretly proud of how humble we are?

I would think in most trivial matters, including this one, God is mostly concerned with the desire of our hearts. I am wanting to play creativly, but I am wanting to play creativly for God.

Vocalists, artists, musicians, architects, whatever your skill you have been blessed with, what is this tendency to hold back? Does God give a gift only to be particially unwrapped? Does God want potential for mastering and honoring to Him be supressed?

A lot of questions... more questions than answers in this blog.

But I look at creation and see some pretty awesome extremes between and variety within species. God seems to love variety, God loves His creation. A lot of it conjurs wonder and inspiration to the beholder and the one who stops to 'smell the flowers'. Why should our expression then be bland?

This inclination we have once we come to the point in our lives to use our talents to for the Creator, we have to keep it simple.. keep it plain... keep it, dare I say, even boring has been on my mind a lot this week.