Life at the Seminary

There are posts that should be on this blog, but that are just circling around in my head. They have been for quite some time. Is that healthy, I wonder? As promised, I am going to put a few more things online over the next week or two, including some personal items such as this post.

I don’t think that there are many people that would argue that music touches the human soul. I find that getting to know real musicians, who live for their instrument and for music in general, are not unlike priests. Often these people have given their lives, dedicated themselves to being able to play their instruments, to produce something that is untouchable but that has an impact in people’s lives. Before they made the choice to do this, they knew that they would not make a lot of money (most of the time), that their job would require a lot from them and that they would do this for the rest of their lives…

As a ‘new media enthusiast’ and ‘communication expert’, I continue to be amazed by the power of the Internet. A place like Youtube, for instance, attracts such a varied crowd. It has its ups and downs, but did you know that Youtube had its own orchestra, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra (YTSO)? Incredible! These are professional artists who auditioned online by sending in videos in which they played the music for their instrument. And those that were selected really got together in London’s Carnegie Hall last month to perform! I would have given a lot to be able to be there, but alas… I had to watch it over the Internet :/

In this post I would like to introduce you to my favorite piece, composed especially for the YTSO by Tan Dun. Tan Dun is a Chinese composer who has written music for some of my favorite movies, such as Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In the video below he is directing his own symphony Eroica with the YTSO. Why don’t you listen to it as you read along? It’s the rehearsel for the performance (you can also check out the actual peformance, but I find this more personal and interesting!)

Tan Dun conceived the music for this Internet Symphony during the Olympics in China. He was passing by a garage where he heard the break drums making a beautiful sound. It’s C – A, C-E, which you hear clearly at the start of the symphony. You even see the car parts that they’re playing on. I find it really refreshing: just a sound on the street as the basis for the symphony. It represents the ’spirit of today’.  The melody part which really takes you out above the music are based on the same chords and the theme goes back on Beethoven.

In an interview he says about the project: “Think about it this way: anything could be the way, your language to talk to the people.” And this way the Internet forms a wonderful platform in which we can all participate. The technique is not important, everyone can just share their language of the heart, and if anything, Eroica, I find, is exactly that.

Not only does the YTSO show the diversity of classical music, but above all the passion that people from all around the world have for music and how – when brought together – symbolize more than an individual playing an instrument. This is true, in a sense, for all orchestra’s or even avant garde ensembles, but the great variety of cultures and people and the way they relate to the world and communicate with it, makes this a truly unique experience.

I would like to add – with some pride – that three out of the 96 participants selected for the orchestra are from Holland. Among them is Regina Ederveen, the harpist! It stresses Holland’s unique position in the harp world today, because here in this little country the level of technique in playing the harp has increased dramatically. Regina is a very enthusiastic and able harpist, who does a great job here! There are some interviews with her on Youtube, if you speak Dutch well enough

This doesn’t mean the seminary restricts you (apart from filling up a lot of hours each day with classes and prayer) to be involved in ministry or read about it. I’ve been reading a great book “Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry” by Doug Fields, an Evangelical pastor. As most of you know, I have no reservation in endorsing many protestant programs and pastors and take great pleasure in praying and working together with them. Maybe it’s due to my protestant upbringing, but more than anything else, if you’re really praising the Lord together, you are ‘one of heart and one of spirit’.

Doug begins his book by listing the 10 commitments of a Youth Minister, or indeed, any minister. I am listing them here because I think he’s really spot on. I must hastily add that I haven’t mastered all of them, but I hope they will motivate you as much as they do me.

1. Take it slowly – we have to realize we won’t be able to do everything at once. If you see things you potentially want to change, write them down and prayerfully consider them, but realize you won’t change everything within two years. If you want to change things too soon, you will seem critical in regards to your leader, and if you are the leader, you will still seem arrogant…

2. Evaluate your heart and motives – this is something we really have to do all the time. Why are we doing something? For God’s glory or for our own? Do we want to show off what we know or is it because we will feel good about ourselves… or is it God’s will?

3. Don’t play the number game – it’s really tempting to think in numbers. When I talk about my youth group, which started really small and pathetic and grew out to be a serious group with a really decent turnout twice a month, I always mention numbers to illustrate how well the Holy Spirit worked… it’s kinda crazy, though, because why would a group of only three serious people not be a successful group? It’s the contemporary market mindset which wants to know the numbers, whereas the health of the group is much more of an issue!

4. Don’t criticise the past – when you criticise others to make yourself look good, you will probably only convince weak people of your views. Authentic people can see right through you. You really build character by bringing out the good in someone else.

5. Don’t compare yourself to others- by feeling inadequate, you can ruin your enthousiasm, or – the opposite – by feeling accomplished you can become prideful. Often we struggle for years in order to get recognition from others for the things we do, whereas God has already given them to us unconditionally from the start!

6. Set priorities – it’s really easy to say yes, but a minister setting goals and knowing what is important to her is much more effective. Learn to say no…

7. Check your pace – you’re running a marathon, not a sprint. Endurance and training is what is needed. Spend your time well and take time to relax.

8. Serve - the only (Christian) way to lead is by serving others. You can do it by doing those things that only God can see, e.g. helping someone, or something simple such as refraining from making jokes about another person.

9. Be a student – you can only teach what you have learned… so don’t stop learning.

10. Be content – sometimes the grass seems greener somewhere else, but in reality, it’s just the set of problems that differ. Ministry is NOT EASY, else we’d have a whole bunch of ministers. Sometimes, a short term commitment seems beneficial for us ministers, but it can be disastrous for the youth you work with, because they need a stable environment around the people they look up to.

Well, those are the 10 Commitmens. Which do you struggle with the most? I wouldn’t even know where to begin! In Exodus 23:29-30 the LORD says to his people, that He will not give them the Promised Land all at once. It’s the same way with our ministry. We have to realize we’re in for the long haul, and fruits might not really show for years, but I am confident that with these 10 commitments, I might have a good shot