A drummer we can all get along with....

[jpallman]

So someone made a robotic drummer, and it's not too bad. There is a video and some picturs detailing the build.

Check this out....

Maybe they'll make a guitar player soon - then We'll be all set!

[shayward]

I have enough trouble with the microwave...

[[Admin] osborn4]

Originally Posted by shayward

I have enough trouble with the microwave...

At least you don't have any trouble with your cell phone.

[lossforgain]

As a drummer I find this whole thread offensive.

j/k

[MPCC Media]

Well my friends, we can either complain about them or work with them. I personally work with them.
How I do it is turn up the volume so that the drum mix sounds right with the house mix.

Yeah yeah, I know this don't work with the traditionalist, but it works well in the Student Ministries.

And actually what we do here at school is put the drummer behind a plastic cage as most places do, but then have a cushion wall behind and above the drum cage. It's amazing at curbing excessive drumming sound reverberations.

So after saying all that, it's not all the drummer's fault, it's just as much the engineers for not coming up with a good design.

[tedanderson]

That robot is annyoing me. I am going to blame my drummer.

[lossforgain]

I just got a long nasty email from an older member of our congregation who is highly offended by the new drummer on my team.

He's a new attendee at our church (he IS a Christian) and has a large tattoo on his arm (just a shape, nothing explicit) and earrings (small, in-the-lobe). She finds him disgusting -- she assumes he is not a Christian or is "new to this Christian thing" -- and says having him up there turns her stomach. She asked, why can't he wear a long-sleeve shirt? And followed that up with "we have (Joe) in our church who is a professional drummer and does a much more tasteful job."

The new guy plays much better than Joe. But because of his tattoo we as Christians should find him repulsive and consider him less of a musician and a person.


GGGGRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the rant.

[MaskdBagel]

Really, though, isn't playing the drums at all a sign that you're pretty new to the Christian thing? That was my understanding, anyway...

[shayward]

Lossforgain, I totally hear you on this one.

You can say all of the usual, defensive things like, "Well, she's older, people in her generation, more conservative views, people like that weren't church people in her day" yadi-yadi-ya.

And that happens and is normal and it may have some merrit some times. But............

When you have terms like "highly offended", "new to this Christian thing", and (worst of all) "disgusting" and "turns my stomach" being used, however, this is not a case of an older, more-conservative/traditional church goer being unsettled by newer things that were signs of rebellion becoming mainstream (like people who hate bluejeans).

Rather, this is a case of a harsh and judgemental person getting their hate on, pure and simple. It's just mean-spirited and just plain wrong. I find the attitude itself disgusting. This is one of the kinds of attitudes that give younger people an excuse to hate the church. You need to discuss this with the Senior Pastor.

With that said:

When my own Pastor was a young, intern Pastor his Senior Pastor was going down to the US to preach at a big set of church meetings. One of the brother's from the assembly picked him up at the airport and they were going straight to the first meeting.

They chatted for a while when the brother asked him, "Would you mind putting your wedding band in your pocket?", which the Pastor did.

A while later the brother asked him, "Would you mind putting your wrist watch in your pocket?", which the Pastor did.

A while later the brother asked him, "Would you be able to put your lapel pin in your pocket?", which the Pastor did.

And the Pastor went and preached for a few days at those meetings and it was wonderful.

So what was wrong with his wedding band or his wrist watch or his lapel pin? Absolutely nothing. These things aren't idols or vain adornments. No, it was the people to whom he was about to minister that had something seriously wrong with them. At least from my perspective...

And yet without question he took off his wedding band and his watch and his lapel pin because he wanted to minister to them and didn't want them distracted from the Word of God and worship by their hang-ups.

1 Cor 8:9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

This lady's harshness and terminology shows her to be wrong, weak, and displays issues in her heart that she needs to work out with God. It's not merely concern over "how visitors will react" or "maybe it's not appropriate", which are at least understandable (even if you find them disagreeable).

Luke 6:28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

I don't think this verse only applies to those in the world mistreating those in the church, although we often interpret it as worldly persecution. And it seems easier to let it go if it's someone in the world because a brother or sister should know better, should emulate Christ better.

Nevertheless, you and your drummer should use this as an opportunity to pray, learn, grow, and demonstrate spiritual maturity.

Your drummer should do three things:

1. Cover up the tatoo at church
2. Take out the earring at church
3. Talk to the sister, saying something like, "I'm really sorry - I didn't realize that anyone would find this offensive. I never meant to be offensive. I'm doing this for Christ and I'm covering up the tatoo because I won't want it to distract people from Christ."

She can take it one of two ways: "I won (now I need to find something/someone else to be offended about)" or "I really pegged him wrong - he really does love the Lord". How she reacts ultimately depends on her maturity and relationship with Christ.

But at least your drummer will have tried to build a bridge to allow him to minister to her. If all of that still isn't good enough for her then people (especially your Senior Pastor) should see the situation for what it is (yet nevertheless try to be kind to her).

[bggowing]

Send him over to our church. We don't care what people dress like or what body ornamentation they have, as long as they love Christ. I don't remember anything that Christ said where we had to dress a certain way or talk a certain way to be accepted into the kingdom. That lady is close-minded and if she's that judgemental she should have a mirror pointed at her and asked who finds her offensive.

[tedanderson]

I just got a long nasty email from an older member of our congregation who is highly offended by the new drummer on my team. But because of his tattoo we as Christians should find him repulsive and consider him less of a musician and a person?

I couldn't agree with you more.

The oness of walking in love and acceptance is on the veteran member of the church and not the new convert. This older member (assuming that she has been a Christian and a member of the church much longer than the drummer has) should be the one reaching out to him and embracing him with love and winning him over.

We have a duty to win souls and when we are offended by someone's appearence, we will not be able to reach those who really need us. For all we know, the drummer probably has friends who need Jesus also. And when he tells his friends that he is the drummer at church, do you want him to say, "Come to church! This place is great! You'll love the church, the music, and the people!" or would you rather that he said, "You wouldn't like it there. They hassle me about my hair and tatoos."

And what would happen if a drug addict or prostitute walked in off of the street? Would your lady write a nasty letter to the head usher as a result of seating them within the first 5 rows where everyone could see them?

I realize that some church policies prohibit the display of certain types of ornamentation when operating in a representative capcity but Jesus never said that his "stomach turned" by who he saw playing the drums.

[shayward]

I realize that some church policies prohibit the display of certain types of ornamentation when operating in a representative capcity but Jesus never said that his "stomach turned" by who he saw playing the drums.

A fairly-famous tele-evangelist (very fire-and-brimstone) said in one of his sermons that I heard, "Every time I see a man with long hair and an earring it makes me want to puke!"

That is the ultimate form of disgust - something we would do if we found a half-rotten corpse in a ditch.

God help us... God deliever us from our prejudices... God forgive us for not seeing the image of God in every man, woman, and child.

Yes, there are times we can't allow certain people to be leaders at certain times because of certain things going on with their lives. (Serious, clear, unrepentant sin)

Yes, we can be disturbed by certain aspects of a person's life because God has told us that certain things are morally wrong.

But there are things (such as this situation) that really, really puzzle me in a way...