Listening to music and how it might impact our understanding of the corona virus.

Before the corona virus epidemic, I had been working as a freelance music critic, writing for our national Swedish newspaper. This means, I have had the pleasure of going to lot of concerts, and each time, I listen attentively and I bring what I know about music to my writing. Although I've studied and been engaged in music all my life, I openly admit that many of my opinions are often a question of taste -- just because well-known Finnish vocal quartet Fork's most recent show didn't move me, doesn't mean that others won't enjoy them. I find it fascinating to read reviews of concerts I have myself attended, and it intrigues me how educated musicians listen and respond so differently to music.  

Tonight, the Finnish government held a press conference and announced plans to slowly lift the many restrictions that have put the country in isolation for the past six weeks. My greatest fear since the epidemic began in China has surprisingly not been that I would myself fall sick, although I also belong to one of the many risk groups. My greatest fear is how we are judging and pointing fingers at each other for our actions and values, and at the moment, most of this is done online. Our spoken and unspoken need to protect ourselves and our families (granted, a very valid reason!) is clouding our view when it comes to dialoguing and listening to others. This is about to escalate once the country begins to open up, moving from online to in-person encounters, unless we as a society consciously do something about it. I'm just as guilty of this as anyone else, so this post speaks to my heart and I hope it speaks to yours too.

The first big pitfall the world at large is falling into is that of blaming nations for the onslaught of the virus. These conspiracy theories don't really accomplish anything. I understand our innate need to find answers, but when a good friend's teenage daughter was quite recently harassed on the street in Finland for being Chinese, I boiled up in rage. 

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine wanted to suggest a walk, and began the conversation by asking, ¨how many people have you seen lately?¨ I gave my answer, and received a rather condescending, ¨oh... that's still quite a lot of people.¨ I resisted the temptation of pointing out that I hadn't taken public transportation in weeks, neither had I been to the downtown area, knowing full well that my friend did both on an almost daily basis. If every dinner invitation, concert event, work meeting or walk in the park is going to be preceded by a mini-interrogation, I'm afraid we're going to end up at home and very lonely.

When I attend a concert, I try to put aside my personal biases, feelings and even mood (fortunately, I am usually in a good mood when I get to hear live music!) so that I can focus on the performance I am about to review. Unfortunately, this skill has been somewhat lost in our corona-panic and is instead manifesting in our voracious need to hoard things such as toilet paper, yeast and pasta. As it turns out, hoarding might be a safer side when it comes to coping methods, at least in Finland.

We've forgotten a few basic principles. Although the virus can affect anyone and is not a respecter of persons, we are still not all in the same boat. While some people, like me, are forced to work from home and make drastic changes to how they do their job, others might have the exact same workday, but instead they risk their lives daily when they leave the house and go to work. Parents are struggling to balance homeschooling which makes them less able to focus on their jobs -- and in many cases, happy that school is starting up again. Those who already struggled with loneliness and depression before the epidemic are at a real risk of withdrawing even further. We also should not forget the elderly and those in risk groups who have not seen their family or friends in weeks. The very fact that there is an indefinite timeline to when they might be able to safely begin to appear in public, is in itself a rather disheartening and  all-consuming thought to ponder alone in isolation.

In addition, some people adapt well to change, while others are struggling with what to cook for lunch every day (I admit I had this problem during our first week at home!). Then there are those who have strong social networks to fall back on -- and others who are not yet able to admit or articulate their fears even if they knew who to call.

We're not in the same boat and even worse, we've forgotten how to listen and how to show empathy. A friend courageously shared her feelings about the anonymity of mask-wearing on Facebook, and I was aghast to read the heartless response of others. We listen to react with our strong opinions, because we naturally believe that we are right and that we are entitled to our opinions. We've forgotten that Jesus went to the cross -- not because He felt like it, but because it was the will of His father, and He did it because He loves us. Our best response is to listen for the sake of listening and to love because Jesus loved us first. 

Unlike my concert reviews, where I'm supposedly a so-called expert on music, the corona virus is a very new thing and hardly any of us can call ourselves experts -- any scientific findings are really in the initial stages and not enough grounds by which to start daily debates. We are not in the same boat, but we are in this together, so let's ask God to show us how to keep our hearts soft and our ears open even in our day-to-day lives so that our new-found freedom is also an opportunity to bless others. 

The Meaning of Easter during the Coronavirus Epidemic

Today is Easter Sunday, and I woke up this morning to see that even all of Facebook proclaims the good news -- Christ is risen from the grave! I started to think -- what does this powerful and joyful message mean for us today? 

We are celebrating a different kind of Easter this year. The great cities of the world are in lockdown – hotels, restaurants, bars, airports, theaters, sporting events and even churches sit in empty silence. Here in Finland, our province has been closed off from the rest of the country with police guarding our borders vigilantly round the clock, meaning many families are separated at a time when we would otherwise be gathering together. In the span of a mere few weeks, millions of people have lost their jobs and are confused about the future, while others brave the terrors of a still relatively unknown disease daily to save the lives of the countless patients in our nations’ hospitals and care homes. Many have lost friends, family and loved ones, and the fear of sickness is undoubtedly prevalent, whether we are able to articulate it or not. 

The message of Easter, that Jesus, the son of our almighty God, willingly went to the cross, ¨was wounded for our transgressions, was bruised for our iniquities,¨ (Isaiah 53:5) and rose in victory so that we would be granted eternal life, is one which we are well familiar with, but it takes on a much different meaning this year in light of our current circumstances. Jesus did not only go to the cross so that we would have a secure future after death – the Bible also tells us that ¨by His stripes we are healed,¨ and that He came ¨to heal the brokenhearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives, to comfort all who mourn, to give beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning.¨(Isaiah 61). That’s a lot of good news! This means that even today, we know that God is in control of our situation and our world, and that we can trust Him with our lives, even if we are afraid or don’t completely understand what is going on. 

The power of the resurrection is as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago, because Jesus never changes and His love and grace are totally beyond our comprehension. It is my prayer this Easter even as we sit in our homes, unable to attend church, that we would come to truly understand how deeply Jesus loves us and how much He longs for us to trust Him completely. This, my friends, is ultimately the message of Easter.

Christ is risen! Hallelujah!

My Encouter with a Wild Boar

While in Hong Kong over Christmas, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in a luxury hotel in Cyberport, located on the southern tip of Hong Kong island. The area is considerably less populated than the rest of the city and my hotel overlooked the ocean. It was the perfect spot for a calm and relaxing personal retreat on the final days of 2019 -- or so I thought.

On the afternoon of my second day, I decided to go for a jog by the ocean. I left the hotel, walked up the road and turned off at the paved path leading down to the sea. I heard some rustling on my left, coming from the overgrown brush along the path, but because I knew the path also leads to a dog park, I didn't stop to investigate. Eager to get to the sea and begin my run, I hurried on, but seconds later, a large, brown animal comes out of the brush and we are almost face-to-face. At that moment, I realized the two people I had thought were waiting for their dogs along the same path were actually park employees, carrying large backpacks and suspicious-looking poles. One of them cautioned me to be careful, but I truly didn't need any warning -- I was terrified and immediately slowed my pace, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention. At that point, I noticed there was a closed gate at the end of the path and within seconds, I made my way safely to the other side of the gate  A group of children were gathered there, peering excitedly over the closed fence at the wild animals. I later learned that the boars had been spotted and lured by food in an attempt to capture and relocate them elsewhere, and that they are generally not dangerous, unless provoked or in protection of their young. 

I had come on this retreat with my Bible and my journal, hoping to seek God for the upcoming year. I didn't even know Hong Kong had wild boars and in all the years my parents have lived in the city, they have never even seen one from afar, so my experience was somewhat out of the ordinary. Only hours before, I had been on that same path with my little 3.5 year old niece and I am truly thankful that she had gone home with grandma by the time I met the boar and that I was alone. 

Once my heart and pulse rates slowed down to normal, I gave up the idea of jogging, and found a vacant park bench by the ocean instead. That's when I realized -- sometimes on the path to finding the Lord and learning to hear His voice, we come face-to-face with adversity, with our worst fears, with seemingly insurmountable challenges. These often appear out of nowhere, taking us by surprise, and it is easy to become discouraged and give up altogether. However, the Lord has given us tools in which to fight even the most frightening battles, and people to fight alongside us. In addition, He has promises that He will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5), and that is a promise worth remembering. The key is to stay on the path, rooted in the Lord and focused on our goals, because with God, there is always hope.

If you are entering 2020 with a heavy heart, here is a song that reminds us to bring our burdens to the Lord, because He desires to turn our mourning into dancing and our sorrow into joy.

May your 2020 be filled with much peace and joy!  

The Comfort Zone

A few months ago, I received a phone call from the music editor of one of our national newspapers, asking if I would be interested in writing music reviews -- in Swedish. I laughed involuntarily, because up until that point, I had never written anything in Swedish except short text messages and the occasional e-mail. To my mind, the proposition sounded rather ludicrous. I explained all this as cordially as I could, but the editor wasn't so easily deterred, so I promised to sleep on it and give an answer in a couple of days.

My answer ended up being a somewhat lukewarm, ¨I could give this a try, but I am really not sure if I am going to be any good at it.¨ Looking back, that answer reflected my fears all-too-accurately, but it was hard to pinpoint, even for myself, what exactly I was so terribly afraid of. I then realized my biggest struggle was going outside of my comfort zone and doing something completely new, and of which I actually knew very little about. The very thought that failure could well be possible was not very appealing to me, but the only way I was going to know for sure was to try.

Let's face it -- there is something very comforting in the familiar. Whether it is a well-worn pair of jeans, a favourite breakfast cereal or chilling with your best childhood friend, we tend to gravitate towards that which we know. Doing something new is scary and venturing into the unknown is equally terrifying, so most of us stay within well-traveled waters.

Since I have moved countries several times, learned a couple of foreign languages and succeeded in adjusting to a new culture, I actually get asked pretty often how I dared to step into the unknown. I gave the question some thought, and wrote down a few things I try to implement when going outside of my comfort zone:

1. Know yourself. Analyze your strengths and weaknesses so that you can make informed decisions when leaving the safety of what you know. If you struggle working with little kids, but love the elderly, then you want to keep this in mind when job hunting. This knowledge can also help you compensate for any weaknesses -- for example, I know I am not very good at getting certain administrative tasks done which involve going to an unfamiliar place. Recently, I wanted to be sure I would vote in the governmental elections, so I asked to meet up with a friend, who ensured that we both voted. And yes, I know this doesn't sound very grown-up of me, but the point here is that I voted!

2. Ask for advice. When I need to make larger decisions in my life, I often ask people who know me for their opinion. I usually try to choose people who care about me, are well aware of my strengths and weaknesses, and/or have experience in making similar decisions. At the end of the day, the choice to venture into unknown territory is my own, but it helps to discuss it with others and get another perspective.

3. Break it down. Sometimes a task might feel totally overwhelming (such as moving to another country!) and that feeling can turn to fear. However, writing a list of things, along with a corresponding timeline usually helps me to see that not everything needs to be done right away and that smaller goals are indeed manageable. The other advantage to having a list is that it minimizes the chances of inadvertently forgetting to do something!

4. Think outside of the box. There is nothing wrong with re-sizing your comfort zone by doing things a bit differently! A friend of mine once confessed that she had been set up on a blind date, but was too terrified to accept -- my solution was to turn it into a double-date that I also got to take part in, and it ended up being a really enjoyable evening!

5. Be a lifelong learner. If we constantly challenge ourselves to do things that are outside of our normal routine, we become accustomed to it. Whether it is a new language, new foods, a new travel destination, a new hobby, or a new hairdo, we can find small ways to expand our horizons, so that when a larger life transition comes our way, we are in the habit of tackling the unknown.

5. Cultivate a healthy attitude towards failure. I realize almost everyone is afraid of rejection and we try to avoid situations in which we might fail by staying within the safety of known territory. However, the world is full of examples of successful people who were not recognized until much later in life. Realize that your identity is not in what you do, but in who you are.

Finally, remember that we have differing comfort zones -- for me, navigating my way around an unfamiliar city is totally outside of my comfort zone, but calling up a new acquaintance and inviting them over for tea isn't. Be gracious to yourself, breathe, and then dare to say yes to the world outside of the comfort zone. 

Please feel free to add to my list by writing in the comments below!

10 Helpful Tips for Worship Leaders

This brief article was the result of an interview with Nelli Heinimo, whom I had the pleasure of meeting one Sunday when visiting a local congregation.  It first appeared in Finnish in Ruut and has been translated into English by my longtime friend and fellow musician, Hannu Ala.

Many thanks to both Nelli and Hannu, and to the countless number of worshippers I have had the pleasure of serving with over the years.  Thank you for your prayers, support, patience, knowledge and wisdom.

If you think I have forgotten something very important, feel free to write it in the comments below!

10 Helpful Tips for Worship Leaders

1. Your relationship with God should always be number one. Take time to worship and pray at home and come to church to receive and be with God even when you are not serving.

2. Develop your musical skills.  A few instrumental or singing lessons can go a long way.  You should have reasonable singing proficiency and preferably, ability in at least one instrument.  Music theory knowledge is also a big plus.

3. Church music doesn’t have to be professional.  In fact, I don’t think God really cares if the music isn’t flawless.  However, too many mistakes might distract people from focusing on Jesus.

4. Worship should never be a performance. Regardless of how big or small a meeting or event is, keep in mind that you are worshipping an Audience of One.

5. A worship team is not unlike a mini-congregation, led by the worship leader. Take an active role in conflict resolution and remind the team who you are serving and why.  Remember to also pray for your team.

6. Spiritual leadership is difficult if you don’t know your Bible.  Spend time studying it.

7. Even though you may receive invitations to visit different churches, it’s important to be rooted in your home congregation and to grow in your calling as a worship leader.  Honour your church leaders and collaborate with them.

8. Keep your eyes open when leading.  This way, you can see what God is doing in the congregation, and you can communicate with the band.

9. It’s helpful to realise that a worshipper is operating on a spiritual battlefield. The devil doesn’t want us to worship God.  Pray unceasingly!

10. There is a real need for worship leaders!  If God has put this on your heart, He will equip you.