111 thoughts on “Song Leader Tag”

  1. Where do people get stupid ideas like this? Fundies have such a childish mentality and an inability to think through WHY they ought or ought not do something like this. Reinforces my opinion that most of them only “play church.”

  3. What is even more disturbing than that off-key circus is that horrible song. What was that?!? 🙂

      1. Shouldn’t that be “Water in the Rock”? Never heard of honey from a rock…lion carcus, but never a rock…wild honey with locusts, but never a rock… 🙄

        1. Deuteronomy 32:13
          He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag.

          Psalm 81:16
          But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

    2. Honey in the Rock is evidently a favorite of Mrs. Horton because we sang it at least once a week for my last two years at PCC.

    3. I never heard “Honey in the Rock” until this post. Now, my ears have offended me. Where’s that poker to drive through my ears?

    4. Is it the song that’s awful, the singing, or all of it? Don’t think I’ve ever heard it before, but I’m not liking it.

  4. Darrell, not to nitpick but isn’t there an extra worship in the 2nd sentence and shouldn’t it be UNlike those praise…..

    Maybe it’s just too early (for one of us 😀 )

  5. Cross with flowers on it that don’t really make any sense… Check.

    Bad hymn… Check.

    Cheesy comedy… Check.

    Preacher-boy blue dress shirts… Check.

        1. Personally speaking, I am physically unable to identify spelling and grammatical errors until after I hit the submit button.

        2. I’m the SAME way, Bill. So, please join me in making faces at Rob behind his back for making fun of me. 😉

          (and I INTENTIONALLY left out the appropriate commas… so nnnaaahhhh)

  6. I’m surprised this didn’t create a mass exodus to the bathroom, thus creating a line in the men’s room, which makes men really nervous cause we don’t like to stand in line to pee.

    1. Is that true?

      We women have no choice. We have more to do, and more privacy to maintain.

      You guys just point and click.

      1. Some guys get “stage fright” when we have to go with people waiting on us. It can also happen in those horrible restrooms without dividers between the urinals, when someone is standing next to you minding (doing) their own business.

      2. I don’t mind public restrooms. I really hate standing in line or crowded restrooms. Try to not have to go when at ball games.

    1. And yet (as Darrell pointed out) they criticize praise bands. The hypocrisy drives me crazy.

      SFL: assuming everything they do automatically has God’s blessing while everything those other kind of Christians do is worldly and ungodly.

  8. BTW I like the premise of this song that God can bring good out of a stone. Everything about it is a fail though. Good idea and then should’ve handed off to someone that could do song writing/making/whatever.

  9. Don’t make eye contact is right. It didn’t take long for the Fundy kid to realize this especially around prayer time. If you were even looking near the youth pastor you’d be called on to pray…so instead you look straight to the floor and hope that someone else made the stupid decision to look at the pastor.

    During college there was an art form to this. Because after a good PC was finished waxing eloquent with the word of God he would then call on someone to pray…usually by fate of the first person he made eye contact with. This could last a few seconds as the PC would ramble a bit at the end hoping that anyone in the room would make eye contact, be we had all outsmarted him. Either he’d pause and the silence would guilt someone into looking or the PC would give in knowing he was beaten and just pray himself.

    Of course every so often you wanted to make eye contact so you could get your out-loud prayer quota in for the semester. Usually once or twice a month. Not too much or they’d all know you just repeat the same things over and over and throw in a lot of ‘ums’ and ‘uhs’ to make the prayer last longer, but not too little or everyone would start to question your spirituality and assume you weren’t reading your Bible.

    1. On a serious note when I moved to Boston I joined a small group and one of the guys in the group was deathly afraid to pray in public. We all honored his request and simply never asked for him to pray out loud. Didn’t think a thing about it until we had someone new join who forgot about it.

      You know the nicety “[name] would you mind praying for [insert].” Of course that isn’t a question. You are really telling the person to pray. No one in their right mind would then say, “yes I mind.” But that is exactly what my friend did. I wanted to give him a high five. Then I thought about the church I grew up in. People would randomly be called on to pray in a service. I would have laughed so hard at the awkward silence if someone had said, “yes I do mind.” LOL

      1. @Mark…Growing up, I saw a pastor purposely ask a man in the church to pray…knowing that the man was deathly afraid. The pastor wanted to give him a spiritual “push” so he could become part of the “good old praying boys club.” The poor guy was so humiliated…he hung his head and after a long silence shook and quietly said, “I can’t.”

        1. As a child, I was terrified of praying in public. I remember several times my mom asking me to pray in SS or at ladies meetings (which I now refuse to go to) and being speechless b/c I was scared. After we got home, my mom would say, “How can you say you’re saved and be scared to pray in front of people?”

        2. @stuckinfundieland…I’ve heard that. I refuse to pray in public not because I am afraid or incapable.

          One of my pastors decided we should all take turns giving our testimony on Sun. morn… One of those “get to know everyone” things. I told him, “I’m not doing it.” He scheduled me anyhow …I just didn’t show up…he was mad.

      2. The chueches I grew up in would do the same thing. But I never once saw anyone refuse. In reality it was expected of the men to be ready to pray. The first time I was called on was during a youth service and I was nervous, but I survived. The whole fear of speaking in public is over-rated. Any grown man should be able to speak effectivly in public, that is why public speaking and debate clubs were a mandatory requirement at my high school for all students in the college prep program.

        1. @Chad…I suspect we are of a different generation. I grew up in the 70’s and many in congregation were of a lower middle class…also many Hispanics without high school education. My parents were uneducated and unable to speak in public…but they could milk a cow and ring a chicken’s neck!

        2. “Any grown man should be able to speak effectivly in public”
          That is like saying that any grown man should be able to fix cars and belch the alphabet. I’m comfortable speaking to people in public but that does not mean I relish praying in public and I certainly understand a person, male or female, who wishes not to talk in public or pray in public.

          People take those classes to get them over the paralyzing fear. It helps them function within society. But it doesn’t take away the fear and I respect any person who chooses not to speak or pray in public.

      3. When I was in high school at my fundy high, our choir teacher/director loved calling on people to pray after taking a massive amount of prayer requests. On one particular occasion after taking a plethora of prayer requests, he called on me to pray and told me to remember each request. I almost crapped myself. Not only was I deathly afraid of praying in public, but I also wasn’t really paying any attention to the requests that were said. I managed to remember part of one prayer request. I said something like the following:

        “Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Lord, I pray that you’d be with each request that was said and… um… that you would work in those situations…uh… um… I also pray for April’s cousin that got in a car accident. I pray that you’d heal him, Lord… uh… Give us a good time in choir and a good rest of the day.I pray these things in Jesus name. Amen”

        As I was praying, I heard my fellow fundy choir classmates giggling. I didn’t think anything of it. I thought they were laughing at me skipping over the majority of requests, but after saying, “amen” the class erupted in laughter, except April, and my choir teacher/director looked at me and said, “April’s cousin is dead, Jeff. Pay attention next time.”

        I was embarrassed 😳 . Also, wanted to punch my choir teacher/director in the face.

  10. I don’t think I can finish this one – at least pick people who are somewhat capable of carrying a tune; this truly was painful to my ears.

    For some reason, I associate this song with Lester Roloff.

  12. After thinking about having watched this, I have to say I am SO glad I wasn’t raised in the IFB milieu. Our church was Congregational, but under Baptist leadership (first an ABC pastor, then CBA). They were at least somewhat respectful of the church’s heritage, so we had at least SOMEWHAT dignified worship. This kind of nonsense would never have been tolerated. To me, it just illustrates one of the most glaring ironies of the worst of the evangelical/fundamentalist subculture: how beholden they are to the idiocies of the WIDER culture that they so vehemently and resoundingly criticize. You’ve provided us with lots of examples of this, Darrell. This one takes the cake.

    1. The Independent Fundamental Baptist church does not want to be thought of a dignified. They do not wish to tolerate any part of the WIDER culture and do NOT respect church history or heritage.

  13. I’m just shocked they let anyone else on stage. The churches I went to growing up treated the stage like the Holy of Holies, only the elite were allowed there. Thank goodness they didn’t put bells on their ankles though.

    Also, why didn’t they grab any ladies to song lead? /sarcasm.

    1. Assuming the pianist was a woman…then a woman was leading because none of those guys were. The piano was in charge.

        1. Yes, but I still can’t see it. I’m obstinate in my blindness, and I have a hard heart, or something.

  14. Oh, wow! This so could have been my church, song sellection and all. Honey in the Rock was my second least favorite after Sail On. As a musician, these kind of antics just rubbed me the wrong way. Our pastor enjoyed getting people to come up and whistle songs on random occasions. Not quite sure how that was worship or edifying but ok. We got so desperate for song leaders that sometimes the pastor’s daughter would lead the singing…which just meant you had to stand up there and say the song number and sing along. I can remember the first time I went to a church where the song service actually meant something…it was amazing.

    1. Since I just resigned as song leader at my church Sunday, I should really send the pastor this video to help him pick a replacement. Just call different guys up each verse! 💡

  15. Oh, this brings back so many memories that I can smell the breath mints and antique smell in the room! It’s a distinctly Baptist smell.

  16. I can honestly say I hate this so called hymn. If I never hear it again it will be too soon.

    “So if you sing, ‘There’s honey in the rock, my brother…’
    I’ll be slinging stones at you.”

    1. Theeeeeerreee’s… HONEY in the rock my brother *duck*, there’s honey in the rock for you *sidestep*… blah blah blah blah blah to cover *throw up butt cushion*. There’s honey in the rock for you.

      1. Ouch! That’s it. I’m going to New Orleans with that Scorpio guy. I think he knows how to treat a butt cushion properly.
        He keeps talking about beads though. Not sure what that is all about. :mrgreen:

    1. Theeeeeerreee’s… HONEY in the rock my brother *duck*, there’s honey in the rock for you *sidestep*… blah blah blah blah blah to cover *hold up a plastic bag*. There’s honey in the rock for you.

      Okay, now I have to go take a shower. 😉

  18. A friend and I were just talking about this recently. Isn’t one of the fundy battle cries (however unscriptural it may be) that singing “prepares the heart for the message”? Please explain how any of this prepares anyone for anything. I am still wrestling with just about everything that I was taught as a fundy – from music to theology to giving. Sadly my fromer mog has given me reason to question everyone’s motives and put everyone at arms length in the trust department.

    1. a very wise position to take. Don’t trust anything fundy, question everything.
      I’m right there with you 12step, I’m right there with you.

      This song seems to be very flippant with “leave your sins for the blood to cover,” and there is no hint of the gospel in this song. This is the Fundie health wealth and prosperity gospel. All will be all right if you just get the honey from the rock.

    2. I grew up hearing that. Like you, I swallowed a lot of Kool-Aid before my eyes were opened. Now I have to battle an opposite reaction…if they did it at the old church it must be wrong. My middle ground is to look at them like a stopped clock…at least they are right twice a day. And to know whether and when they are right, you need to check it against another source. 😆

  21. I remember singing that song as a kid…I figured there was honey instead of water coming out of one of those rocks that Moses stuck in the wilderness.
    When we sang “Bringing in the Sheaves,” I thought we were singing, “Bringing in the sheeps” (plural of sheep) There were a lot of lost sheep out in the world that needed to be brought into church!

    1. I’ve got you one better…when I was a kid I thought they were singing “Bringing in the Cheese”!

  23. Stunts like this reinforce my ever growing desire to transition to a liturgical church–Anglican or Catholic. And really, I guess it’s not just the stunts. It’s the underlying attitude that would ever imagine it is okay to do things like this in church. Just so irreverent and flippant. So sad.

    1. Come on over, the water’s fine!

      In all honesty though, you run into “antics” even in the more liturgical churches like whatever on earth is going on here ( http://bit.ly/ecravG ).

      But at least there’s rules against those sort of things, even if they’re stretched or ignored by a few.

      1. This is hilarious and incomprehensible…I first though the giant puppet to be jesus. Then when another appeared I thought them to be giant voodoo dolls. ???????????????????

      2. Oh Lord, PLEASE deliver us from those who nfeel the need to express thier “artistic tallents” PLEASE!!! 🙄

      3. Okay. That was painful to watch JumperJunkie, but thanks for the dose of reality. You said something significant, “at least there are rules against those sorts of things.” That’s one of my points. There are no actual rules about this sort of thing in the fundy churches. They are all little fiefdoms run by narcissistic demigods. Many of the pastors view their church as their family business and ram their unqualified sons into positions they do not do well. And there is no accountability. I’m just tired of the whole thing. My current church has had two pastors in the last ten years. I think that’s very healthy on several different levels.

  27. All I can think of is in the last fundy church I went to the “pastor” would have been yelling “Isn’t that great, folks? That’s fine! So good to hear and see people praising the Lord!”

  28. This video brings back traumatic memories of being “asked” to become music minister @ age 16. Why? B/c no one else could/would do it. I left that church shortly thereafter.

    1. A girl in our church went off to Bible college and returned to tell us that all students were required to take a class in which they learned to lead music and had to stand in front of the whole class and lead them in a song. Then and there, at the ripe old age of 8, I decided I would never attend a Christian college! From then on for several years, I viewed the recruiting film strips from college ensemble teams with total detatchment because I wasn’t going anywhere where they insisted that I wave my arms around in that ridiculous way in public.

      (P.S. I did end up at BJU. I never took a hymn leading class.)

  29. WOW! What a FUN Church! Those IFBer’s sure do know how to have FUN!! Where could I find such a fun loving, happy group of people as that?? Man, they are Craaaaazzzyyy! Oh that pastor just seems great doesn’t he?? The way he allows his congregants to just “let loose” like that!!

    1. Quoting Pastor’s Wife quoting Scripture (and for the record, I asked the same thing the first time I heard it, too):

      “pastor’s wife February 28, 2011 at 4:37 pm

      Deuteronomy 32:13
      He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag.

      Psalm 81:16
      But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

    2. The song itself is about experiential emotionalism over substance. Outside of the two scripture references it alludes to, it is merely a feel good song. It trivalizes the atonement and focuses on the feel good experience of that honey from the rock. It is a set up song for another emotive musical manipulator, “There’s a Sweet, Sweet, Spirit” If the m-o-g can’t manipulate a successful altar call using thses two emotional tools then he’s not worth his salt as a Fundie hired gun.

  32. So let me see if I have this straight: it pleased God that they cycled through a dozen or so guys, half of whom couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. But a single woman, no matter how competent or musically inclined would have made God’s head explode.

  33. And what does that even mean? I know that there is an OT reference to God nourishing the Israelites with honey from a rock – which obviously refers to the way in which bees made their hives in a crack in a rock. But why would we be singing about bees having a hive in a rock and “leave your sins for the blood to cover” in the same breath. Are those non-sequitur or is there some mysterious link? It feels like they just took every cliché they could think of, mashed them all together and sung it to a pub tune.

    1. It capitalizes on the Fundie’s need to experience church. While they claim to live by faith they are spiritual/emotional/experiential religious junkies. They have to have an “experience” in order to get their “fix” for the week. They start getting strung out by Wednesday and need another “fix” so they contrived the Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting for a pick me up to get them back to Sunday.

      1. And then insisted that the spiritual person will be there on Wednesday, and if you’re not there “every time the doors are open,” you’re not really sold out for God. 🙁

  34. And what IS IT about fundies and saying “amen” after every statement. It’s like an OCD twitch or something, amenamenamen?

    Can you imagine if we all did that at work, amenamenamen?

  35. Put this together with a “cowbell service” and you’d really have something….something horrible.
    Nothing like bad hymns sung halfheartedly and off key to get you into a mindset for worship.
    How is this better than what they ignorantly accuse churches that use praise and worship music of doing?

    1. A question to go along with that: if their music is neither “praise” nor “worship”, exactly what is it?

  36. Oh my. The theological depth of that hymn just left me all blessed up. ::cough::

  37. Did anyone else notice the lack of woman participants? Is that normal? I’ve heard woman can’t participate much in fundy churches, but they can’t sing either?

  38. This is reallllly stupid.

    And I despise this song. I went to PCC all 4 years and in my junior year, it seemed like we sang this song once a week. Horrible, horrible….right up there with “I Need Jesus.”

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