“Healer”, I think I’ll Say Something
Posted by inWorship | Under Fair Week, Just Thinking, Worship Thursday Aug 21, 2008I’ve been reading a ton of stuff this week about the song “Healer” and it’s author Michael Guglielmucci. I know many of you don’t frequent ministry blogs, so I’ll give you a little info. Michael wrote the song Healer as a response to finding out that he had terminal cancer. What was to follow was a whirlwind. The song became a huge story and went on to be recorded by one of the largest worship recording artists, Hillsong Church. Along with the song came a live DVD recording as well as incredible testimonial videos. This song was declared a song of hope and encouragement.
This week we found out that Michael was lying. There was no cancer.
I fought writing this post, cause I feel as if I am just jumping on the popular bandwagon. The reality is that I thought the song was, ok. I didn’t really like it. although I thought the story was inspiring.
A lot of thoughts went through my head when I first heard this news, but none of them were as intense as many I have seen floating around the web. My initial thoughts went to concern over the validity of the ministry of Hillsong as well as the ministry that Michael was a part of. My thoughts went to his family. But then, my thoughts went to all of those who had put emphasis on this song and its part in their hope filled lives. How has this devastated those who thought, “if it happened to Michael, it could happen to me?”
I’ve read some great posts and subsequent thoughts on this over at these sites, as well as many more.
Alex
Joel
Chris
Fred
Jeff
John
Brewster
There were lots of great thoughts here. These each had one thing in common. Frustration, but also a sense of grace in how we respond. I truly appreciate that.
But, what really hits me in all of it is this. We as Christians have been given an amazing wake up call. A wake up call to evaluate where our hope and passion are found. Is it found in a song? No. Is it found in an amazing testimony? No. Is it found in any human at all? No. “Our hope is found in nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness.”
We have to see, that in some way, on some level, we have made this song and this testimony an idol. It is powerful, yes. It is good, yes. But it holds no redeeming power or saving grace over our lives. It is not about the song. It is not about the healing. It is not about the story. It is about our God.
We as Pastors and worship leaders can easily place a song in our set list because of the story or because of the way it feels. We can use music to tell a story or we can use music to manipulate. It is truly a fine line. I have no problem believing that both of those things took place with this song in churches all over the world. We don’t find hope for healing in a song, we find it in God. The song is only our profession of this hope. The song is only an inspiration.
We’ve been given a wake up call to check where our passions lie. Where our focus is set. And in whom our hope is found.
Your thoughts?
GREAT angle and an awesome response to this “news” - glad you decided to post it after all…
CJ Mills’s last blog post…I Finally Have It - Unlocked iPhone
Can’t agree more. This is always a road that seems too easy to go down. I know for a long time, I was always like “David Crowder rocks. David Crowder is fantastic. David Crowder is…”
It finally dawned on me that I was turning Crowder’s style, creativity, innovation, music, etc. into an idol of it’s own. That’s very dangerous ground.
I still have a man crush on Crowder (shh, don’t tell anyone), but I make sure that I’ve put my idol away.
You should read “My Beautiful Idol.” It carries this thought to its ultimate conclusion very well.
Thanks man. I know God has a plan.
brewster’s last blog post…I Believe Your My Healer
CJ, thanks.
Jeff, I really appreciated your angles on this and your scriptural response.
Brewster, thanks for the example and work Integrity is doing in all of this. they are leading us through it as well.
I think that you’re coming from a healthy and wise place. Songs and testimonies exist for praise and encouragement, but ultimately they should point to Christ. And even if they do point to Christ, if we make the song or testimony or whatever an idol in and of itself, we’re missing the point.
And that story sort of appalls me. I’m glad he is in counseling or whatever, because deception on any level is terrible, but on that scale it’s a little horrifying.
Brooke, I am sure that Michael and his family are just beginning a long and very difficult process of healing. Slight irony there. Maybe this is why God birthed this song in him.
yes yes yes…great angle…and yeah our hope is built on nothing less
klampert’s last blog post…Healer updates: pastor mike told to go to police
Good post. We talked about this extensively in my small group this morning. I like your take.
While we do have “sensational” moments during worship which may wind up as “christian idol” anthems, we still have to look at the fact that if God does move through this song then it’s furthering God’s kingdom.
What stinks is that Satan will always find a way to mess things up.
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Joel, thanks for all your posts/thoughts on this!
Jad, I agree. My fear comes when we are moved by a song and then need to continue hearing that one song to inspire our hope. God should be hope enough. What if one is healed and another isn’t? This song to become a great encouragement or a great frustration, depending where people’s hope is found.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Brent. I guess I’m an odd duck - “Healer” never really wowed me like it seemed to hit everyone else. I think it’s fine, but I don’t love it. You’re very right that whether it’s this song or another, there is great danger in putting all of our passion and heart into the song or the writer, rather than the One who inspired it all and makes life worth living.
To continue quoting from the hymn you started, I hope this does remind us that “all other ground is sinking sand.” I love what the 3rd verse says:
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
Not an awesome, trendy church, not a moving song, not a guy with a touching story…just Jesus.
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Julie, thanks for your thoughts. If it starts with Jesus as our focus. All else can be truly beautiful. but, as a worship leader who chooses music each week, it is so easy to let the music do the talking instead of the God I serve. I am seriously concerned over all of those that found hope through Michael’s story. Now that it is fake, will they lose hope? Or will they realize that they can still find hope in the God who heals.
Frustration with grace sounds fair to me.
Tyler’s last blog post…Not Meant For Praise
Tyler, I agree. I’ve really appreciated what I’ve read from most. Grace is really the focus here. I just read your post as well and I think you nailed that.
I think so many of us have focused on grace because we’ve experienced it ourselves. There’s probably not a one of us who hasn’t fallen flat on our faces enough to know that grace it what is needed.
Plus, with my background/upbringing, I learned first-hand that slapping someone when they’re down is not going to bring them back into fellowship with God.
I love the line in “Kindness” that says, “and it’s Your kindness, Lord, that leads us to repentance.”
So true. It is kindness and not condemnation that leads someone to repent of their sins. Conviction, yes, not condemnation because conviction is a prompting from the Holy Spirit to be reconciled by grace.
Jeff M. Miller’s last blog post…Fabricated ministry: We were warned
I think people forget this sometimes. It is not our job to change or judge. It is our job to point and lead. God does that redeeming.
Hey Brent. Great thoughts.
Here are some of mind… http://lloydj.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/what-i-dont-think-about-healer-and-what-i-do-think-about-the-olympics/
Jon, I think your approach of grace is correct. Thanks for your thoughts.
Wow!… That’s all I have to say. Glad he’s getting some help. But God will still use this for His good.
Cheryl’s last blog post…AH! CANADA!
Cheryl, I agree. He works all together for His good.
Hmmmm.
I think it’s sad. You’ve got to wonder what lead him to the place where he felt he needed to lie to amp up a worship song.
Brandy’s last blog post…One of THOSE days
Brandy, I am sure he is working through a lot right now. I pray he is.
I’m sure he is. There’s obviously a deeper issue at play there.
Brandy’s last blog post…One of THOSE days
I’ve never heard of the guy or the song before now, so I don’t have any emotional connection to this story.
It seems from the article that they are implying this guy is mentally ill. Maybe that’s a ruse too??? Either way, he’s still sick and needs the healer.
badguy’s last blog post…Olympic Gold
Brent that says it all… Awesome post brother.
ckroboth’s last blog post…Like Father like Son…Love like Love
What a crazy story. What a crazy couple of days. I have heard so many stories through my blog of people who are very, very close to Mike and are blown away by what is happening.
Chris from Canada’s last blog post…Amazing video editing stuff
Very well written Brent. It’s a great reminder for all of us that there is nothing inherently redemptive about a song, story or testimony. God can breathe on anything and use any vessel. I love Fred’s post on ‘When Vessels Break.’
This should really remind all of us to keep our eyes on Christ who ALONE is our salvation.
Brad Ruggles’s last blog post…There’s A Monster At The End of This Post
i’m not so sure it has been made an idol. i think people have really connected & responded to the words of it…the message of it…the truth of it. a response to who God is in their life.
would we be saying it was an idol if this fraud & deception hadn’t been true or even come out? probably not at this moment.
it probably would have eventually gotten there though…with the way the Christian Music Industry & Lifeway works. we would have books, journals, and maybe even a travel sized sewing kit with ‘healer’ written on the side of it.
but as for now i believe it was a song that really connected to people. it’s sad to think that it was founded on deception. it’s also amazing how God can use something like this no matter if it was surrounded by fraud.
… ‘nuf said.
REV-O-LU-TION!!
Bad, agreed.
Carl, thanks.
Chris, your posts specifically have been incredible to read through. there are sure a lot of hurts and goods through all of this.
Brad, Fred’s post was good and I agree. We need to let God do the breathing.
Steven, thanks for your thoughts. I wasn’t trying to say that this song is an idol, but that we have been given an opportunity to evaluate whether or not we have allowed this song or any other to become an idol. I know reading through the blog world over the last month or so, some definitely felt that this song was the greatest thing in God’s arsenal since sliced bread. Others saw it for what it was, a very inspirational song. I believe God will use all of this, including this song for His glory and his good. I am already reading a lot of testimony from this regarding just that.
Buddy
[...] Brent [...]
You sure he didn’t make up his name too. Googly-moochie?
Christian’s last blog post…Mothers Against Drunk Driving are Madd at Jesus
C, Actually in all seriousness, I have not talked about much of the “facts” around this case, cause all we know is what we are hearing through “unofficial” or news sources. So, his name may actually not be real…
Jeesh, I was only trying to lighten things up a little bit. I haven’t seen people this upset since the Milli Vanilli disaster.
I totally agree with your point about songs pointing to God, but I think your accusations are a bit broad. I don’t think that people are placing their hope in songs or in worship leaders. I believe people are just taken aback because someone we thought of as a leader has confessed his sin. I understand that leaders in the church should be held to a higher standard, but why is it that when leaders confess their sin everyone jumps on the judgement bandwagon? Shouldn’t leaders have the same grace from us as we would give our closest friend? If anything, Michael needs more understanding and more support in order to build him back up. This brings up another whole idea, but the gist of this is that those words that he wrote in the song do nothing but point to the Creator as Healer. I think it’s a little rash to say that we’ve created an idol out of it, given it was only released recently.
C, the Milli Vanilli incident was clearly more of an issue
Derek, thanks for stopping by and getting involved. However, I am not sure you get what I said here. I haven’t accused anyone of anything. I have simple stated that we have been given an opportunity as Christians and especially as leaders to evaluate our intent and focus. Rash? I have seen this song held to idol standards around the web. I have also seen it used appropriately. Time has no bearing on an idol in our life. It is focus and intent. Glorify God or glorify self.
Also, the comments here as well as the posts I linked to clearly understand grace. I’m not sure if you were speaking to this post or others you have seen. I have not spoken to Michael at all in this post. Purposefully. My post is not about whether he is right or wrong and it is not about how we should react to Michael. It is about our opportunities for learning through it.
This is truly a bizarre story. Oh btw, that is his real name, his father was one of the founding members of Planetshakers.
How sad is this though, he really is sick, mentally. Think about it, he went as far as going around wearing oxygen. What goes through the mind to come up with this story to fool millions BUT even those close to him?
If ever he needs the Lord’s healing it is now!
Cheryl’s last blog post…AH! CANADA!
I already said it, but I’ll say it again. Maybe God birthed this song in him, just so that he could live it out, right now. I’ll be praying for him.
Gosh guys. I don’t know the song or the artist. But this doesn’t sound that much different from countless other incidents where people have come up with gimmicks to make a buck. What was the name of that guy who wrote that ‘autobiography’ about his addiction and later earned the wrath of Oprah and her minions? They felt betrayed in the way that a lot of folks here are sounding like they feel betrayed. Would his book have made the O list if it was known to be fiction? Doubtful. Is this guys song that good that he would have made it onto the Christian charts? (Wait, we’ve already determined on earlier threads that quality may not be essential in that case.)
The books the same book, the song’s the same song - they just moved into different genres. We know that Hemingway was a drunk and Van Gogh was a nut and Jane Fonda was once a traitor and Michael Jackson is …well - it really doesn’t change their art, does it?
It’s different with frauds like Ward Churchill, who have no art, no talent to speak of. Just an ax to grind. Lies are all that they really have to offer.
C, I think there is something in what you have said that speaks to why I have written about this in the way I have written.
As I read through people’s thoughts on this situation, I can see how this is bigger than anything we have seen in the CCM worship community. Nothing like this has happened before. I also, see a lot of hurt, pain, frustration and so on, but my attention is not on any of that. My attention is drawn to what I can learn from this and how I can keep myself from being in the same situation. I can only account for myself and my actions/response for this and I encourage others to do the same.
There are a lot of highly respected people in the middle of this and so that makes this more shocking. But just the fact that it is so shocking speaks volumes to what I have said, this song was held too high, otherwise, there would not have been the same reaction to it.
Brent,
Great comments … I agree. I can’t really blame us for getting excited over the song and testimony - it was (and the song still is) a powerful, strong anthem of God’s redemption and healing grace. Would the song have stood alone w/o the video and testimony? I suspect it would’ve … it was plenty popular on the Planetshakers CD before Hillsong put out the video testimony.
I dunno, I don’t necessarily agree that the “song was held too high” … maybe we overdid it … but just because we responded feverishly to a great “something” doesn’t make that wrong - as long as we don’t let it become a SUBSTITUTE for the Gospel.
For the Kingdom,
Fred McKinnon
http://www.fredmckinnon.com
http://www.theworshipcommunity.com
Fred F. McKinnon’s last blog post…FreePlay Friday - Weather Man Feed Monkey
Hey Fred, thanks for stopping by and thanks for all your input here and on your blog.
The song is a powerful statement of hope in our healer, God. It will continue to be that and I have no doubt it will continue to inspire, cause it speaks truth.
Also, in my saying that the song may have been “held to high”, I speak again to allow ourselves to evaluate our focus. If someone is losing hope in healing because of this event, they have held the song in to high a regard, cause our God is still alive and still heals. that is all I am trying to say.
I have really appreciated my daily reads like you and the others I have listed here. You all have been very honest and balanced in your discussion and leadership through the discussion. Thanks!
How’s the hurricane going?
Hey,
Agreed - we certainly shouldn’t lose hope because of what did (or didn’t happen) with a man.
Hurricane? Well, Tropical Storm - I think she’s heading across FL now, so it’s settling down - at least I’m back online. Posted some video of the beach on FreePlay Friday at my blog.
For the Kingdom,
Fred McKinnon
http://www.fredmckinnon.com
http://www.theworshipcommunity.com
Fred F. McKinnon’s last blog post…FreePlay Friday - Weather Man Feed Monkey
Glad to her the hurricane has been downgraded and is passing through!
Brent, I really liked what you said about putting our hope in Jesus. I think we tend to do this with leaders in our Church too. Idolizing and mistaking their Word for God’s Word because they are leaders and somehow “may know better” [not more than God though, huh?!]. It’s sort of like that time when all these people are celebrating religion in the Bible; lots of symbols and religious artificats springing from the Jewish religion from the OT, and Jesus sort of blows them off and talks about how He is the SOURCE behind all those religious symbols. Anyone who is thirsty, must come to Him. Without Him, the symbols mean nothing.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I enjoyed them. I didn’t and still don’t know much about the story but this gave me a pretty good idea and you were very neutral. Lots of love to you.
gchyayles’s last blog post…Ode to Maggie
[...] reading the rest of Brent’s awesome perspective on this story here ….Or Brad’s thoughts here… ………….or Tyler’s thoughts [...]
First time I’ve heard of this guy and this song. Thanks for bringing it to light B. I like your thought here: “Maybe God birthed this song in him, just so that he could live it out, right now.”
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