What made you take to Twitter?
I've always had a wisecracking sense of humor where I like to put in my two cents. It's gotten me in trouble in staff meetings and things, but I love to have a little wisecrack here and there, I love puns, I love wordplay and all of that, and Twitter was kind of just a really good way to scratch that itch.
I could say something useful or just something funny or that brought a different light to a situation, or just kind of crack wise, and I'd get a positive response from it.
What is the value of humor and satire?
I like to poke fun at myself a lot through the Church Curmudgeon, because the target of his ridicule is often the music guy, and that's me. So I get to poke fun at the way I do things.
I am a Baptist and I like to poke fun at Baptists. A lot of people think I'm being mean spirited at times, especially on Facebook - some people take things so seriously.
But I've always believed that you do have to take yourself lightly. There are matters that we need to treat with a great deal of gravity, and I try to do that appropriately, but at the same time, I think that sometimes you laugh the hardest at a funeral, because you're remembering what's important, and you realize that there is so much joy and mirth and life that we do need to have that brought out to us, and it reminds us of great truths.
Church Curmudgeon is a Southern Baptist, but much of what he says applies to Christians across the board. Why is that?
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I have been in lots of different evangelical churches, and so I have some broad church knowledge. I grew up Mennonite, I've been in Presbyterian churches, independent churches, non-denominational churches, megachurches, mini churches, I've experienced all kinds of church life here and there. And I've realized from my friendships but also from my church audience, there's a lot of these things that apply very broadly, so it resonates.
The main reason he's Southern Baptist is because as a character - he needed something that he really was, you know? It helps to settle your character a little bit. I don't think that limits him to speaking only to Southern Baptists, I think it just helps him be a developed character.
What are some of the Curmudgeon music complaints that you hear as a music minister?
It's too loud, too many new songs, they're too repetitive, you played that too fast or you played that too slow. There have been days when I have gotten equal and opposite complaints.
But I really must say i've been blessed to have congregations that really love me as a person and who respond to what I do. I have had relatively little complaint in my life.
I know that sometimes among worship leaders there is a tendency not to listen to people and to think that they're there for their own artistic expression, they think that they're there to be a rock star, and that's not it. Their goal is to assist people in the worship of God,