A Truly Beautiful Witness of an Even More Beautiful God

This evening, my wife and I were privileged to attend a preview concert of a local group of musicians known as the Roanoke Valley children’s choir and sat in awe of the consistent beauty that only excellent choral music is capable of producing. Although it may be cliché to say, music truly is a universal language and as such it is a powerful medium worth pursuing in our endeavor to both glorify God and advance His kingdom. In fact, the beautiful amalgamation of the boundless wonder of music and boundless spirit of the Gospel is something that believers gifted in music ought to consider using while on mission in this world.

Meet Dan Forrest.

 

Born in Elmira, New York and educated at Bob Jones University and the University of Kansas, Forrest has become one of America’s most accomplished choral and instrumental composers. His talent has decorated him with awards such as the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer’s Award, the ACDA Raymond Brock Award, first place in the John Ness Beck Foundation (beating the legendary John Rutter) (to name just a few), and his music has filled the rooms of Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center and numerous other prestigious performance spaces across the world. With notable original works like Requiem for the Living, and inspired arrangements such as his take on The First Noel, Forrest is a true virtuoso that is appreciated for his excellence everywhere his music is performed.

However, what is most impressive to this humble choral enthusiast is that Forrest has not lost sight of the forest among the trees (shameless pun). On his own website (danforrest.com) there is a “what I believe” page where, among other things, he admits,

“Whatever abilities I have, for creating beauty, are gifts from God. So I will make the most beautiful music I can, not because music-making is my ultimate end, but because I want to press my gifts to their maximum potential toward the true ultimate end: glorifying God. This is equally true of my “secular” music and “sacred” music, of my concert music and church music.”

                Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ‘He must increase, and I must decrease.’”

Admissions like this from people with this kind of recognition are a rarity for two reasons. Unfortunately, those who produce excellent products do not give glory to God because many of them do not know Him. Second, Christians often produce mediocre products that do not afford them the kind of influence achieved by the likes of Dan Forrest. Therefore, though those of the second group may be quite open about for Whom they are writing, singing, acting, or performing, only Christians ever hear it.

Forrest demonstrates what every believer should aspire for in their own lives. Whether a believer is a physician’s assistant, politician, janitor, doctor, beautician, nurse, stay-at-home mom, teacher, or salesman, the aim should be to “make the most beautiful music” he or she can because they “want to press [their] gifts to their maximum potential toward the true ultimate end: glorifying God.” When excellence is accomplished in a way that translates effectively into the world, believers gain the respect of those in their corresponding fields and a captive audience among their peers who may or may not know from where beauty, truth, healing, safety, hope, and love comes.

All who listen to the music of Dan Forrest are captivated by its beauty and impressed by its subtle harmonic nuances—placing him in the company of Eric Whitacre, R. Murray Schafer, Rene Clausen, and Morten Lauridsen.  Those curious enough to learn more about the man behind the music will eventually learn after a thorough investigation that

“Our world was designed to be a place of beauty and goodness, but was marred by sin, and continues to struggle with evil. But one day God will make things fully right again; and in the meantime, beauty and goodness are not totally lost- they still shine through, and point us toward the way things ought to be.” (Dan Forrest-courtesy of danforrest.com)

This is what an effective witness looks like. Uninhibited excellence accompanied by an undiluted message. We must at the same time be Daniels (Daniel 6:3-“Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm”) and John the Baptists (John 3:30-“He must increase, but I must decrease”). May believers never settle for less on whatever stage God has placed them.