Written by: David Weston on April 12, 2025

In 1987, I wandered around the former Byzantine Cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Church in Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul. I was ill-prepared to experience what was about to take place. The Hagia Sophia (also spelled Agia Sophia) was first built in 537 AD during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. In 987, Prince Vladimir of Kiev is said to have sent emissaries to different countries to learn about their religions and worship. He was searching for an appropriate faith for his people.[1]  The emissaries went first to the Volga Bulgars. These Muslims reportedly found his quest disgraceful, sorrowful, and having a “dreadful stench.” And among the Germans (Western Christians), the ambassadors reported they saw “no glory.” In Constantinople, they were taken to Hagia Sophia, the cathedral church of the capital.[2] Their report:

“We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth, there is no such splendor or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We know only that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty.” [3]

Prince Vladimir was convinced, and his subjects accepted Greek Christianity and were baptized.[4]  What struck me most about this event was the visceral and aural spectacle they experienced the day they visited the Hagia Sophia. It was a mystical experience that changed both Western and Eastern civilizations in many ways. For this review, the significance of the power of frequencies is a clear demonstration of Jules Glanzer’s discussion on the power of sound on humanity and possibly the universe.

My thinking and journey along these lines find its genesis in Leonard Sweet’s book, a Cup of Coffee at the Soul Cafe, Chapter 6. I first read it when it came out in 1998. I remember wondering where I had been all my life. I remember being deeply impacted by this quote from Leonard Sweet. “The ear-gate has been created to act as the natural conduit between the Creator and all creation.” I had thought long and hard after my visit to the Hagia Sophia. I thought for hours about the importance of music and frequencies in God’s creative plan. This is perhaps why this subject matter so interests me, especially as it relates to leadership. I simply had never put the two together, but I see now how inseparable they are.

This quote from the Sound of Leadership sets the stage for a perfect understanding of God’s intended design for his universe. “God-honoring, kingdom-seeking, biblically rooted leadership has a scale, too. All the complexities of leadership, the required competencies and character, the convictions and courage to act, and the needed charisma and compassion to accomplish what is needed for the common good of the people fulfilling God’s mission in the world, are built on five words: Listen, See, Learn, Do, Love. These five words are the scale from which all leadership happens.”[6]  What a bold statement! Is he really saying that all leadership flows from these words? If so, there is a reckoning due with how we train and equip young leaders. First, it appears that there is a tremendous need to re-orient on Christ as leaders.  Secondly, all leadership must flow from a place of Christ-empowered love. What a powerful concept!

The simple way he breaks down these 5 words as notes is extraordinary. [7]

• Listen- paying attention to the voice of God and human counsel is our first imperative.
• See- carefully looking to see situations the way God does is a critical part of the human symphonic score. “How does God see this?” This must become such an essential part of our leadership.
• Learn—Once you have heard God and others speak and have learned how God sees it as best you can, you create a new composition in your mind. This new orchestration then becomes the music that all involved will play.
• Do- After listening, seeing, and learning have assisted you in evaluating the past and focusing on the future, you are now ready to create the music you are called to direct. All that is left is to play the composition. It is time to act on everything you have heard, seen, and learned. All the great processing in the world is just imagination until you actually do it.
• Love- The greatest expression of God’s symphony is love. We can accomplish great things, practice outstanding faith, but if we do not have love, we “gain nothing” (13:3). Nothing.

What I find staggeringly prolific is how Glanzer helps us see that sound is not a metaphor but a reality of God’s creation and that whether we recognize it or not, it is not only how God created “and God Spoke” Genesis 1, it is the very material of creation and the better we understand this truth, the better we will be able to know the mind of God and how he works.

References

1. Лаврентьевская летопись [The Laurentian Chronicle.], Полное собрание русских летописей (ПСРЛ) (online edition) (in Russian), vol. 1, USSR Academy of Sciences, 1928, from the http://litopys.org.ua/lavrlet/lavr.htm
2. Ипатьевская летопись [Ipatiev Chronicle], Полное собрание русских летописей (ПСРЛ) (in Russian), vol. 2, Imperial Archaeological Commission, 1908, from the Hypatian Codex
   
3. Ostrowski, Donald, ed. (2003). The Povest’ vremennykh let: An Interlinear Collation and Paradosis. 3 volumes (in Russian and English). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Archived from the original on 9 March 2005. Retrieved 23 March 2002. (assoc. ed. David J. Birnbaum (Harvard Library of Early Ukrainian Literature, vol. 10, parts 1–3) – This 2003 Ostrowski et al. edition includes an interlinear collation including the five main manuscript witnesses, as well as a new paradosis (“a proposed best reading”).
4. Ostrowski, Donald; Birnbaum, David J. (7 December 2014). “Rus’ primary chronicle critical edition – Interlinear line-level collation.” pvl.obdurodon.org (in Church Slavic). Retrieved 17 May 2023. – A 2014 improved digitized version of the 2002/2003 Ostrowski et al. edition.
5. Sweet, Leonard. A Cup of Coffee at the Soul Café. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998.
6. Glanzer, Jules. The Sound of Leadership: Kingdom Notes to Fine Tune Your Life and Influence, San Diego: Kingdom Publishing, 2021
7. ibid

About the Author

David Weston

One response to “Love: The Song of God”

1. Michael Hansen says:

   April 13, 2025 at 1:35 pm

   David,

   Thanks for sharing the details of the rich church history. My college roommate was stationed there for two years as a general’s aide. He shared his love for the city and country and how much more vibrant reading scripture became for him during and after that experience. How have you witnessed your personal composition shifting recently? Does it appear and sound like significant shifts or more of one fine-tuning?

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