{"id":41583,"date":"2025-04-12T16:45:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T23:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=41583"},"modified":"2025-04-12T16:45:24","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T23:45:24","slug":"love-the-song-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/love-the-song-of-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Love: The Song of God"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/em>) 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] \u00a0The emissaries went first to the Volga Bulgars. These Muslims reportedly found his quest disgraceful, sorrowful, and having a \u201cdreadful stench.\u201d And among the Germans (Western Christians), the ambassadors reported they saw \u201cno glory.\u201d In Constantinople, they were taken to Hagia Sophia, the cathedral church of the capital.[2] Their report:<\/p>\n

“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.\u201d [3]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Prince Vladimir was convinced, and his subjects accepted Greek Christianity and were baptized.[4] \u00a0What 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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] \u00a0What 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. \u00a0Secondly, all leadership must flow from a place of Christ-empowered love. What a powerful concept!<\/p>\n

The simple way he breaks down these 5 words as notes is extraordinary. [7]<\/p>\n