I agree with your final statement, “…our God is never predictable and boring.” We have an astonishing ability to take the Bible — the most amazing piece of writing on earth — and turn it into something boring. Those of us who believe we are called to preach and teach need a healthy dose of pastoral imagination.

I used to think that CCM was shallow and unspiritual. So I know that some older folks can’t stand it (especially the pounding drums, or a loud base line), and they use their senior status to impose their choice of “more holy” music on Sun, thinking that it will spiritualize our worldly inclined church kids.

Thinking of our favorite UBF Psalm key verse, Ps 1:2, I used to teach it as a demanding imperative, “meditate on the word day and night.” Of late, I am focusing more on the word “delight,” which can never ever be forced on imposed on others.

It seems like our general approach to the Bible should no longer be one person using a verse or narrative or text, sometimes out of context, to make a point, such as “Be a good soldier of Christ,” etc. Perhaps it would be far better to simply let the Holy Spirit be our guide, and pray that it points us to the grace of God in Christ.

What I think would be helpful is to use the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) by studying less familiar Bible passages, such as all of the 150 Psalms, instead of recycling the same old passages over and over again in order to push a particular agenda or prayer topic, which has already become trite, banal and hackneyed, not to mention predictable and boring. This should never be, because our God is never predictable and boring.