Saturday, January 28, 2006
Honor God, Benefit Others
Eight weeks ago I was leading worship music at my local church and did something that caused me to re-think my method of leading. As I've worked on that (and other things that relate to my work as a CADD guy), I've also developed a mission statement for personal conduct ... something that I can really internalize. More on that later.
Back to the story, but first, a little background .....
As I've prepared for worship services over the course of the last few years, God has consistently impressed on my heart that He wants what I share (personal thoughts, prayers, etc.) to be an encouragement to people that come seeking Him. The greater idea being that God would be found by seekers, and that I would truly be part of leading people into His presence, not an obstacle to go around.
Fast-forward ....
The start of my "re-thinking process" was innocent enough. Prior to getting started with praise songs on that fine morning, I greeted the congregants. Their response was less than enthusiastic, so I felt the need to bring this to their attention. Being a "fix-it" kind of guy, I pulled out a well worn tool for the job. Sarcasm. I'm not talking "dry wit" here, I'm talking true sarcasm. Ya know, the kind of smug comment that originates somewhere in your heart, gets translated into cutting words by the tongue, and then proceeds over your lips while the "10-second-delay 'bleep' squad" (a.k.a your brain) is on break.
Once that was over, I proceeded "business as usual" with leading praise songs.
After the service, my earlier exchange with the crowd was called to my attention by a respected brother. I immediately felt the weight of my actions. I wanted to somehow apologize to everyone for my mouth. Too late. So, I walked out to my car and began to pray. I told God that I felt like I had just struck His sheep with what I'd said ... having the image in my mind of a bad shepherd that only does the right thing when the sheep's owner is looking. It then dawned on me that the sheep I'd "struck" aren't only His sheep ... they're His bride.
I was crushed. I prayed that God wouldn't allow my thoughtlessness to come between Himself and anyone hearing the message ... especially seeking unbelievers. I got in my car and sat there for a few minutes just feeling stunned. Even on my drive home, I couldn't shake it. When I walked through the door at home, Sara asked me how things went. I told her that things had gone pretty well except for this one thing. At that point, I just kinda broke down in tears.
After composing myself, she and I began to talk about purpose. She asked, "What's the purpose of the greeting, anyway? What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to be funny? Are you trying to make people feel welcome? What are you trying to do?" I admitted that I'd never really thought about it and wasn't really sure. After more thought, I realized that the greeting sets the tone for the worship experience. For some that are in attendance, this may be the first time they've stepped inside a church in years. So I started to think about how this initial, official greeting might affect them?
I decided that this part of my "mic" time needs as much thought as any other part of what I do ... maybe more because it sets the initial tone. Will it be a constructive tone to build upon ... or destructive tone to overcome. So I've begun to work this out.
While thinking about this, I began to think more about my whole life. Home life, work life, etc. What is the purpose of my every move? And how will I truly be an impact player ... not just think that I am. So after some thought, I've come to a better understanding that in order to be a MVP, I truly need to adopt the method of MVP (my own acronym, by the way). You're probably thinking, "Hmmmm, MVP (in the "method" sense) ... what's this guy talking about?"
Well, there's three things that gotta happen in my life and MVP sums it up. Actually, there's a fourth, but I consider that a "given."
The "M" stands for Mission. (I may comment on the "V" and the "P" in a future post or two.) And thus, my mission was born. Not original. God said it first. If it's profound, it is so only because ... God said it first. But here it is in my own personalized way: Live To Honor God and Benefit Others. In short, as the title of this post indicates, "Honor God, Benefit Others." This is the first step .....
And so my Christian journey continues, marked with new refinements and the undeserved favor/power that Jesus Christ gives for those that ask.
Back to the story, but first, a little background .....
As I've prepared for worship services over the course of the last few years, God has consistently impressed on my heart that He wants what I share (personal thoughts, prayers, etc.) to be an encouragement to people that come seeking Him. The greater idea being that God would be found by seekers, and that I would truly be part of leading people into His presence, not an obstacle to go around.
Fast-forward ....
The start of my "re-thinking process" was innocent enough. Prior to getting started with praise songs on that fine morning, I greeted the congregants. Their response was less than enthusiastic, so I felt the need to bring this to their attention. Being a "fix-it" kind of guy, I pulled out a well worn tool for the job. Sarcasm. I'm not talking "dry wit" here, I'm talking true sarcasm. Ya know, the kind of smug comment that originates somewhere in your heart, gets translated into cutting words by the tongue, and then proceeds over your lips while the "10-second-delay 'bleep' squad" (a.k.a your brain) is on break.
Once that was over, I proceeded "business as usual" with leading praise songs.
After the service, my earlier exchange with the crowd was called to my attention by a respected brother. I immediately felt the weight of my actions. I wanted to somehow apologize to everyone for my mouth. Too late. So, I walked out to my car and began to pray. I told God that I felt like I had just struck His sheep with what I'd said ... having the image in my mind of a bad shepherd that only does the right thing when the sheep's owner is looking. It then dawned on me that the sheep I'd "struck" aren't only His sheep ... they're His bride.
I was crushed. I prayed that God wouldn't allow my thoughtlessness to come between Himself and anyone hearing the message ... especially seeking unbelievers. I got in my car and sat there for a few minutes just feeling stunned. Even on my drive home, I couldn't shake it. When I walked through the door at home, Sara asked me how things went. I told her that things had gone pretty well except for this one thing. At that point, I just kinda broke down in tears.
After composing myself, she and I began to talk about purpose. She asked, "What's the purpose of the greeting, anyway? What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to be funny? Are you trying to make people feel welcome? What are you trying to do?" I admitted that I'd never really thought about it and wasn't really sure. After more thought, I realized that the greeting sets the tone for the worship experience. For some that are in attendance, this may be the first time they've stepped inside a church in years. So I started to think about how this initial, official greeting might affect them?
I decided that this part of my "mic" time needs as much thought as any other part of what I do ... maybe more because it sets the initial tone. Will it be a constructive tone to build upon ... or destructive tone to overcome. So I've begun to work this out.
While thinking about this, I began to think more about my whole life. Home life, work life, etc. What is the purpose of my every move? And how will I truly be an impact player ... not just think that I am. So after some thought, I've come to a better understanding that in order to be a MVP, I truly need to adopt the method of MVP (my own acronym, by the way). You're probably thinking, "Hmmmm, MVP (in the "method" sense) ... what's this guy talking about?"
Well, there's three things that gotta happen in my life and MVP sums it up. Actually, there's a fourth, but I consider that a "given."
The "M" stands for Mission. (I may comment on the "V" and the "P" in a future post or two.) And thus, my mission was born. Not original. God said it first. If it's profound, it is so only because
And so my Christian journey continues, marked with new refinements and the undeserved favor/power that Jesus Christ gives for those that ask.
# posted by jono : 1:34 PM
