Wanna Eat Raw Chicken?

Have you ever eaten raw chicken?

I don't think I would. Now I've eaten chicken in all kinds of ways for all three daily meals and in multiple countries, but I can't imagine eating it raw. There's just gotta be some kind of preparation. And, the more time spent preparing the chicken, the more possibilities of great flavor.

A while back I had scrumptious grilled chicken at a friend's house. Prepared with a Pampered Chef rub, then grilled. It took an investment of planning, purchasing, rubbing and cooking. And it was fabulous.

I cook chicken sometimes, too. My favorite simple way is to put some garlic powder on it, drizzle lemon juice over it, put it in a baking dish with a little water, and then slowly bake it. Doesn't take a real long time, but it takes time.

But my favorite chicken of all time has to be when my grandmother would cook it for dinner (that was lunch in her her world) by cutting it up, breading it, and then frying it. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. My brothers and I used to fight over the crumbs.

What in the world does all of this have to do with worship?

Simple, really.

Worship well done (pun intended) requires preparation. Planning. Purchasing. Practicing. And the best services I've ever been part of leading involved practicing both individually and together.

Raw chicken will make you sick. I'm concerned that raw worship leading can keep our worship ministries from being healthy.

In my current church position, I get to see young worship leaders a lot. It is easy to tell when they have spent a good amount of time preparing on their own, spent time preparing with one another, and then--fully prepared--led beautifully.

Conversely, it is easy to pick out when they have failed to prepare on their own before practicing with others, or have difficulty prioritizing practice with others. The best musicians get by, but they significantly limit themselves musically. Perhaps more importantly, they struggle to get past the music and to a place of freedom to worship.

I suspect this is not only true for young leaders but for all of us.

Don't be a chicken. Prepare well. Serve well. Lead well.