Wanna Be HOT?

Do you want to be hot?

I do. I really do.

And I want everyone in my family, circle of ministry, and broader circle of friends to be HOT too.

Like metal just out of the furnace, I want to be malleable, ready to be more like Jesus.

Oh... you thought I meant HOT like an underwear model? Well, that'd be nice, but I'm learning from my friends in Life Action Ministries that there's another way to be HOT, one that makes much more of an impact in our world:

H - Humble
O - Obedient
T - Teachable

I probably spent 12-15 hours last week with the worship team from Life Action. They were so HOT that I didn't want to leave them. Every time I was in the room and they ran through a song... "what could we do better, Rod?"

Sometimes I didn't know. And sometimes I wasn't sure. And sometimes I had a helpful scriptural truth or musical concept to share. And it changed me, it changed them, it changed our relationship with one another, and ultimately it even changed the experiences of worship we shared afterwards.

Upon reflection, I'm pretty sure it wasn't my counsel that had those effects, it was their willingness to be HOT.

Did you catch that? 'Cause I think it is amazing. If my council hadn't made anything "better," our worship gatherings would've still been better because they demonstrated their HOT-ness in those hours together.

That's why I want to be HOT. If I can be humble, obedient, and teachable in every relationship, then those relationships, as well as the community we experience together, will be transforming--both for us and for the folks around us. And because I'm a worship pastor, our worship gatherings will be better too.

Amazing.

I feel like some scriptures are needed to illuminate my little insight. I could just suggest we read and re-read (and re-read) Philippians 2, because that would certainly help, but for right now let me just suggest we consider (maybe read it slowly 5-6 times to really consider it, rather than just getting through it) these 3 verses from that chapter:

Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out for you own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. (Phil 2:3-5)

Do We Really Want It?

I heard a couple of unrelated conversations today that made me think of something unrelated to them.

Sounds like a great way to end up with a blog post, don't you think?

One was on ESPN. The commentator had attended the football practice of a perennial powerhouse program that is really struggling. He was struck by the fact that "none of the players looked like they wanted to be great." That's quite a statement. In this massively competitive (even if eternally, fairly insignificant) context, he said he could always walk onto a practice field and pick out the guys who wanted to be great. They were often the ones who would be leading their teams to great seasons as well as those who would go on to the NFL.

The other was in person, at my church. Our guest worship band was practicing. One of their members was doing something on her phone while the others were taking some time to do individual practicing and assorted tasks related to their roles. The leader of the band suggested that this was work time and that she might want to practice any number of places she needed improvement rather than playing on her phone. (Yikes!)



And then I thought about the groups I lead, the rehearsals I facilitate. Do I really want to be great? Not so I can achieve fame and fortune like the NFL promises, but so I can honor my perfect Heavenly Father. And when it is time to work--to practice--am I giving myself fully to that?

And then I was reminded of why I started Worship Coach: to help churches make worship great. Seems to me that most of us stop at right rather than moving along to good, let alone great. (I wrote a series of blog posts that start HERE called "Should Worship Be Great?")

The stakes are not just higher, they are infinitely higher.

The words we sing are not just moving, they're transformational.

And I wonder... if a guest were to observe any of our rehearsals, would they perceive that I/we want to be great? I hope so. I pray so. And I need to do better at making sure if they are paying attention to me...well, there's not doubt. I want to be great for my great King. And I want worship to be great to honor Him, to strengthen the Body of Christ, and to testify to those far from God.