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)