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.

Pretenders?

Romans 12:9 says, "Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them."


If you serve in any sort of leadership--as a paid servant or an unpaid one--I can't imagine a more potent "horizontal" instruction from scripture.

I confess: I have often pretended to love others. I think I most often pretend to myself, not to them. But still, for most of my career I don't think I've loved people very well.

Now, lest you think me more of a jerk than I really am, I have certainly loved some people. You know, those that were quick to support me personally or my ministry... I loved them really well. The more they loved the songs I picked, the more I loved them. Not just the songs, but those who played and sang and led and served. You get the idea.

I'll spare you the psycho-babble and circular reasoning. You're welcome to speculate about  my past on your own. I'm more concerned with what God is showing me now. And what that means for the future.

I'm hopeful that what I'm seeing might serve your journey as well. These things seem to be true for those in my ministry, but also for those in my circle of friends and--more importantly--in my family.

When I really love people, I ask them to do things because it is best for them, not for me.

When I really love people, I speak encouragement to them rather than expect it from them.

When I really love people, I ask how they are doing. I pray for their needs and check in with them--not so they think much of me, but because I think much of them.

When I really love people, I speak truth into their lives. But only with and in great love. I do so because it serves them, not because it makes me feel better.

When I really love people, I am for them. I'm on their side, regardless of whether or not they're on my side.

Perhaps more practically, when I really love people I choose songs they love as well as songs I love--even if I don't love their songs. 

Similarly, when I really love people, I ask people to do things because they feel compelled by the love of Christ to do them, not because I want them to do them. 

Those last two are where the rubber really meets the road for those of us in worship leader positions. 

It makes so much sense when I read it from The Message: "Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it."

You see, that's the difference in a Christ-follower and a "nice person." We who follow Jesus have the same power coursing through our veins that raised Jesus from the dead. That power makes it possible to love people because of who we are, not because of who they are. And we love them because it's what we do, not because of what they do.

I'm learning. Feels like little tiny baby steps, but I'm learning.

How are you doing at loving people from the center of who you are? Any other places where the rubber meets the road that I've left out?

A Parable

A family was on vacation, hiking through a field. They stumbled upon recently disturbed dirt. Their younger child, a boy, just knew there was buried treasure. After begging and pleading (and maybe some bribing) he got permission from his parents to start digging.

It didn’t take long for his big sister to join the work. It seemed like it was taking forever, so dad pitched in. Finally mom gave up and joined them. It was hot. It was humid. It was afternoon. If they didn’t get to a treasure soon, it was gonna be time to give up.

About 20 minutes later someone heard a clunk. Excitement built. They all dug faster and harder. Before long they were looking at a stunningly beautiful box, about the size of a gallon of ice cream. The more dirt they brushed off, the more beautiful the box became. They looked. Honestly, they delighted. The box was stunning, glistening in the bright, hot sunlight.

Mom decided it was time to get back on the journey, so they decided to put the box back for the next traveler to find and enjoy. Of course the kids wanted to take it with them, but mom and dad were able to convince them that the land-owner was also the treasure box-owner, so they continued their hike, grateful for an adventure into beauty.

A second family happened upon the same field, not two days later. Except for the fact that both children were boys, the stories were nearly identical. Until the end.

The second dad decided it might be wise to open the treasure box and see what was on the inside. Having already been captivated by the beauty of the box, they were absolutely speechless at the sight of what was in it. The container was stunning; the contents were indescribable.

The family decided they should change jobs, schools, and everything else in their world to buy that field, build a home there, and have endless access to the treasure. 

What the first family missed out on, the second family was changed by. And all because the dad simply opened the box.

This parable is about worship. Most of us are enamored with the boxes. We marvel at the preaching, the music, even the people doing those things. We enjoy the wrapping so much we forget to pursue the treasure. Could we agree that we won’t stop with the container (worship) but pursue the treasure (Jesus)?

Here’s how He said it, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” - Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

Oh look, a bird!

People follow people.

Worship leaders, that means people aren't following music, or screens, or hymnals, or bulletins. They're following you.

The amazing privileges we're given are to choose the path, and to lead people down that path.

Let me explain.

We might think of the order of service or the songs chosen as a path. People can walk that path, and you can shape the path they walk. You can choose to make it beautiful, adventurous, comforting, etc. As a worship designer, you pick the path they're invited to walk. That's a series of posts for another time. (Or a library of books on worship planning!)

But they don't have to walk on the path you've prepared for them. They can be spectators, watching others walk (or watching other watching others). They might walk part of the path and then decide to just sit down and not continue their journey. They might go off the path. They might spend so much time looking at the path they forget their destination.

And that's where you come in.

People follow people.

So I want to encourage you to lead them. You've laid out the path, now show them around. Bring them along. You don't need a lot of words to do that. But you do need a lot of preparation. Use the instruments to paint the lyrics. Use the screen backgrounds and lights and musical dynamics to do the same. When needed, offer a quick prompt: let's walk a little farther (procedural language) or look at that bird (directional language) or can you believe how God created such beauty (worship language). Use the Psalms. Use other great scripture passages. Sometimes 3 words or 2 sentences can re-engage the attender who has decided to sit out this part of the path.

Use your eyes to communicate. Which direction is the text your singing? Is it directed at God? Then look to Him. Is it directed at the congregation, then look at them. Is it directed at your own heart? Then maybe you should close your eyes for a moment. But not too long. Because they're following you, and when you close your eyes, you shut out those who are willing to be led.

People follow people.

So lead them. Shepherd them like David did, "with integrity of heart." Guide them down the path of your order of worship and deliver them directly to their destination, the feet of our Father. It's when they get there that they will find "mercy and help for their time of need." Seize the opportunity to direct people to the throne of grace.

Bricks

My pastor just finished a series on faith and science. Fascinating stuff. One of those sermons was about technology. It referenced the amazing innovation in Genesis we know as the "brick."

We learned it was this magic building block that made the Tower of Babel possible. Tim taught us that God destroyed the famous tower because the builders were creating something for themselves, not for their God. You may remember that the mandate given Adam and Eve was to "fill the earth." But the motivation of the tower builders was to "keep us from being scattered." It was an act of defiance. You can hear their selfishness: "Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves."

For ourselves.

And that's when I knew... God has sometimes destroyed the tower of my making because I did it for myself, not for Him.

Ever happen to you?

How about in your family life? My wife and I find ourselves digging out of debt because we defied the teaching of God and, without even asking His opinion, spent money we didn't yet have. (Have I mentioned that having your tower destroyed can be painful? Our debt qualifies.)

How about in the worship ministry you lead? Or other ministry? Are you doing what Christ's love compels you to do or what your opinion compels you to do. One approach will endure. The other will be shattered by our great God.

What about in the church as a whole? Do you seek the face of God, the word of God, and the counsel of God? Or do you contribute from a position of personal preference, even in defiance to the wisdom of the scriptures? Do you have people around you who will tell you the difference?

Self-centered towers keep us from the staggering blessings of God that accompany obedience.

Has God sometimes destroyed your "tower" because you built it for yourself--even those around you--but you didn't build it for Him?

If not, hallelujah! Learn from my sinful heart and don't let it happen. If so, confess and receive grace. Let's do better in the future than we've done in the past.

One more thing from the story. God will get his way. He's God. He does that. The end of the story (Genesis 11:9) says, "In this way he scattered them all over the world." Our sin, our defiance, our stubbornness, and our selfishness will not thwart the plan of God. He's too big. Too wise.

Maybe this is why we should think about how to scatter all over the world more than how to build a kingdom in our own town.

Maybe.

Answered prayer... really?

Like many who spend time on stage, I have long admitted (confessed, too) my struggle with the sin of arrogance. In fact, for more than a decade now I have been praying for God to "crucify the pride out of me." This plea was inspired by Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Looking back now, the fact that I would pray that in public was probably--almost certainly, really--an act of arrogance itself. I'm confident I said these things in the presence of other folks so they would think more highly of me. Sheesh! It's like pride on steroids!

Anyway... when I prayed that prayer, I didn't consider something. Crucifixion is to put to death. I sort of got that; it was really the point. I wanted--and still want--God to put to death all sin that's in my life. 

But crucifixion is also painful. Very painful.

How did I not see that coming? 

You see, God has been answering my prayer request. And for about four years my life was painful. My ego was not just bruised, it was tossed in a giant dryer tumbler and bounced around, colliding with the circumstances of life over and over and over.

In the fall of 2010, I was asked to leave a church because they couldn't afford to pay me anymore. I was humiliated. I imagine God was using that experience to answer my prayer.

In the summer of 2011, the church plant/relocation I was serving decided to close. I can see God used (not caused, but used) that experience to answer my prayer.

In the spring of 2012, the large, flagship church I was serving as interim decided that I shouldn't stay permanently. Again, God was crucifying the pride out of me.

Here's the surprise: it really hurt. The experiences of leaving those churches hurt, sure. In fact they hurt my family as deeply as they hurt me. Maybe more.

I'm just not sure why that didn't occur to me when I asked. I've read about, been moved to tears by, taught and preached about, just how painful crucifixion is.

And God has been crucifying the pride out of me.

Even as I write this, share this, I'm aware that I hope you'll read it and admire me. I almost didn't post it.

But I want my story to serve you more than I'm worried about whether you admire me, think me puffed up like a peacock, or think I'm just being goofy.

Consider what you pray for. Discern ahead of time what the answer might mean. And then pray with all of your heart for what God and you want.

While there's a lot of pride left in my heart, I also want you to know that God has been answering my prayer, my quest. In recent months the lessons have been far less painful. Indeed, this season of my life and ministry is one of unprecedented joy.

I can't help but wonder if there are little shadows of another verse of scripture in this season: "For the joy set before him he endured the cross." There's no comparison, seriously. But on the other side of crucifixion there always seems to be joy. After death, life. 

One more verse to wrap up: 

Crying may last for a night,
    but joy comes in the morning.

          --Psalm 30:5b

Ultimately, our God is a God of hope.

Shalom

One of my favorite things about reading familiar passages in the scriptures is how they grow deeper as we grow into Christ. We learn one thing, or maybe a handful of things, and then the scriptures open up all over again.

That happened for me this Easter. 

One of the things I've learned in the last few years is a fuller meaning of the word Shalom. Of course we know it means peace, and we know it is a traditional greeting among Jews. It has been for millenia.

But as the Jews in Jesus day understood it, Shalom was much deeper than peace. It was to bless someone with the peace of God, to wish upon them that they would find their steps, their very heartbeat, in rhythm with God's. Shalom is not the absence of conflict, but the fullness of God's presence. It is the world of humans before the fall, before sin entered the world. It is--at the same time--a vision of what heaven will be. 

Shalom is the peace that comes when all is right with your world.

And that's why, as our pastor read the story from John 20--casually mentioning that Jesus said "Shalom" to the disciples, I found myself so astounded.

Read it for yourself: "Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said.."

You guessed it. Shalom.

The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ has made possible the Shalom the Jews had been anticipating for centuries. He didn't simply greet them in the traditional manner, He blessed them with "the way God wants things to be for you" with that single word.

The same Shalom that Jesus gave Thomas and the other disciples is available to us. What an incredible gift of the resurrection. 

Shalom, my friends.