Tuesday Refocus: July 18

“The more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer, because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you, in proportion to your fear of being hurt. The one who does most to avoid suffering is, in the end, the one who suffers most.” - Thomas Merton

It was for the joy set before Jesus, that He endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). The Author, Finisher, and Perfecter of our faith suffered, why would we believe that our lives would - or should - look any different?

Suffering feels unnatural because it was never intended to be a part of our world and our lives - and one-day suffering will cease to exist. But if we suffer with Christ as children and heirs, we will also be glorified with Christ (Romans 8:17)! Suffering feels unnatural in a world and culture of instant gratification. Suffering is counterintuitive because it says that there can be future joy, and eternal pleasures only in part today, but forever more on that day.

Father, may we experience Your comfort in our suffering? May we glimpse You joy now? Fill us with endurance, oh, Lord. In Your eternal and enduring name, amen.

Amen,

AB

Making Space for New Leaders [Part 2]

My hope last week was to give a vision for why we should make space for new leaders. This week I hope to give a few practical steps about how we might make space for new leaders.

There is a training rhythm that I have seen repeated often across social media, it goes something like this:

1. I do, you watch, we talk

2. I do, you join, we talk

3. We do, we talk

4. You do, I join, we talk

5. You do, I watch, we talk

I think this is a healthy rhythm for developing worship leaders as well. Because leading worship can be complex - in its preparation as well as its execution - you want to make sure that these categories are true in your preparation and planning, in your leading from the platform, and in the normal rhythms of serving.

Preparation and Planning.

How do you build a set list? How do you schedule a team? What is the philosophy of worship? The smallest amount of my job is the most visible portion of my job. When you're training and developing new worship leaders, they need to know the thought process behind your song choice, the conversations you’re having with the pastor, and the way you prepare personally, spiritually, and practically for a rehearsal and for the weekend. Sound doesn’t just get set up, lyrics don’t automatically appear on the screens, and the team leading can’t just show up without knowing what music is on for the service. Do not just show the what, but the how and why behind what leads you into the weekend. For many of us, this will likely mean we need to do some work to articulate our auto-pilot decisions.

On the platform.

Leading worship requires trust. Trust is only developed over time. I find it helpful to have new leaders face be familiar with the congregation from the platform before they are responsible for leading a song or a service. Have the new leader accompany you over a few weeks playing and singing. Then after several weeks of leading in that way, ask them to lead a song - or a Scripture reading, prayer, or verbal transition. As they settle into that new rhythm, and the congregation becomes familiar with their leadership, have them lead everything with you accompanying their leadership. And finally, allow them to lead on their own with you leading from the congregation.

Leadership happens on and off the platform. If we truly desire to disciple, equip, and train others to lead, we must give them access to our lives, and every aspect of our leadership - not just the obvious places. Invite questions, ask questions. Listen, be interested. Create a safe place for mistakes. Be gracious. Give away authority. Invite collaboration. Die to yourself.

Receiving Criticism

Receiving criticism is hard. Whether you have requested feedback, or someone walks up to you after a service and lets fly all the things they don’t like about you and what you’re doing. Because of the corporate nature of sung corporate worship, there is a sense of ownership among our congregations - this is our thing. And so it is not unusual for people to express their opinions, frustrations, and objections about sung worship. Whether that is style of the music, song choice, volume, liturgical elements, who are serving, what they are wearing, how they are leading, and any host of other points of tension.

When it comes to receiving criticism, I think it is important to note the difference between grumbling and complaining, and criticism. Although they may be presented in a similar way, I think of criticism, as ultimately, and hopefully helping to clarify who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Criticism, can help us grow if we are willing to receive it prayerfully.

One of the hardest things to do when receiving criticism - at least for me - is to pause long enough to pray, rather than attempting to verbally fire back. I need the words of the Psalmist to be my prayer “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3). Our first words need to be toward God, before they are in reaction or response to the person being critical.

Second, we need to receive criticism with humility. Again, this is so hard - Don’t you know how long I’ve spent preparing for this weekend? There are ins and outs of this area of ministry you could know nothing about! I have read more, rehearsed more, and spent more time growing my knowledge and understanding of sung worship than you! Who do you think you are to say this to me? All of these things reactions and more surface easily and quickly for me when receiving criticism. What an exposure of my own prideful heart!

Finally, I think it is so important that we have a philosophy of worship. We need to have convictions, about why we do what we do. We need to be able to articulate those convictions to the people on our team, as well as our congregations. But our convictions as well are something we need to hold with humility lest we become rigid, and critical ourselves.

The good news for worship leaders as we receive criticism, just like everyone, our identity is not in what we do - but in Christ.

Identifying Seasons

Transitions are difficult even when they are positive.

The familiarity of our lives and the world shifted two and a half years ago, and many of us are still struggling to find a new ‘normal’ rhythm to life and ministry.

We may not be able to change the season, but we can identify the season and begin to see how it may be changing us.

Theologian, Walter Brueggemann, speaks about how the Psalms are in three categories, Psalms or orientation, disorientation, and new orientation.

The full scope of the human experience is represented in the Psalms, so is it no surprise that our lives move in similar seasons of orientation, disorientation, and new orientation. Here is how Brueggemann describes these seasons:

Orientation is the establishment of structure and order.

Disorientation is a place of imbalance and nonsense even potentially unjust. 

New orientation is moving forward away from what was and toward new possibilities.

As I consider these seasons, I remind myself - It won’t always be this way… but it might. This may be a season, or it may be the story God is telling with the entirety of your life. I have found that the more aware I am of the season I am in, the less I try to buck against what is and cling to what has been.

“The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” - Elisabeth Elliot

What season are you in?

June 28: Tuesday Refocus

“The Church does not need brilliant personalities but faithful servants of Jesus.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

No crafting or filters. 

No lighting or cropping. 

No illusions or diversions.

No trickery, pretending, or hiding can fool the One who sees past outward appearances and to the heart of you and me (1 Sam 16:7).

Jesus tells his followers to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15)” How easy - especially in a social media age - to appear as something that we are not. But “…you will recognize them by their fruits… (Matthew 7:20)” because, “…a healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a diseased tree bear good fruit (Matthew 7:18).” Healthy fruit is not produced in its own strength but grows through abiding (John 15:5).

The faithful servant of Jesus bears fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8). It is the fruit of the Spirit that marks the faithful servant of Jesus - more than the brilliant personality (Galatians 5:22-23). But perhaps it is faithful servants of Jesus who possess the most brilliant (but less outward) personalities.

Lord, may our lives be found abiding in You. May we bear fruit in keeping with repentance. May we bear the fruit of the Spirit. Even if our lives do not burn bright from the perspective of social media, may they burn bright with faithfulness to You. In Your name, amen.

Amen,

AB

July 20: Tuesday Refocus

‘All true servants of Christ must be content to wait for their wages. Their best things are yet to come.’ - J.C. Ryle

Delayed gratification is not a modern, Western value.  And why would it be when we can get what we want when we want it with the click of a button?  But followers of Christ are called to something entirely other.  

We are called to…   

‘…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.’ (Matt 6:20).

Invest our lives in something we ‘…know in part; then [we] shall know fully, even as [we] have been fully known.’ (1 Cor 13:12).

Lose our lives for His sake to find life (Matt 16:25).

‘…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb 12:2).

May we wait patiently, with endurance and expectation.

Jesus, You who were rich, for our sake became poor so that we through your poverty might become rich.  May we follow You, bearing the cross to one day wear a crown.  For Your greater glory, and for our greater joy, amen.

Waiting,

AB

April 21: Tuesday Refocus

‘The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;

They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;

But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,

And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.’ - Edward Shillito

Each of us bears wounds internally and externally.  Wounds which take the shape of our own sin, and others which resemble the sin committed against us.  Some wounds are in the shape of the refining, sanctifying, love and discipline of God (Heb 12:6).  And still, other wounds are ‘…carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested… (2 Col 4:20).’

Your wounds may not cause delight, but they can cause wonder and worship.  Because our Savior bears eternal scars.  

He is the Suffering Servant (Is 53),

the High Priest able to empathize (Heb 4:15),

the One acquainted with all our ways and acquainted with grief (Ps 139:3, Is 53:3).

the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep, bearing the marks of His death and resurrection for all eternity (1 Cor 15:20, Jn 20:27)

‘Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure we will also reign with Him.  If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.’  2 Timothy 2:11-13

In light of the eternal weight of glory, our wounds will seem light and momentary (2 Cor 4:17).  Because out of the perfection of beauty, God shines forth - bearing eternal scars (Ps 50:2).

Thank you, Jesus, that our suffering is never in vain, never for naught, and accomplishing our maturity.  Thank you that we never suffer alone, we can place our wounds in the hands that have been wounded for us.  We love you and are grateful, in Your name, amen.

Sharing,

AB

July 9: Tuesday Refocus

What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways!
He won’t walk in step with the wicked,
nor share the sinner’s way,
nor be found sitting in the scorner’s seat.
His pleasure and passion is remaining true to the Word of “I Am,”
meditating day and night in the true revelation of light.
He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree
planted by God’s design,
deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss,
bearing fruit in every season of his life.
He is never dry, never fainting,
ever blessed, ever prosperous.
But how different are the wicked.
All they are is dust in the wind—
driven away to destruction!
The wicked will not endure the day of judgment,
for God will not defend them.
Nothing they do will succeed or endure for long,
for they have no part with those who walk in truth.
But how different it is for the righteous!
The Lord embraces their paths as they move forward
while the way of the wicked leads only to doom.

Psalm 1 [The Passion Translation]

What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways! 

This path of life, is illuminated by Christ, and leads to fullness of joy in His presence –pleasures forevermore (Ps 16:11).

This is not an easy path, but we never walk alone (Matt 28:20).

This may be a path littered with suffering, but we join the Suffering Servant – and will rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed (Is 53, 1 Pet 4:13)

This life may require us to endure many things, but if we endure, we will also reign with Him (2 Tim 2:12).

But we can take heart on this path because, ‘…suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.’ (Rom 5:3-5)

Lord Jesus, we walk with You, we walk toward You, we follow after You.  Knowing that You are the ultimate prize and desire of our hearts and lives.  Thank you that You hold our lives secure.  We await eagerly for You, Your name and Your renown are the desires of our hearts.  In Your name, amen.

Walking,

AB

30 January: Tuesday Refocus

‘The greatest sign of pride isn’t the presence of boasting, it’s a lack of prayer.’ – BJ Thompson

Ouch.

We can wax lyrical about being humble servant leaders, but if we don’t come away from the crowd for communion with our Father (Lk 5:16), if our lives are not filled with unceasing prayers (1 Thess 5:16-18) of dependence, humility is merely aspiration.  And if our songs are really prayers, sung in faith and belief – they must be desperate echoes of a father, ‘I believe! Help my unbelief!’ (Mk 9:14)

Pray like you believe. 

Pray because you believe. 

Pray because you need to believe.

To prayer,

AB