Not a Camouflaged Soul

Category: Faith

  • Useful: Numb

    Useful: Numb

    I had a bit of a scare last night. I must have fallen asleep on my arm, and the fingers of my left hand went numb. It happens.

    Problem: it lasted over an hour and lingers as I write this the next morning.

    Now, I knew it was probably nothing serious. I wasn’t trying to be melodramatic. But when it is after midnight and something like that happens, the mind tends to race. Many diagnoses ran through my head as I vigorously shook my hand, trying to get some feeling back. Nerve damage? Circulation problem? Heart attack?

    As a pianist, guitarist, and worship leader, I cringed at the thought of not being able to play music again. I actually pictured what ministry would be like without the ability to play.

    Then I thought back to earlier in the evening. I was out on visitation, and I got to give the Gospel to a 72-year-old Korean War vet who is a self-professed loner and skeptic. He didn’t follow Christ, but he did sincerely respond to what I said.

    I then realized what I have always known but perhaps never fully embraced (or needed to embrace anew). If I were to lose my voice completely today, God would still have a purpose for me. If I lost the ability to use my hands, my legs, my sight, my hearing… God be glorified.

    My problem is that sometimes I think I have something to offer Him, when, in reality, all I have to offer is what He bestows. My Creator gives me what I need to do what He wants me to do.

    Dr. Ergun Caner once said that God’s call on a person’s life is for a specific task in a specific place for a specific time. And the way He equips us is specific. That’s why being dissatisfied with our lot in life or with the tasks before us amounts to doubting God. If God put you in the situation you are in, can you trust that it going to “work together for good?”

    At least I’m able to type, if nothing else. Still a little tingly.

    10/25/09

    UPDATE: All feeling came back into my fingers this past Thursday. Glory to God! I told the praise band this morning that, now that my hand is fully functional, I cannot blame my temporary condition for wrong notes. They are to be blamed on the room temperature. Sometimes it is too cold to play the right notes. Or too warm…

  • “Church Gig” part 1: College Days

    When I was at the University of Louisville, a term was widely floated around the School of Music: “church gig.” This was the term used to describe a musician getting paid to play for a church service or function. These were highly prized, as they usually paid pretty well and weren’t too taxing on time or talent.

    I was never fond of the term. Once I was called into full-time vocational ministry, my recollections of my even using the term were embarrassing. The term infers a disconnected attitude towards church in general, just showing up to get paid, going through the motions to get the job done.

    How often am I guilty of treating my position in the church this way now?

    I have been doing a lot of thinking lately what it means to serve God sacrificially. What am I giving up to serve Him? And am I laying everything on the line and on the altar? Am I truly giving my best? I pray that is the case more often than not. I must CONSTANTLY keep myself in check. I cannot coast.

    I don’t want to be guilty of “doing church.”

    As a minister and pastor, if I’m not careful, I can get caught up with the JOB aspects of my ministry and miss out on the MINISTRY aspects of my ministry. It’s the difference between worshipping God and just “doing church.” The former is what we were created to do. The latter is how we make light of what God calls us to do.

    If you are reading this and currently serving in a church in ANY capacity, please do so with eyes fixed on the Savior. Otherwise, it’s very easy to go through the motions with minimal Kingdom impact. This weakens the church (local) and the Church (body of Christ).

  • Tiger-ade

    This week, I went golfing for the first time in my adult life.

    I really had a good time, and I’m looking forward to going to the driving range to work on what I learned.

    I went with my good friend Jason, who recently got home from serving as a chaplin in Cuba. He is a very good golfer and a fan of Tiger Woods on the Wii. As we stopped at the clubhouse after the 9th hole for a much-needed drink, he remarked that he liked Tiger’s Gatorade. He called it Tiger-ade, and wondered aloud whether or not it improved the golf game of those who drink it.

    That got me thinking…

    if someone drank Jon-ade, what would they be able to do better?

    Jesus left instructions for us, not just to give the Gospel, but to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Our responsibility does not end when a lost soul is born again: it begins!

    I once heard Steven Furtick say that the church stops serving you when you get saved. Upon our conversion, we are to utilize our spiritual gifts and find a place to serve. And that takes guidance.

    God puts people in our lives that are less spiritually mature than we are, and He wants us to speak into their lives and guide them. We must be willing.

    Our churches are full of spiritually immature Christians, and it is the responsibility of every believer to make the most of the opportunities we are given. We can’t rely on our pastor or church staff to do our jobs for us.

    Is there a thirsty Christian out there that needs a drink only you can provide?