Back to the Beginning

Think back to the moment when you first felt that spark of excitement and passion towards music. I always remember loving music. From the days of keeping a cassette in my boombox so that I could press “record” when the right song came on the radio, to my first compact disc, to my current Spotify library. None of those memories compare to the moment when I knew I wanted to learn to replicate what I was hearing. In 1999 I was given two CDs, Salvation Still Remains by Shane Barnard & Caleb Carruth and The Rocks Won’t Cry by Shane & Shane. I had two resounding thoughts, and in all honesty, they weren’t all that spiritual. One, “how can I do that ‘triple-strum’ thing on guitar?” and two, “I’m gonna learn to sing that high too!” I can still remember how much my fingers hurt from playing guitar every night, getting so mad that I couldn't figure out strumming patterns. The frustration at my brain not processing how to play and sing at the same time… But the spark had been lit and I was inspired. Years passed, a spark turned into a calling and practice in my room turned into serving at my school and church. As a worship team, we all identify with music and have our own story of what inspired us to go from a listener to an artist.

In the midst of a “social distanced” season like this, when we don’t have as many needs or services to prepare for, going back to where we started can be life giving. I was inspired to write about this subject after a conversation with one of our team members, Jared Dutton. We were discussing how it can be difficult as an artist to be inspired when you are not given as many opportunities to serve or if you don’t have a service to be prepping for. I loved Jared’s encouragement, it was simply, “think back to when you started learning to play or sing; you didn't need anyone to tell you to do it, you just did it!” When I look back, it was that creative spark, calling from God and/or drive to get better that spurred me on. No one had to tell me to keep trying to learn that Shane & Shane song, I was motivated either way. As worship leaders, it’s important that we go back to the beginning for inspiration and reminders of our “why.” Our team especially has a strong “why” for getting better, because we serve to put Jesus on display; and sometimes the best way we can live up to that is by pursuing growth whether we’ve been asked to or not. We also see the wisdom in returning to beginnings in Scripture. When Jesus calls us to have faith like children, this conjures a visual representation of going back to where our faith started and an imploring for us to not lose sight of it. [Matthew 18:2-4] In 1 John 2:24, he reminds us to return to what we heard in the beginning, the foundations of our faith in Jesus, for our eternal security. I believe a regular return to our musical genesis will ultimately inspire growth in our craft and excellence for the glory of God. That is my prayer and encouragement for our team in any season. Regardless of what you have or haven’t been asked to do, always pursue personal spiritual and creative growth.

Sometimes it’s good to have some practical next steps, so try these: 1. Stay in God’s word. Often times a restlessness or lack of drive can be God simply calling us to draw closer to Him. We are all disciples before any other family, work or volunteer related titles. 2. Go back to the music, bands & songs that inspired you in the first place. Re-live those early days when you felt that spark for creativity. 3. Learn something new that YOU chose. Give yourself a personal goal just for the challenge and fun of it.

Ultimately, may we always remember our “why,” keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and have some fun along the way as we journey back to the beginning.

PERSPECTIVE

If you are married or in any kind of serious relationship, you’ll know that learning to see things from someone else’s perspective is a big part of growth. Our human condition issue, is that we tend to focus on ourselves, if we’re honest, far too much. Our own opinions, our own thoughts, our own cares… However, when we take the time to see things a different way, you will always learn something new. When you approach something with a different perspective you expand your reach of who is engaged with you. I have found this way of thinking to be invaluable for our worship services.

My natural wiring is more cerebral. I have studied and gotten to know the character of my God, and that truth alone compels me to worship Him for who He is. What this way of thinking excludes are those that respond more through their feelings, utilizing physical action or looking at a simple truth that speaks to their circumstances. All of these encompass a way to worship God that would be overlooked if I only focused on my personal taste. I had a mentor ask me a question once that encouraged this paradigm shift in my life, “What if God calls you to a state like Texas, where you will engage people in worship in a better way by using a ‘country’ style?” If you know me, my two least favorite forms of music are cheesy country and modern rap. What this challenged in me was that we are called to lead others with multiple perspectives in mind so that we might best point them to Jesus. [1 Corinthians 9:19-23] I believe it is so important for a team of worship leaders to grasp this! When we shift our focus this way, so many avenues for worshipping Jesus become available. The other side effect of a perspective shift is you see the beauty in things you wouldn’t normally see. If you favor hymns, you start to see the power in a corporate chorus. If you prefer songs that speak to a felt need, you start to see how deeper songs are a valuable teaching tool. This is why I believe it is our responsibility as worship leaders, to help engage believers in worship through multiple song and worship styles.

There is another perspective I feel that God has more recently laid on my heart. Engagement is always something we discuss in regards to corporate worship. We are often asking how we can cause people to “uncross their arms” and respond to God. There a few things I believe will help this, in addition to our worship team modeling and leading. We need to utilize moments to teach our church and remind them of the freedom they have to respond in worship. We also need to understand that everything in our world is working against the culture of engagement. When people associate with music nowadays it is in the midst of a myriad of other things. In fact, most of the time, music is intended for background rather than participatory foreground. Students studying, music in background; working out, music in the background; even at concerts, anybody behind the front section is simply listening. I think it is important to know we are asking people to do something they never do elsewhere in their lives. What I love about this realization is that is what a life of following Jesus looks like anyways. So, it makes perfect sense that our engagement with worship through music should look different than the world too. Now that we know, let’s lead they way and bring that change!

What I love most about the power of perspective is that it reminds us of one of the biggest pillars of our faith, “it’s not about me.” May we all pray for more perspective in our lives, especially that of our Father’s.