After taking yesterday to get some clothes washed, pick up some others at the cleaners, and run a few errands, I drove over to Anderson, IN for service last night. It was great seeing old friends and spending some time together at dinner. I had taken back roads on the way over to Anderson and ended up going through Alexandria, IN. It had been many years since I've been in Alexandria but was excited to stop by Bill Gaither's studios and music complex. Even if his music isn't your favorite style, one must admit that he has done so much for gospel music through the years. It was funny to see the welcome sign into Alexandria. It said Alexandria was home to someone I had never heard of! There was no mention of Bill Gaither at all! I guess if he was a former NFL star who played 3 or 4 years before going to prison for doing something stupid, his name would be on the welcome sign. Either way, Alexandria is the loser for not recognizing one of gospel music's greatest treasures.
The message at service was entitled "A House Of Prayer" and reminded me of the true focus of what we call "church" and "having church". Over time we've somehow turned "church" into some type of a show, which is usually a feeble attempt of entertainment, especially when you compare it to what we would consider "worldly events" such as concerts, shows, productions, etc. People don't need another "show" when they come to our churches. They need to witness a life-changing manifestation of power that they've never seen or felt before. And yet, so many times we choose to just go through the motions with our little song list, and our ideas that we compiled during our creative worship meetings with the planning team. Who among us would admit to wanting to play God, in planning out every service in detail? If that is what we're going to do, then we had better have a batting average of 1,000. I don't want a person's blood on my hands just because they came to church needing a touch of God in their lives and all I had to give them was a typed up song list that did nothing but meet my little monthly quota of new songs, and making sure that everyone in the "in crowd" was allowed to sing out front and shine brightly. The sad part is that we shine brighter more often than God does. Who are we kidding? As a worship leader I know the importance of proper advance planning. I also feel that Levitical skill should also play a part in our worship leading. When we follow after Christ each moment of the day, it won't be difficult to come into His house (a house of prayer) and be sensitive to what needs to take place in that service. It isn't about me and what I want to do. It is about Him, and all that He wants to accomplish in the lives of His people.
Okay, can you tell that has been on my mind for quite a while? In fact, it has been burning in my heart for several years now. It is only in recent months however, that I've been able to launch out in complete freedom of worship (and leading), without worrying about a program or a schedule. Clearly, the message and fellowship last night was what I needed to help me continue in the vision that God has given me. It was confirmation of the burden I have in my heart for the kingdom. I'll share more about this later in the tour.
After dinner, I didn't feel like driving slowly through the Indiana cornfields, so I took the interstate back to Lafayette. I returned a call to Colton and somehow the energy of our conversation had me going 83 mph in a 70 mph zone. There was no talking myself out of this situation... especially when my radar detector was still buzzing and going off loudly as the officer asked for my license. The good news is he gave me about 7 weeks to pay the ticket. I wonder if I should ask Colton to pay part of it?
I need to run the R.V. over for an oil change, take care of a couple more errands, and meet pastor and his wife for lunch. Tomorrow I leave for southern Indiana and hope to spend some time with Larry Bird and his family. Ha!
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