A Note for Worship Leaders...We Are Shepherds

It’s amazing to me that this blog could mean something to anyone, especially someone possibly sitting hundreds of miles away. And more amazing that it might mean different things to different people.

It’s somewhat like our a worship leader's role. Looking out at 100 or 500 or 4,000 people and hoping that God somehow touches each person’s heart in a unique way, even though they experience the same thing. And realizing that each service plan, each word, each thought, is like a “personal note” God has given us to share.

I think we forget that sometimes. We sing our 3 1/2 songs and sit down. The thought of sharing where we’ve messed up, scheduling silence, interjecting our own thoughts, creating space, explaining the new song, passing along a Scripture…it’s just too much for us. The result? We miss our chance to pastor our people. To shepherd them.

Truth is…our calling is to shepherd our people. To be much more than song leaders, chord changers, harmony singers, string strummers, or crowd motivators. But we get stuck. Or scared. Or complacent. I know I do.

So what do we do? Honestly, we could talk about that answer forever. But for now, here’s two starter ideas for us:

First, plug in with people. It’s easy to play our songs and run. Instead, stand in the lobby and meet the people (even in big churches!). Learn the stories, the struggles, the victories. Be as personally connected as possible.

Second, block out the time in your schedule to think and pray. Think through each moment of your service plan. And pray that somehow, God would reach the poor, the rich, the lonely, the depressed, the recently unemployed, the new mom, the widow, the divorced father, the stripper, the hurting, the lost, the prodigal, the first-time-scared-out-of-his-mind-guest, the 50-yr-bored-church-veteran, the 85-year-old-fired-up-woman…all at the same time.

Hope this helps you. Or gives you something to think about. If you're looking to unpack this more than I did in this blog (WAY more), check out the Experience Conference. It would be well worth your time.

Hope to see you in September at Experience! But until then, let’s shepherd our people week in and week out.

Summer 2014: Listen more, talk less

I'm excited for this summer.

Going to the pool. Heading to Florida for a vacation. Enjoying time with my family and friends. Doing birthday parties, the 4th of July parade, two VBS weeks, and countless weekend services.

But what I'm most excited is living out the things God is teaching me.

One such thing: listen more, talk less.

Did you know I'm a talker? If you don't know me, I am :). As a talker, I must consciously work on listening, all the time. I've been working on this for years, so this isn't new. And I think I've gotten better. I hope so!

But summer is a good time to zoom out, see where you're at, and try to make a leap forward.

You see, there's always room to grow; in everything we do. I can become a better listener. I can work harder on speaking words that give life, encouragement, growth. I can think about what I'm going to say before I say it.

I don't think I'll talk less, or become an introvert, but maybe that's not what God needs (although I'm sure in some situations that will be true!).

Instead, I must continue to grow in the thing I've known for a long time...it's not just listening that matters, it's listening. Really hearing the other person. Listening for God's voice in the wisdom of others. Not just checking my "listen to someone today" box, but really hearing them.

That's my goal. I'm fired up. It gets me pumped for summer.

I hope you're looking forward to this summer too. Maybe God is teaching you about something besides listening. Figure out what it is and take a premeditated leap before September rolls around.

A Massive, Life-Changing Decision

I want to tell you about a massive, life-changing decision. I just made it on Sunday night.

This takes a minute to read. But it might change your life.

I've always struggled with a couple disciplines. Namely running and praying. You can throw Bible reading in there too.

Anybody with me?

Now before I give my solution, let me explain "struggle", because the level to which I have struggled is different in each one.


Running: Forget it. This is the one I just haven't done. Not recently at least. Funny thing is, I actually like running. But my plan is always to do it later in the day. That NEVER happens.


Praying: Actually not half bad. I love to pray. Talking to God about my day, my family, my job is an awesome thing. It's a conversation. But consistency is what is hard here. Sometimes it's 5 min, 20 min, 40 min. Sometimes early in the morning. Sometimes in the afternoon. Maybe at night too. I walk the neighborhood. Or sit in my car. BUT the inconsistency drives me crazy.

Plus I keep a list. Of people. Lives. Friends who need prayer. If I miss that list, I miss praying for them. And that stinks.

Again, anybody with me?


Reading: Not too bad either. I'm not a huge reader in general, but I don't dislike it. And I love reading the Bible. I can read a few verses. A Proverb. Or I can sit and read 15 chapters of Old Testament, or read a whole book in the New Testament. It's not a problem. With this one, it's just the slipping away. "Oops...it's midnight!" OR "Oops...I was supposed to read at breakfast".  Like prayer, it's a part of my life, but the inconsistency drives me crazy.


So...what's the SOLUTION?!?!?!  (I'm sure you're dying to know)

My personal solution is the following:

7:15 - Get Up
7:20 - Run on treadmill while praying
7:50 - Shower
8:00 - Breakfast/Hang with Kids
8:30 - Read "The Bridge Bible Reading Plan" (not at home!)


Is that earth shattering news?! No. Have you heard/seen this before? Probably.

So why did I write a blog about it? Why do I think you might care?

Because it finally all clicked. And I'm hoping it will click for you.

Here's the key. This is HUGE.

You MUST have a real, legitimate plan. A time that works every day, 7 days a week.


The same time. Every day. Every. Day.


That's it. And trust me...it is SO hard to find for some reason. But you can do it.

You might be thinking, "Is Brian going to stick to it?" Yes! Because it's not a crazy plan. It's a well thought out, works for my life, makes sense for me, plan.

But it IS a plan.

For years, I fought the every morning thing. I would say, "some days I pray/read early and some days I pray/read late." Or "I'm a night owl."  But here's the deal: that led to "some days I do nothing."

It took me 34 years to finally accept this other fact. Don't miss it...


You've got to do these things early. They must happen before life happens.


You catch that? They must happen before life happens. Get out in front of the random stuff that comes up every day.

You see, it's not just about 'what's important to you.' I'd hear people say that, but it wouldn't help me at all. It felt unfair.

Because if you asked me that, the list is so LONG!!!! My wife. My kids. My job. My church. My friends. My neighbors. My....

It's more about priorities. It's more about deciding what is most important. And then honestly assessing...what can I do in 24 hours/7 days? And then making sure that I'm not dreaming about days when nothing goes wrong at work or at home.

Instead, this new plan works for the real world.


It looks so simple, but it's not.


Even as I write this, I'm thinking, "It took you this long to come up with this?! Moron."

But if we're honest, most of us live where I have lived. In this inconsistent, frustrated place, where we just miss it.

To be clear, your plan doesn't have to be my plan. I believe early is better, but it might not work for everyone.

Just make sure you don't get defensive about what you're doing if you're not consistent. Again, the point of this blog is consistency. If you're inconsistent, you might need a new plan.


Time to finish this.


Maybe you are praying. You are running. You are reading.

But you're not quite there. You're not consistent.

Pause a second. Zoom out. Assess everything. Then make a plan.

Make a massive, life-changing decision.  

It's your turn now.




Appendix A: The Combo

My problem in past years about praying early was staying focused. My mind wanders bad as I start my day. But running keeps me focused. No music. No TV. I use the desperate feelings of gasping for air to create urgency in my prayers. And it totally works. God gets my full attention while my body gets healthier. Not bad eh?


Appendix B: Reading

I have to be quiet. So I get out of my home. Or at least move to a quiet room. And I read. If I want to read more later in bed, or on the couch, that's great. But this insures I read every day!

It's hard to know what to read, right? Some people don't like Bible reading plans, but usually those people don't read every day anyway. A great plan to follow is the one put out by my church, The Bridge. Just go to the FB page every day, and you can do it: www.facebook.com/thebridgedp.

Christians...get a grip

People overwhelm me.

I've been sitting in the Charlotte airport, watching hundreds of people walk by. All shapes. All sizes. All colors. All ages. Happy. Sad. Ticked. Annoyed. Excited. Discouraged. I'm seeing it all.

And 2 things just hit me.

ONE

Many of these people are lost. Most in fact. They don't know Jesus. Or that He loves them and came to save them.

That absolutely breaks my heart. How do I reach these people? How will they know? Why have so many rejected?

That struggle is hard enough. It should keep me up at night. It should be more important than my job. Your job.

But then...

TWO

Something else hits me.

No one here has ever heard of The Bridge Community Church in Des Plaines, IL. Or at least 99.99% haven't. In fact, most haven't heard of Harvest Bible Chapel. Maybe Rick Warren? Maybe? Probably not.

7 billion people on earth. And probably .000003% have heard of my church. WOW!!!

Christians...get a grip.

Why do I ever think I'm big stuff? Why do you? Because of our ministries? Because I get to play guitar? Because of your study group? Your church's slogan? Logo? Because people 'know' you? They 'know' me?

I have to be careful here. What God is doing in the lives of individuals and families at The Bridge and other churches is incredible. It's overwhelming. His grace is all around us. His work is constant.

But He is big. Not me. Not you.

I'm not that cool. And neither are you :). Our church isn't the greatest thing in church history. And neither is yours. And if you don't go to one, that's not better either.

A few weeks ago, our Lead Pastor zoomed out from our church to the edge of the universe. I thought I was so small that day. Overwhelmed that God even loved me.

Today....again...I'm small.

Wait...one more thought.

Do you know what else is bugging me right now? That us "Christians" often spend time shooting down churches that no one has ever heard of!

We go after the very thing that this airport needs, because we think our opinion is so important. It's not.

These people need Jesus. They need His bride...the Church. How dare any of us bring our petty arguments into the way of God's work in our world?!

Again, I have to be careful. As Christians, we can have real reasons to switch churches. Or want to try something new. Or to just move on. I get it. That doesn't necessarily bother me.

But put the guns away. The verbal shots. The quiet conversations. The 'prayer' meetings. The blogs. The nonsense. Stop aiming at each other.

Christians...get a grip.

So you don't like The Bridge? The people at the table next to me don't care. You don't like Harvest? No one here seems to care. Not the biggest Rick Warren fan? Who cares?!

There are so many people to save and we want to waste time tearing each other down? Hoping the "other church" doesn't reach people? Seriously?!

These people at CLT don't care! They just need hope. They need love. They are lost.

Christian...search your heart, whichever side you're on. 

1. Are you too proud of your church? Think you're cooler than everybody else? That your music is better? More godly? That your ministries are more effective? That your way is God's ultimate way?

Don't scroll on too fast. Are you?

2. Are you bashing another church? Making sure they know why your new one is better? Throwing cheap shots and gossip around? Even just to close friends?

Again...are you?

This isn't just about The Bridge. Or Harvest. Or Rick. It's about all churches. All cities. All countries.

This blog is about all of us. Because this stuff can happen to any of us. Trust me. It happens to me.

My advice? Since God already knows, stop now and confess your pride. Then repent and move forward.

Cheer for God and His Church. Cheer for all of them. It's what I'm trying to do.

I better go. I have a flight to catch.

My heart remains broken. The lost are everywhere here.

People have left the tables around me and more have shown up. Guess what? They don't know The Bridge either.

They might not even know God.

You see, ONE is way more important than TWO. But we better get TWO right so we can do ONE well.

Christians...get a grip. Because the world is lost.

Church people...you better watch it

In John 9, Jesus heals a blind guy. Gives him sight. A crazy thing to have seen I'm sure. Long story short, the Pharisees (religious leaders) get ticked off. Why? Because Jesus does it on the Sabbath. How dare he help someone on this day of rest!

Moral of the story? Instead of seeing what God was doing in their midst, and celebrating this miracle, they criticized and complained.

Stupid Pharisees.

I'm just glad we aren't like that.

I'm glad church people don't judge the guy smoking outside the church, but instead celebrate his faith.

I'm glad church people don't complain about the different songs being sung, but instead enjoy worshipping with a group of new believers who are headed toward heaven.

I'm glad church people don't think about a pastor's tattoos, but instead rejoice in the many stories of people who have heard the gospel because "he's just like me."

I'm glad church people don't criticize the church down the street, but instead pray that God uses those people and His gospel to touch the many lives their own church can't.

I'm glad church people don't talk about those "awful electronic Bibles," but instead encourage their friends to walk around with God's Word at all times.

I'm glad church people don't struggle with hearing messy stories in their lobby, but instead embrace the hurting, lonely, depressed, scared, troubled, and lost, knowing that God can save them.

I'm so glad that church people are nothing like Pharisees. :)

Truth is...I'm privileged to work in a church where these statements are valued. Overall, we really do celebrate what God is doing. This wasn't a commentary on my church, or any other church.

It's actually about you...if you're a church person.

Do you criticize and complain...while completely missing the work of God right in front of you? Seriously, do you? Before you go back to cruising Facebook or surfing the web, take a sec and think about it.

I'm not above this sin. And neither are you.

Door greeters are the hope of the world

I think it goes without saying that this week has been of the most difficult, overwhelming weeks we've had in a long time. For our nation. For our community.

On Monday, Boston began the week with a tragic, twisted story. Tuesday, a man killed himself by jumping in front of a train .5 miles from my house. Wednesday, a plant in Texas blows up in the most visible display of power I've ever seen. Thursday, the mighty Des Plaines River begins climbing higher than ever in recorded history.

I sit here and ponder. Such pain. Such sadness. Such defeat.

I knew I needed to write something....but what? What could I say to all of this that would matter?

I'll start here: I don't have all of the answers. As our lead pastor wrote, Jesus said "In this world you will have trouble." He couldn't have been more right.  Jesus that is (Scott too!). So often, this place stinks. We face awful situations on a regular basis. And I wish I knew all of the answers to why.

But what I do know is there is hope. God hasn't left. In fact, he did the opposite.

I believe that there is hope found in Jesus Christ. He loves you. No really, he does. This God-man comes down here, lives through all of the crap we live through, and then dies for you. For you! He obviously wants to know you. WOW!!!  That is amazing.  And if you're not buying this, please keep reading anyway.

This is why I love my job. I love being a pastor. Every weekend more people in our community visit The Bridge and learn about this hope. This Jesus. That it is true. That there is WAY more to life than all of this pain. And they put their faith in him. Their destiny becomes heaven.

Again, you might laugh, or say "really?", but it is true. You don't have to do this alone. You don't have to navigate a week like this hopeless, searching, depressed. I would never want you to do that.

That's why door greeters are the hope of the world. Because every person who is involved at our church, who welcomes people, teachers their kids, plays music for them, is part of the bigger story. That God wants to rescue YOU from this place. To show you love that you've never known. And they serve to make sure you know that!

So...if you serve at our church, thanks for being a part of the bigger story. God is using you. And don't worry, I know that ultimately Jesus is the hope of the world. It's just a title :).

BUT...if you've never learned this hope, I challenge you and encourage you: check out our site (www.thebridgedp.org) and make a visit this weekend. Come meet one of our door greeters. It might literally change your life.

Worship Leading: What We Do Is Pressure

Last November, I was asked to join the committee that plans the Experience Conference. I was shocked, thrilled, excited, and other words like that. Now they have me writing a blog. Oh my. Here goes....

Let me say this before I start: If you haven't been to the Experience Conference, you should go. I know it's a shameless plug, but I have to tell you, because it matters that much to me. You matter to me. 

Yes you, random person reading this. You are actually the reason I joined the committee. What you bring back, and what God does to your heart while you're there, is worth more to you and your church than you can imagine. It's worth the flight. The cost. The days off. The hotel. The planning. The effort. And it's worth everything to me.

Ok, here goes: There are many reasons we ‘need’ a conference like this. Let me talk about one real quick. What we do is high pressure.

Or maybe I'm the only one. Is it just me who feels the weight of leading people to God? The God who is searching for worshippers. Isn't it pressure to know that our words, our voices, our Scripture choices, our song selections, our transitions, our instruments, our sound mix, and our projected background, all play a huge part in what happens at our services? Wow. And we have to make those decisions every week?!

I know that God said rocks would take care of the "worship" line on Planning Center if we didn't show up. So He is ok. I also know the best service plan is nothing without the Holy Spirit. But we would be deceiving ourselves if we said it doesn't matter what we do every week. Of course it does. When music stinks and Numbers 16:1 is your passage, worship doesn't really happen. That's the pressure I'm talking about.

Every week we should give this pressure to God. We should. And maybe you do. But we often keep it with us. It builds up. And this is why the Experience Conference could be huge for your life. You need time away with God. Not just a vacation. You need a place where God can use others to feed your soul, to hit the reset button, to heal your battle wounds. A place that sends you back to wherever God has called you in a way that nothing else can. You need it. And your church needs you to do it.

This conference was created for you. For me. It is exactly what we need, because it's much more than info and artists. It's heart. It's about us as people.

These men and women really care about you. I care about you. Hope to see you this September.

More info at: www.experienceconference.com.