surprised by humility

Isn’t it great how nice surprises often come at a time when you most need them? Yesterday I received an unexpected gift in the middle of a very unlikely conversation. It was a bright, encouraging light in an otherwise fairly dark day.

You may have noticed - there’s been much conversation and debate among worship arts volunteers over the question of what clothing or behavior is “appropriate, modest, non-distracting, functional, and God-honoring.” Good for us that we are expressing our individual thoughts, perceptions and passions in a logical, articulate way. Diversity is usually good.

Yesterday the cry for “my rights, my preferences, my needs” clamored just a little too long and loudly for me. It had beaten me down to the point of wanting to wave the white flag, disregard the requests, comments, and pleas I hear from the congregation on a regular basis and just say, “You know what? I give up. Wear what you want, do what you want, do what’s best for YOU and let the congregation learn to deal with it. After all, they don’t really matter. It’s US we need to think about.” (Relax. I came to my senses after a good night’s sleep.)

Ironically some of the people who’ve been the most vocal against dress code as it relates to them have also been the ones who have asked me as a leader to confront OTHERS about a particular habit, clothing or mannerism that is distracting to THEM. And they’re right. They deserve to worship without wincing or stumbling into an obstacle, just like everyone else. None of us WANTS to create a problem for others if we can avoid it.

So I gathered up my courage and did what we are all called to do at one point or another. With gentleness, humilty, and a whole lot of fear and trembling, I confronted the person who was providing the recurring distraction. I took a deep breath, apologized for my awkwardness and clumsiness, and spoke the truth in love on behalf of the people who want to focus on God, but were struggling over this one particular area.

Silence. Very long silence. (And then, the incredibly wonderful surprise… ) Humility. Appreciation. Genuine desire to serve Invisibly. Selflessly. More Humility. More Appreciation. Laughter. Friendship. Joy. Encouragement. Support. Team mates connected and united. Family members committed to serving our church family well. Hope…

Sure got to see the character of God reflected in the face sitting across my desk. It was a really nice surprise.

"what not to wear..." part deux

It all started with a simple email to our tech team urging them to wear their spiffy looking crosswinds tech shirts and a pair of pants (as opposed to shorts) on weekends when they were serving. It was followed by a series of well-thought out emails from various team members detailing why this was a less than ideal request.

I smiled as I read their responses. See, when we did the “summer what-not-to-wear” talk with worship and drama team people in June, I was prepared for some energetic push back from a few of them. (Apparently several were feeling that bare feet, spaghetti straps, bare midriffs and skin tight clothing wouldn’t be a distraction as they led worship.) But who knew there’d be protest from BOTH sides of the stage? Still shaking my head.

At any rate – to me, how the clothing debate shakes out for tech people is of less importance than how we all handle the underlying “hot buttons” that brought about the debate in the first place. These are the questions I’m asking myself as I sort this through. Want to join me?

1. Is my objection really about the clothing itself?
2. Or is it more about the loss of having a choice?
3. Does making it a “rule” or “guideline” necessarily make it a bad idea?
4. Does my ministry impact extend beyond the walls of the tech and sound booths?
5. Does what I wear affect how I serve? (does it make me so uncomfortable that I can’t concentrate?)
6. Does what I wear support all team members – off the stage and on the stage? (Is it fair? Does fair matter?)
7. Finally (and probably most importantly) – do I actually have the legs to tastefully pull off the “shorts look?!” (come on… don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about…) :-)

As always, there is much more to the big picture than any one person can see from their perspective. And there’s also much more to our individual stories than others might know. We didn’t all stumble on our “hot buttons” by accident.

Oh by the way, this discussion didn’t start by accident either. We can all thank an unnamed sound man and a hot, eye catching pair of “little white shorts” that were unexpectedly featured on stage under bright lights a few weeks ago. That’s what got things rolling. :-)

Thoughts, anyone?

"When I Grow Up..."

Fresh air is always such a welcome surprise. That first delicious gulp reminds you of how long it's been since you have really breathed. Being led by our students - our family - our kids in authentic, inspiring, life-changing worship was a breath of fresh air to me this weekend. I don't know whether i enjoyed being a worshiper, or a parent, or a pastor more - probably all three at the same time with equal joy.

We've loved having student led worships for years now... and every year HAS been truly wonderful, but there has been to some degree a sense of "herding cats" through the process. There was always a little bit of coaching, some encouraging and preparing, even some ring leading needed to guide everyone through the experience. But not so this year. Actually, I LEARNED more than i "helped." This group of students and each INDIVIDUAL student, without exception, embodied an amazing and refreshing blend of maturity, passion, excellence, godliness and FUN.

So this weekend i decided, when i grow up, i wanna be just like them...

“Does Jesus Love Bare Feet?”

File this under the heading of “questions-I-never-dreamed-I’d-have-to-answer.” Here’s yet another one we didn’t cover in ordination classes.

It’s the happy outcome of working with passionate, diverse, multigenerational musicians and actors. The whole debate started innocently enough. When the warm weather came back, so did the baggy shorts, tiny tank tops, I-can-see-your-belly shirts, tube tops, bikinis, tankinis, and sandals… So we did what we do every year in Worship Arts – pull together the troops and review the official Crosswinds list of “What Not to Wear” while leading worship in the summer months. The POINT was to save worshipers the dicey distractions that come with flashing a whole lotta skin at eye level on a well lit stage…

What I wasn’t ready for was the pushback that came next. Who KNEW that the skin people most wanted to show was on their feet? “Why do I have to wear shoes when I’m on the stage? What do shoes have to do with worshiping God? Will Jesus love me more if I cover up my bare feet?”

Smile if you want to, but I’m still savoring the rush of freedom I felt when we figured out (not that long ago) that it was actually possible to worship God and wear JEANS at the same time. Forget the jeans – I remember when women who really loved Jesus only wore DRESSES to church. And real men of God wore suits and ties and short hair. (Wow. Flashback. I can actually smell the Aqua Velva and hairspray.)

So back to the bare feet question… where’s the line? What’s “appropriate?” How do we decide what honors God and what is not really all that important? As far as I can figure, yesterday’s jeans are today’s piercings, hats, tats, and flip flops… And I would imagine that grace, acceptance, and open-mindedness are as important to our up and coming leaders as there were to me the first day I wore jeans to church.

But here’s what I’m also sure of – I serve along side volunteers of all ages, and we love God and love His church more than we love jeans… or bare feet. And we will do whatever it takes to point people to Him with every word and gesture, and even every item of clothing… So next time we stand in front of the open closet door, scratching our heads and wondering, “What am I gonna wear to lead worship today?” … the answer will be obvious. “I’m going to wear… do… and be what will call the least attention to me, and give the most attention to God.”

Yeah – Jesus loves me when I have bare feet. And I get to love Him best when I love His people first.