It's a funny thing...no matter how professional one is, the weirdest technical difficulties can happen to anyone. Experience does not matter. Experience will affect how you handle the difficulties, of course, but it will not keep the difficulties from happening.
I'm not saying that I'm Miss Professional or that I have years and years of experience, but I'm just saying--Even the best experience mad feedback sometimes.
Let me put a disclaimer here: I have the privelege of working with some of the most dedicated and diligent volunteers in the universe. Seriously. The band is fantastic, the tech team is wonderful and consistently cheerful, and I couldn't ask for a better group of people. This is not to speak badly about my team at all. My point is that even the best can experience the worst in technical difficulties.
So this past Sunday, we had more technical difficulties than ever. It was almost as bad as some of my Downtown experiences, and those are doozies. Another blog, perhaps.
To give you the whole picture, let's kick it off at 8am. I, of course, was running late, mainly because I just HAD to make a Starbucks run. While I'm going through the drive-through, I call my drummer Gale to make sure the sound guy knew where to put the keyboard. I was all proud of myself because I thought I was being super-diligent and a good leader. At that precise moment, my stomach decided that it was time to react to what I had eaten for dinner the night before. It was not happy, just to let you know. That became an on-going problem for most of the morning, which made everything that happened during that time so much worse.
I finally get to the church around 8:20, and not much is set up. We're supposed to start rehearsing at 8:30. Right. Turns out the main sound guy wasn't there, which is fine because the two back-up people are great, but this morning, for one reason or another, it was taking a lot longer. We didn't actually get powered up until 8:50. To add to the stress, I had not yet had a chance to rehearse the new song we were doing with the guitar player I had that day. So time was extremely limited and we had a lot of work to do--never a good combination.
At that moment, Geoff, Shawn, Josh and Jason arrive with about 12 pastors from around the country. I think God was laughing.
As they lined up in the back of the room to see how professional Summerville was during rehearsal, we finally got started. Things are going well, the song sounds good, and then--BOOM!!!!
The power on the left side of the auditorium (including the stage) shuts off.
Oh, the laughter heard in Heaven at that moment...
Then the sound people (KUDOS to Ron and Karen, by the way--seriously) somehow worked out the problem and at 9:10, we started working on the new song. This was a new worship song, by the way, that I had sent to everyone five days earlier. At 9:15 (15 minutes before the first service), we finished. Then I heard the tech lady in the back call out, "Was that a special?"--meaning that she had not yet entered it into the powerpoint so that everyone could read the words.
After my head spun around a few times, I calmly explained to her that, no, it wasn't, and I told her what I needed done.
It would be tedious to explain the rest, since it really just involved me on the verge of exploding (but holding it in rather well, I thought) after having person after person ask if I was okay. I hate that I wear everything I feel on my face.
The first service was rough, but then I got to play with little Nathaniel and the world was right again. After that, the second service went muuuuuuch better--Hallelujah!
At least I can laugh at those days now. I don't laugh during the actual event, but an hour or so later when I'm explaining it to my mom or Josh and it seems very, very funny.
Those are the times that determine your professionalism. And I think--I hope--I pray that we passed the test. Because I sure don't want those kinds of things happening often. Or ever.
musings from the journey (a girl discovering grace)
9.28.2005
9.25.2005
If you're gonna be a cover band...
When I was in Charlotte, we went to a place called Birkdale, which is basically an even preppier version of Towne Center--if you can imagine that. It's nice. Anyway, every Friday night they have a live band playing out on this little lawn area. This particular week, a band called "Reach" was entertaining us. They were playing some good oldies like "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" and fun stuff like that. And they were tight, too! 3 guitars, a bass player, drummer, keyboards, 3 vocals and a saxophone (could have lived without the saxophone, but oh well). For an average band to have so many instruments and be as tight as they were was impressive.
However, when I finally stood still and listened, I realized they were doing something a little odd. They were on the song "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" by Stevie Wonder, but here is what they were actually singing:
"Here I am, Jesus
Signed, sealed, delivered,
I'm Yours."
And on "Give Me the Beat, Boys," they sang:
"Give me the beat, Lord, to free my soul
I want to get lost, let myself go and drift away..."
Then they said their name was "Reach" and it all became clear. The funny thing is, they were good enough that they could have just done the songs like normal and it would have been fine. I realized that if I ever had the chance to do that with the band I work with, we probably would have just done the songs like they were written. I don't know how I feel about the changed lyrics--I understand what they were about, but singing "Here I am, Jesus...signed, sealed, delivered..." just seems odd to me.
But either way, kudos to "Reach". You highly entertained me, although perhaps in ways that you did not intend.
However, when I finally stood still and listened, I realized they were doing something a little odd. They were on the song "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" by Stevie Wonder, but here is what they were actually singing:
"Here I am, Jesus
Signed, sealed, delivered,
I'm Yours."
And on "Give Me the Beat, Boys," they sang:
"Give me the beat, Lord, to free my soul
I want to get lost, let myself go and drift away..."
Then they said their name was "Reach" and it all became clear. The funny thing is, they were good enough that they could have just done the songs like normal and it would have been fine. I realized that if I ever had the chance to do that with the band I work with, we probably would have just done the songs like they were written. I don't know how I feel about the changed lyrics--I understand what they were about, but singing "Here I am, Jesus...signed, sealed, delivered..." just seems odd to me.
But either way, kudos to "Reach". You highly entertained me, although perhaps in ways that you did not intend.
To Charlotte and back
This weekend I went to Charlotte to visit my friends on the Mosaic team. It was an action-packed 28 hours, let me tell you. In that time span, I sat in on a web design meeting/argument, went to Red Rocks with Gil and had pumpkin cheesecake, watched a pathetic hour of 7th Heaven, went to dinner at Jackelope Jack's, saw "Flightplan", explored Birkdale, shopped for five hours at North Park mall (sweeeeeet!), and watched "Wayne's World." Oh, and I also saw where everybody lives/works (for amy, it's the same location) and what's cool is that they're pretty much all within a one-mile radius of each other. The actual city of Charlotte (the business district, I guess) is very close, and there are all sorts of other places to go...reminded me a bit of Nashville. And I've come to the conclusion that...Charlotte is a pretty cool place to start a church.
However, I have heard that starting a church is the number one hardest thing you can set out to do. It's never what you expect it to be...it certainly isn't glamorous. Right now, it's five people squeezed into a little bedroom/office in an apartment with really big post-it notes on the walls, each containing a long list of to-dos--and none of them are easy! For instance, on Gil's post-it list, it says "Find 1st and 2nd string musicians". Do you know how hard it is to find good worship musicians in the first place? Musicians aren't that hard to come by, but musicians that are also worshippers--now that's tough.
So work is very hard for all of them--and this isn't even their "job" persay. This is almost volunteer for a lot of them.
But morale is good, dedication is high, and God is moving. Keep at it, my friends. I'm proud to know you. See you soon.
However, I have heard that starting a church is the number one hardest thing you can set out to do. It's never what you expect it to be...it certainly isn't glamorous. Right now, it's five people squeezed into a little bedroom/office in an apartment with really big post-it notes on the walls, each containing a long list of to-dos--and none of them are easy! For instance, on Gil's post-it list, it says "Find 1st and 2nd string musicians". Do you know how hard it is to find good worship musicians in the first place? Musicians aren't that hard to come by, but musicians that are also worshippers--now that's tough.
So work is very hard for all of them--and this isn't even their "job" persay. This is almost volunteer for a lot of them.
But morale is good, dedication is high, and God is moving. Keep at it, my friends. I'm proud to know you. See you soon.
9.22.2005
Dear Anonymous Bloggers,
Whomever you are, please do not leave your unsolicited advertisements on my blog. Though you begin your messages very nicely, I do not believe that you enjoy reading my blog or that you read it at all. I will not ever click the hyperlinks you post, so please do not think that you are obtaining more business. Your comments are only annoying me, as well as the "real" readers of this blog, and will quickly be deleted.
Best wishes to you, whomever you are, and here's hoping you find a better place to advertise.
Yours sincerely...
Best wishes to you, whomever you are, and here's hoping you find a better place to advertise.
Yours sincerely...
9.21.2005
Right now I am thinking...
Lately I've been having some trouble with my voice. I am going hoarse very easily. It took me a week and a half to recover from First Wed/Thurs (singing at about six more services and acting as a referee at the Kickoff during that time period didn't help), and once I got my strength back, I did Groundswell. Thought I was all healed up and ready to go. But during rehearsal, I went hoarse again!!
What am I going to do if my voice goes hoarse everytime I sing? This frightens me. I had this problem long ago when I first started at the annex...then I took some vocal lessons during my last semester in college and that seemed to help. Now I'm using the info I got from the voice lessons (or at least what I can remember), but I'm having this problem again. What to do, what to do.
I would go back to that voice teacher, but I don't think she likes me anymore... (looong story. it's not because I was a bad student. really.)
It just occurs to me that if something happens to my voice, like getting nodules or something...that's pretty much it. I mean, this is what I do. This is what I love. I do other things, yes, but this is the main thing. It's scary that I could be singing wrong or doing something incorrectly now that will negatively impact my voice for the rest of my life. Same thing goes with having distortion in my in-ear monitors by accident, which may cause future hearing loss.
Perhaps I'm being paranoid?
I don't know. If anybody has some advice, please share. I will use "vocal-Eze" spray, call my voice teacher, drink more tea with honey instead of coffee...
I have to be proactive with this, I guess, which stinks for me because I'm so lazy. ;)
What am I going to do if my voice goes hoarse everytime I sing? This frightens me. I had this problem long ago when I first started at the annex...then I took some vocal lessons during my last semester in college and that seemed to help. Now I'm using the info I got from the voice lessons (or at least what I can remember), but I'm having this problem again. What to do, what to do.
I would go back to that voice teacher, but I don't think she likes me anymore... (looong story. it's not because I was a bad student. really.)
It just occurs to me that if something happens to my voice, like getting nodules or something...that's pretty much it. I mean, this is what I do. This is what I love. I do other things, yes, but this is the main thing. It's scary that I could be singing wrong or doing something incorrectly now that will negatively impact my voice for the rest of my life. Same thing goes with having distortion in my in-ear monitors by accident, which may cause future hearing loss.
Perhaps I'm being paranoid?
I don't know. If anybody has some advice, please share. I will use "vocal-Eze" spray, call my voice teacher, drink more tea with honey instead of coffee...
I have to be proactive with this, I guess, which stinks for me because I'm so lazy. ;)
9.05.2005
9.02.2005
The Progress of a Pilgrim
I went for a walk on the beach the other night. I don't do that often enough anymore...and I had a deep thought. A very deep thought.
I realized that I have been guilty of the "I'll be happy when--" syndrome. You all know what I'm talking about. The thought that lurks somewhere in the back of your mind (or perhaps right in the forefront) that says, "When _______ happens, I'll be much happier/things will be better/God will REALLY be able to use me." Insert whatever into the blanks, like dating, marriage, better job, bigger responsibilities, fewer responsibilities, more friends...
I realized that somewhere in my head, there's been a sense of anticipation that this is not all there is. "There's more out there," "I'm moving on to something bigger and better," etc, and the result of those thoughts has been a general feeling of discontent. I begin to feel unsatisfied with my current situation (which is not at all a bad one, by the way), and I start to think that I'll feel much better when the situation changes...that I'll be more effective for the Kingdom when I'm really doing what I'm good at doing, and none of this extraneous, boring stuff...
Wrong-O.
Philippians 4:12--Let's read this one out loud together, shall we?
"...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
Have you ever thought, "Yeah, yeah," when hearing that verse? I don't mean that in a bad way--I just mean that it seems so impossible sometimes! So don't get the idea that I've got this one figured out...it's a very difficult concept to really embrace and live out. The point is, I need to be content right where I'm at. God can use me just as much here as He can somewhere else--just in different ways than what I was planning on.
Sometimes, because of my love for performance that creeps in every now and then, I judge the effectiveness of my ministry based on how many people are standing in front of me. However, I don't think God looks at how many people are listening to me. I think He looks at whether or not I'm ministering to people, no matter where I am or how many there are. You can do more good encouraging one coworker sometimes than singing a song in front of a thousand people. Wherever you're at, are you ministering to people?
God knows the desires of your heart. He knows them intimately and He cares about them. But no matter where you are, there's always going to be the "dirty work" that you don't want to do--the boring, tedious, management stuff that you just have to do. So suck it up and do it.
Back to my feeling of anticipation. I don't think this is a bad thing. Psalms 84:5-7 refers to people who "have their hearts set on pilgrimage...[who] go from strength to strength, til each appears before God in Zion."
We should always be moving onward spiritually. We should always be changing, by God's hand. We should be moving from "strength to strength" and have our hearts "set on pilgrimage"--to the next thing God is going to do in our lives! That does not necessarily mean that we're always waiting for God to bless us or give us more. I think it's more like we're anticipating God to use us again--soon! Some people have visions of the new places, be them literal or spiritual, that God is calling them to. Naeem did, and now he's following that call to start a church in Charlotte.
So, we must be content with where we are now, but we also need to be ready for God to uproot us from our comfort zones and move on to the next "strength". How do we do that? Where is the balance?
Who knows. But here's a great quote from Jim Elliot: "Wherever you are, be all there."
Wherever God has placed you RIGHT NOW, be all there. Work at it "as unto the Lord". Be content until He moves you onto the next thing.
I've got a sense of anticipation...but I'm here to stay until God moves me on.
I realized that I have been guilty of the "I'll be happy when--" syndrome. You all know what I'm talking about. The thought that lurks somewhere in the back of your mind (or perhaps right in the forefront) that says, "When _______ happens, I'll be much happier/things will be better/God will REALLY be able to use me." Insert whatever into the blanks, like dating, marriage, better job, bigger responsibilities, fewer responsibilities, more friends...
I realized that somewhere in my head, there's been a sense of anticipation that this is not all there is. "There's more out there," "I'm moving on to something bigger and better," etc, and the result of those thoughts has been a general feeling of discontent. I begin to feel unsatisfied with my current situation (which is not at all a bad one, by the way), and I start to think that I'll feel much better when the situation changes...that I'll be more effective for the Kingdom when I'm really doing what I'm good at doing, and none of this extraneous, boring stuff...
Wrong-O.
Philippians 4:12--Let's read this one out loud together, shall we?
"...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
Have you ever thought, "Yeah, yeah," when hearing that verse? I don't mean that in a bad way--I just mean that it seems so impossible sometimes! So don't get the idea that I've got this one figured out...it's a very difficult concept to really embrace and live out. The point is, I need to be content right where I'm at. God can use me just as much here as He can somewhere else--just in different ways than what I was planning on.
Sometimes, because of my love for performance that creeps in every now and then, I judge the effectiveness of my ministry based on how many people are standing in front of me. However, I don't think God looks at how many people are listening to me. I think He looks at whether or not I'm ministering to people, no matter where I am or how many there are. You can do more good encouraging one coworker sometimes than singing a song in front of a thousand people. Wherever you're at, are you ministering to people?
God knows the desires of your heart. He knows them intimately and He cares about them. But no matter where you are, there's always going to be the "dirty work" that you don't want to do--the boring, tedious, management stuff that you just have to do. So suck it up and do it.
Back to my feeling of anticipation. I don't think this is a bad thing. Psalms 84:5-7 refers to people who "have their hearts set on pilgrimage...[who] go from strength to strength, til each appears before God in Zion."
We should always be moving onward spiritually. We should always be changing, by God's hand. We should be moving from "strength to strength" and have our hearts "set on pilgrimage"--to the next thing God is going to do in our lives! That does not necessarily mean that we're always waiting for God to bless us or give us more. I think it's more like we're anticipating God to use us again--soon! Some people have visions of the new places, be them literal or spiritual, that God is calling them to. Naeem did, and now he's following that call to start a church in Charlotte.
So, we must be content with where we are now, but we also need to be ready for God to uproot us from our comfort zones and move on to the next "strength". How do we do that? Where is the balance?
Who knows. But here's a great quote from Jim Elliot: "Wherever you are, be all there."
Wherever God has placed you RIGHT NOW, be all there. Work at it "as unto the Lord". Be content until He moves you onto the next thing.
I've got a sense of anticipation...but I'm here to stay until God moves me on.
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