thankful eight.

#164 - 198

Today I have 35 reasons to be thankful. They are the 35 people who currently make up the worship team that I’m privileged to lead. This past weekend I got to spend time with many of them and noticed several things that made me realize I need to stop and thank God, right here and right now.

First, we have a new trainee named Michael who went to work early so he could leave early and get to the church by 5pm. He did that because Kathy, who was training him, found out she needed to leave early. He made sacrifices to meet her early and train, and then stayed until the end of rehearsal that night. Who does that? That’s amazing.

Our new sound trainee, Dick, handled everything on his own at rehearsal while interacting with the band, letting them know his needs, and being open to constructive encouragement. (Worship directors, take note: the ease of communication between tech and musicians makes ministry so much happier…)

Barb just started training on lights a little while ago to fill a need, and she has poured the same amount of determination and excellence into making this area her own as she has with running Song Show. It’s really incredible, and she’s always cheerful about it. The world needs more Barbs.

Then there were the musicians. Gale, our rock of tempo, is consistent in his excellence and preparation, while still being flexible and open to new ideas. Carl brings reliable and creative ideas to add freshness to the familiar. Joe is always perfecting his craft and learning new tricks, which brings our collective level of musicianship up a notch each week. Austin tackles music like science, and rarely meets a challenge he cannot conquer. Kelly is stepping out of her comfort zone to learn new techniques and to be prepared for anything that may come her way.

Kelly’s example reminds me…I think it’s the dedication to being the best they can be that makes this team so exceptional. It’s not for their own glory – it’s for God’s glory, and for the service of the team as a whole.

Gerald has only been on the team for a few months and has already proven himself able to go with the flow, as a few emergencies have come up on his weekends to play. Ryan is always moving forward as a leader and as a worshipper…Every worship team needs a Ryan Scott.

Then I went over to our other venue and watched more team members interact. The combined forces of Josh, Jeanne, Jamie, Lee, Dan and Stephen were something to behold. Stephen is another example of the commitment to being the best we can. This guy has been working on his vocal artistry with Ryan, and the work he has put into it so far has already taken him to a new level of vocal power and effectiveness. And why did he do that? Because he decided to not settle. He’s not trying for a record contract (as far as I know) – he just wants to offer his absolute best to God and to us.

One final thing I noticed…when I walked into our other venue, I noticed Woody, who was scheduled to run lights, was sitting on the front row with Lee’s little girl on his lap. Ellison had been crying because she wanted her mom to hold her, but Lee had to practice. So Woody, who had nothing to do at the moment because our lighting system was busted, took care of little Ellison by picking her up and holding her in his lap. Ellison was comforted by the grandpa-spirit in our lighting guy…how cool is that?

This is less succinct, I know, but it’s important to let these people know how amazing they are, and to let God (and you) know how grateful I am for each of them. If you've not been mentioned in this particular blog but you're on our worship team, know that I am talking about you too!! :)

I know now from experience that God can take a team of very different people and turn them into one cohesive, joyful family unit. Kind of like this one, but, you know, happier: