Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

1Kings 19

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Elisha was a farmer. By all accounts, he was just an ordinary man. He may well have been from a wealthy farming family, but still he worked the field.  When Elijah threw his mantle (cloak) on him, he anointed him into his calling as a prophet. An extraordinary calling on an ordinary farm boy.

Little did he know what lay ahead of him, however God had already given Elijah the heads up on what was to become of this young man. He would be instrumental in bringing Israel back to God!
Elijah was getting tired of being on the run, always the bearer of bad news to a disobedient generation. He had become so discouraged that told God he wanted to die. Simply, he'd had enough! (1Kings 19:1-8)  But God wasn't finished with him yet. He still had more for Elijah to do before he was ready to take this faithful servant home. Elijah was to find, anoint and train up his successor.

When I read the chapter of 1Kings 19, I am reminded that God is faithful to His own. He sees our needs, He feels our pains, and he sends angels to minister to us in our times of distress . I am also
reminded that God's plan is on-going. It doesn't finish with the end of my ministry, but He continues the work He has begun through me to the next generation. I am convinced that when Elijah laid down under the juniper tree; waiting and praying for death, that neither he nor Elisha had an inkling  of an idea that Elisha would be Elijah's successor. But God sent His angels to minister to Elijah in his distress. When he awoke, there was food (fresh baked bread) and water waiting for him. The Angel touched him and said :"Arise and eat". This wasn't a last meal, this was sustenance for the journey ahead. But Elijah wasn't ready, and God wasn't pushing him. As Elijah slept, God
sent along another serving of food. More bread and water. But look at the miracle here: not only was Elijah encouraged enough to take up the journey God called him to, but the food he ate and the water he drank was enough to sustain him for a 40 day journey:

1 Kings 19:8 "So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and nights to Horeb, the mount of God."

ELIJAH WALKED 200 MILES ON 2 LOAVES OF BREAD AND 2 JUGS OF WATER! And still God wasn't finished with him. The next story is the account of the gentle presence of a loving God in the whisper of a breeze. And here He instructs the faithful servant of The Lord to go and anoint a
farm boy to take over where he would leave off.

You know, sometimes when we are faithfully following the call of God on our lives, it can be a real struggle. Elijah was running for his life from a queen who was hell-bent on killing him. And he took his eye off the answer and saw only the problem. You and I are not alone in our struggle to remain faithful to our call in the face of adversity. Sometimes it's difficult to see God's plan when we are on
the run from people with a mind set on our destruction. But God isn't finished, and as he ministers to us in our hour of need, He reveals Himself to us once again, and sends the right people at the right time.

Are you in need of a simple farm boy?

When I look at what occurs next again I am reminded of the  "Godness" of God. Only He could see far enough ahead to know that what Elijah needed most was not a top-of-the-class graduate from Prophet school, but a young man, a fit and a hard worker who was willing to leave behind the life that he knew for the adventure that lay ahead of him. 

As Elijah stands at the front of the cave on the mountain in the presence of God, he receives 3 instructions and a word of comfort: Go back and anoint a new king over Syria; anoint a new king over Israel; and anoint your successor. And: You are not alone, I have preserved 7000 faithful servants who are going to help you clean up this nation and bring them back to me!

You are not alone! How comforting is it that just when you think that you are the last man standing for the cause, God  reminds you that you are not alone. Over the years I have found it particularly comforting, that just when I have felt that there don't seem to be so many believers out there,  God brings me to a church, or a meeting or a great Christian Festival like the great Australian Easterfest, where all of a sudden I am in a throng of sometimes thousands of people who live and love and believe in exactly the same things I do!  These events are great encouragers to both me and my family, and many of the young people we have taken with us over the years. You are not alone!

And that brings us back to the young Farm boy. I say boy, but I actually have no idea how old he actually was when Elijah went to him as he was ploughing the field with his yoke of oxen, and threw his cloak around him as a symbol of God's call to the ministry.  I imagine he was quite young because he was not married, and he was still living with his mother and Father. His response tells me a few things: He asked permission to return to his parents to kiss them goodbye.  He had to finish up this chapter in his life. As Elisha turned to say his goodbyes, Elijah charged him not to forget his calling.

How many times do we put God on hold in order to finish something we have started, and get totally side tracked, forgetting about what God has called us to in the first place? Elisha not only kissed his parents goodbye, he also cut himself off from his past, so that he could not come home when things got tough. The Bible says he took his yoke of oxen, slaughtered them and in a final act of generosity he chopped up his equipment, made a bonfire and had a big BBQ farewell dinner for all the folk in his
neighbourhood. He then went with Elijah and started his apprenticeship.

It's important to remember that when God calls you to ministry, you often have to go through a period of training. Elisha's training under Elijah lasted a number of years before he actually took over from the great prophet.

Ordinary people...
You know, God prides himself in using ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things.
Gideon was a farm boy who led a nation to victory against the Philistines.
Moses, the son of a slave woman became the Pharaohs right hand man and later led a nation to freedom from bondage.
Jesus called 12 ordinary people, fishermen mainly to build His church.
You, too are called to great things in Christ!
Are you listening? Are you ready?
Have a great week!

Excellence vs Professionalism and Perfection

 

In all aspects of the ministry of leading worship God wants us to give our best. But what exactly does that mean?  Is giving our best about being the perfectly polished professional who never makes a mistake, who knows all the songs off by heart and can do any tune in any key? Or is it about having a perfected heart? Perfected by love, forgiveness, and God's amazing grace?

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Over the years I have been to many churches in many countries. I have visited numerous denominations and experienced worship in all kinds of circumstances. From small home cells to large congregations of tens of thousands. And the one thing that stands out in great worship is excellence of spirit and humbleness of attitude. 

Personally, I am not about show. Not when it comes to worship. Concerts have an audience, worship is corporate (all together) with a congregation. Worship is where we reach the intimate place of God's heart, and it's difficult (though not impossible) to reach that place when it's surrounded by flashing lights and smoke machines. (Ok, so I exaggerate a little).  When it comes to great worship in a church, I think we need to be careful to differentiate between WHAT we do and HOW we do it. Churches too often get caught up in trying to create a "well polished presentation" at the expense of reaching the heart of worship.

Now before you shout me down, I want to be absolutely clear on one thing: The Bible teaches that in the ministry of music; in the church and unto the Lord, we should be skilled in our craft and well practised. There is plenty of room to improve our abilities and stretch our capabilities. I believe that worship leaders and music directors everywhere are guilty of trying to create "better worship" by focussing on certain 'things' or formula that may lead to a better stage presentation but not necessarily excellent worship.  Here are a few:

* Music stands vs no music stands.

I have come across music directors who think it is "unprofessional" to have music stands and sheet music on the stage. Personally I would rather a musician have music to refer back to so as not to make a mistake, than trying to remember a piece of music, especially if it is a recent addition. I was in a church recently where a new song was introduced, and because this church had a "No Music Stand" policy, people had the sheet music on the floor and some were desperately peering down trying to focus on the music. So much so it was obvious and they were not aware of the congregation or the leading of the worship leader.  When I see the Symphony Orchestra perform I am looking at full time professional paid musicians with music sheets on music stands.  Listen, it is NOT unprofessional to have music on the stage. Professionals do it all the time. I would rather get it right than fumble my way through a song. Remember, most of your musicians are part time volunteers who have a life and a job and are passionate about giving God their best. Let them have their music!

* Dress standards: Colour vs plain

A lot has been made over the years about dress standard and dress code on stage for the worship team. Let me again point to the purpose for us being on the stage in the first place. It is to bring God's people on a journey to the heart of worship. Provided we are dressed modestly, I don't think there needs to be any hard and fast rules about what you should and shouldn't wear. I heard once of a beautiful young lady who, when told she had pretty shoes, refused to wear them on stage any longer because she worried that they were causing a distraction. The last time I saw her on stage, she wore all black, hair up and no makeup...
Praise is a joyful thing. To me it is full of colour. Colour in music, colour in exaltation, colour in outward expression, including in what we wear. In our uniqueness we can praise and worship a mighty God in all of His Glory and in the colour He deserves.
Remember, I said dress modestly, but don't feel you need to regulate the dress code to a uniform unless its for a special occasion or if the culture demands it. There are magnificent church choirs around where all the singers wear amazingly coloured robes. They bring quite a presence on the stage, and I love it!

*Fold Back: Speakers vs In-ear

On- stage fold back, if you are in a band situation is absolutely vital. However it can be so badly done and mixed that sometimes it creates more problems than benefits. In an ideal situation it's great to have a multi-channel fold back mixer, where you can filter out some of the less required instruments /voices for certain instruments or vocal groups. If you only have a two-channel fold back, you still have the ability to filter out fold back specific for say the bass and drums in one channel and guitars, keys and vocals in the other. If all you have in your PA is a stereo mixer with a left and right side split to front of house, I suggest that you assign one channel to the front of house, run the speakers in series and the other channel to the foldback.  All on stage should be able to easily hear the lead vocalist and the lead instrument (be it guitar or keys). All vocalists should be able to hear themselves in context with all other vocals.
As far as in-ear fold back goes, it's really important to remember that in corporate worship we are about the congregation. If you have 2 ear plugs it may be useful to leave one out so you can gauge the congregation or you could run the risk of leaving them behind. If you are running with fold back speakers, remember that they are there only for the benefit of those on stage, and the people sitting in the front row should not be able to hear them. Keep the volume down so that the sound-man can regulate the front of house levels.

Religion vs Reality

I want people to experience real worship, not something whipped up, and definitely not a show. I really believe there are many people in our churches who have not yet or not often experienced true intimacy in worship through the song service. It's easy to select some songs from a book or list and present some nice songs. It's a little more challenging to spend time seeking out the heart of God and getting the "right songs for that congregation for that day". We look to change people's lives and impact their worship experience. Remember we are in a priestly role and ushering the people into the presence of God. I don't look for a religious experience, I want people to experience the reality of the presence of God through the songs I bring. And all members of the worship team have an important role to play in this.

So, I encourage you to aspire to Excellence in your worship, no matter what member of the team you are, and see the Holy Spirit move in your service. If you are looking for more tools and resources to improve and hone your worship leading skills, check out our websites and podcasts available fromwww.bestworshipleader.com and www.aussieworshipleader.com and available free via download from iTunes.

Have a great week.
Erick.

Thoughts on Faith

Recently in my daily devotional I came across the title of this article. In it, the writer made an interesting statement that caused me to think about my own faith, the faith of the members of my family,and the faith of those I fellowship with:

"Many people think faith may be a helpful protection in case they need it—like a spare tire for their car. Many turn to faith when facing struggles, but then turn back to something more “reliable” when a crisis passes."

The bible talks about faith a lot.  In fact the New King James Version mentions the word 252 times. For me one the most  important instructions on faith is found in Hebrews 11:6

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Here is faith in a nutshell.  How can you ask anything of a God you don't believe in? And if you do believe in Him, to what extent? Does He just exist - out there somewhere, scarcely interested in us mere humans? Or will He turn His attention to us,just and only when it suits Him? And what makes us think that He would even consider  us anyway?

But Jesus lays the cards out on the table for all to see.

"I and the Father are one," He declares,"Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest". And: "Believe in Me and you will never die..."

And in Matthew 10:30,31 " But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

All this certainly gives us a clear indication of how God feels about us and the fact that he really does think of us...all of us...individually! And what's more, he wants to have relationship with
us; Not like a man with an aquarium whose fish only come to the face of the tank when they think they are going to get fed.

I had a bit of a think about the different types of faith we 'mere humans' tend to operate in:

Just-in-case faith

This is the type of faith we tuck away for a rainy day. We believe in God- a God; an "up there somewhere-" God who may or may not care or even know I exist. But just in case He really does exist, I'll say I'm a Christian and that way I'll be safe. I'll even have the kids "done" (christened) just in case something goes wrong.  Just incase Faith says: "I'm ok. I'm a good person and I do alright. I don't hurt anyone or steal or cheat and I pay my taxes and donate to charity. If there is a God and a heaven, I'll probably go there when I die.”

Crisis Faith

This is the faith that we call on when things are going pear shaped. Job lost, illness in the family, mounting debt, or even a natural disaster or accident..."God if you are up there, please help me. I
can't do this on my own, I need You."  I have seen leaders of nations get up and call people to prayer; to end droughts, to prevent floods, to help people through earthquakes, fires...
Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with praying for God to intervene, to stretch out His mighty hand and to deal with a difficult situation. In fact I wish it happened more often. What I am talking
about here is the people who turn to God only when these sorts of situations arise.  It's almost like a 'last resort' faith.  I am reminded of a story about a sailor who got washed overboard in a
terrible storm with no chance of getting back on the boat. He called out to God: "Lord, if You're out there, save me and I will dedicate the rest of my life to serving You". Just then a wave picked him up and threw him back on the deck of the boat. He stood up and declared, "Never mind God, it's ok, I'm back on the boat!" Crisis faith is the kind that calls out to God but when answered by Him, it often isn't recognised as being answered by Him.

Mustard seed Faith

This is the kind of Faith Jesus talked about. He calls it mountain moving faith. Mustard seed faith is not about size, but about the potential that comes from it. A small mustard seed has within it all
the DNA to become a tree of significance when planted, cultivated, nurtured, watered, and shielded in its infancy from destruction, the elements and the trampling foot.
I see faith as a resoluteness and a determination to allow God to be God and to have His way in any given situation. I see this faith as the kind of faith that ultimately trusts God in His wisdom to answer my petition in such a way that brings maximum benefit to me. I wrote a song once and a line of it goes like this:
"And when I ask for a blessing that you know will hurt me, then you keep me from it so that I won't fall..."
That is faith. Faith not only says God can, but God will, and God will for me because He loves me.
And when He doesn't, it's not because He isn't listening, but rather because He loves me enough to keep me from myself.

Faith and religiosity

There is a difference between faith and religiosity.
When I look at other religions, I see people motivated mainly by fear. Incense is burned, mantras are repeated countless times, offerings are made, people bow to statues and images of "celestial beings"... Even we westerners do things out of a religious compulsion rather than a
relational faith. People try to earn their salvation by their religious deeds; rosaries, oft repeated mindless prayers, even dietary changes at certain times of the year. We do 'stuff' because we think
it makes us look good, and people will respect us for our religious fervour. People might, but I'm not sure that God does. Romans 12:3 says

"Serve God with Spiritual Gifts, For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."

Turning to faith

I mentioned before about the mustard seed and its potential. The Bible teaches us that we have all been given a measure of faith.  I see this in the same sense as the mustard seed. What will strengthen that faith and make it grow ultimately depends on what we do with it. Nurturing
and exercising our faith will build it.  Jude exhorts us in Jude 1:20-21:

"But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."

Notice the instruction is to build yourself? Nobody else can do that for you. The faith bank.
The instructions in Jude are quite plain: pray in the Holy Spirit,keep yourself in God's love. Building ourselves up is putting the deposits in our Faith Bank. Other forms of deposit are:

• fellowship
• Prayer
• Study God's Word
• Meditate.  (Josh 1:8) (Ps 1)
• Sing Praise (Ps. 103:1-5)

Building the faith bank is like building a love relationship; The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. The more I nurture my marriage, the more successful our marriage becomes. The more I love my wife, the more she reciprocates that love. It's the same with Faith. The more I get to know God by building my faith bank, the closer and more intimate I become with Him. 
One of my favourite faith building instructions is found in Psalm 1:

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,that brings forth its fruit in its season,whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

We all believe in something. Where is your faith at? Are you praying in faith or are you praying in vain? Is your faith religious or is it relational? Do you have the Mustard seed DNA that will bring you to great faith?
Jesus said "With God all things are possible"
Have a great week.
Erick

“I Wouldn’t Miss It For The World!”

Memories of John, a friend with Parkinson's Disease.


I have been living in my current home for about 15 years. I love our home, it is a lovely house set in a quiet neighbourhood on top of a small rise. We are surrounded by a number of rental houses in our street and the occupants rarely last more than a year. But across the
road is Petra, a sprightly single lady of sixty-something and next door to us on the left lives Thelma. Her husband John just passed away recently.  I'm really going to miss John.
I moved in next to John and Thelma with my family about 15 years ago. We had 4 children at various stages of little and had moved to the area to be closer to school and church. When we first applied to rent our home, we were told we could only drive past but not look inside, as the
present tenants haven't moved out yet. Ok, so we drove past very slowly and as we did, a man came out carrying a box to his car. I greeted him and told him we were thinking about applying for the rental and would he mind if I had a quick look around? He invited me in and said "go ahead" and kept loading the boxes into his car. I wandered through the house and into the back yard. The house was perfect and I walked back to our car, stuck my head in the window and declared:" Honey, I have found our new home!"
A few days later we moved in.
Our next door neighbours were a retired couple who kept pretty much to themselves. Husband John loved to work with wood and often had his garage door open and the smell of freshly worked timber like Camphor Laurel would come wafting down the street. As I walked past, I shouted: “G’day! How are you going?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Came the chirpy reply. It was a statement that would identify John for me for the rest of my life.
PARKINSONS

John suffered from Parkinson's disease; though you wouldn't know it. Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system which most commonly affects people over 50. The most obvious symptoms include uncontrollable shaking of the limbs.   This retired mechanic was anything but retired. As well as his love for timber,(he had lots
of wood working tools, including a lathe, and there was a lot of bits of wood suspended from all sorts of places) he was also a passionate painter and fisherman. His back yard was immaculate and he had a 5 hole putting green embedded in his lawn. John also taught painting at the University of the 3rd Age, a place where mature age students (usually retired) can go and learn skills they never knew they had.
To look at John, you would never know that he had Parkinson's.  He certainly didn't let it stop him doing anything. Thelma, his wife, made it her business to know everything there was to know about the disease. She accompanied John to every doctor's appointment, researched the disease, the treatment drugs and their possible side-effects. If there was a support group, Thelma went along. If there was an article in a paper or magazine, she would not only read it, but if important enough, she would cut it out and keep it.  Thelma is so knowledgeable about the disease that in later years when John went
into respite on the occasion, she would often need to educate the nursing staff on the regime of medication John took, and the idiosyncrasies of the disease. Thelma made it her job to make life as normal and as liveable as possible for John. She could alter the doses of his medication depending on his level of activity, the weather, all sorts of things.
As the years wore on, the disease progressed. There is no turning back with Parkinson's, no known cure. There are operations one can have to prolong normality and quality of life, and drugs to help stop the shakes and other impacts of the disease, but once you have it, you
will die with it, and most likely from complications of it.
 

For Better, For worse…

What I loved about this couple was their commitment to each other, and their tenacity to see this thing through to its end. I once asked Thelma if it wouldn't be easier to put John into permanent care? She replied: "When I married John, I stood before the minister and made a promise; for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. I intend to keep that promise.  And besides, this disease is so varied from day to day, that a nursing home would not be able to look after him the way I do. We have had our 'for better and in health' years, now it's time to do the other."
As for John, I never saw that man without a positive attitude and a
kind word. "I wouldn't miss it for the World!"

Over the years as the disease started to take over his body, John became more and more reliant on a wheel chair. But try keeping an active man down! At every opportunity he would climb out of it, and be
out in the garage, fiddling with something or heading for the lawn locker to get the mower out or grabbing the golf clubs to have a hit around the yard. Inevitably he would run out of puff, and on the occasion he would lose balance and fall. Thelma had learned techniques of how to use balance and cantilever to get him back up. These same techniques she taught me to use on him.   Sometimes he would fall awkwardly or heavily or end up in a place where it was impossible for Thelma to help him. She would wonder out to the front door or over the back fence: "Erick, can you help? John's had a fall and I can't get him up." I would go over and rescue John from his temporary place of
rest. John would joke about it, and make light of the situation. Never did I see him lose his temper, or become angry, he was always thankful for the hand up. I rescued John from all sorts of obscure places; he once crashed through his side fence; I picked him up a couple of times out of his workshop; and I remember once being called to pick him up after he had fallen out of his bed and with the bad shakes he had got himself wedged between the bed and a lifting frame designed to help him in and out of his bed.
I often wondered if he felt the frustration of it all, but he never showed it. It was almost as if he had the attitude of "there is someone out there worse off than me" and that kept him going.
I never saw John complain, and though I know life was often a struggle for Thelma, she never gave up on her resolve to see this thing through right to its inevitable end, and right by her Husband's side.
Towards the end of John's life, my rescue visits became more frequent. I made sure that Thelma had my mobile phone number and kept it by my bed at all times. I told her that no matter what time of day or night, if I was available I would be over to help.
 

A Lifetime of Memories.

I loved visiting with John and Thelma. They always had a story to tell, and the time to tell it. They would talk about the adventures they had had together, raising their 4 children, their time travelling across Australia on holidays, the old days living and working in Toowoomba, of speed boats and skiing, this couple had had a great life together and created many good memories. We would sit and chat, sometimes for hours until the call came over the fence or one of my kids would come to the door: "Papa, mama said it's dinner time".
Of Cars and Boats and Fishing
John's love for cars never failed him. I remember one time when I had bought a brand new car, I offered to take him for a spin in it. We piled him in and took him for a ride. He stroked the dash and the door: "Magnificent," he said, "what a machine." He was truly impressed.  On a couple of occasions I had the opportunity to take him out and let Thelma have a break. I took him fishing, I took Him to a car show, all the things he loved. At the car show, Thelma had
insisted I take the wheel chair, but once out of the car, John was determined to walk. I just walked beside him, pushing the empty wheelchair.
The last year of his life was, of course, the most difficult for both John and Thelma. The disease was taking its toll and adversely affecting both their health. As john became less able to control the dyskinesia, Thelma struggled more and more to help him. Thelma is a lady of small frame, and John who was much taller and heavier became more deadweight. This had its toll on Thelma and her health suffered as she struggled to maintain the level of care required to keep John at home. She did have home care help with people coming to help with
showering and dressing as well as therapy. And yet still the determination and commitment to fulfil the wedding vows was there. The last time I saw John was a few weeks before he went into full time care. Thelma was no longer able to give John the level of care that the now fully advanced disease had required. I had picked him up after yet another awkward fall, and spent some time with him chatting. This time both John and Thelma looked worn out. Neither of these people complained about the situation they were in, but the inevitable was coming; John had to go into care.
Wouldn’t Miss it for the World
John passed away peacefully just a short time after being admitted to the care facility. For me it was a day of mixed emotions. I was deeply saddened at the loss of this neighbour who I was proud to call my friend. At the same time I was glad that John was finally truly at rest.
Thelma continues to live next door, her children are visiting regularly to make sure she is ok, and for those of us left behind, life goes on.
I will miss John. I will miss his cheerful, positive attitude, his stories, his adventures, his chats at the dining room table.

"I wouldn't miss it for the World!"
The world will miss you.
Goodbye John.
See you on the other side.
Erick. November 2012

Persevere

 

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When times get tough, I'm tempted to give up. There have been a number if times in my "career" as a worship leader I have felt like giving up. Times when the pressure became so great, I thought it would be better if I stepped off the stage and never went back.
I want to relate a couple of these stories here today.

Some years ago my wife, family and I were attending  a large Pentecostal church. I was a worship leader in the church and we were quite settled there. Our church was undergoing leadership changes and our Music Director had stepped down from the role and he and his family were getting ready to move to a different city. All this was fine, except that the person who took over as Music Director seemed to have a problem with me. I don't know that he would have admitted that, but I had the very strong feeling that it was as if he was intimidated by me. Under the previous Music Director there had never been any problem, and he had never tried to put any restrictions on me. Now though, it seemed that the more I did, the less it was appreciated. That was not reflective of the church community, just of our new Music Director. I did not want his job, and I was quite happy to let him take the reigns. What I didn't like was being "reigned in" by someone with much less experience and for no good reason. I had to make a decision for the sake of unity in the department and my own sanity. I stepped down from the music department to allow him the freedom to run it in the way he saw fit. This was not a choice I made out of spite or to show him up, it was purely to give him room.

The problem was I missed being on the stage. I missed being part of a team that was bringing people into the presence of God. When you have a calling and an anointing on your life to do a certain thing, that calling tugs at you relentlessly.

God is good and some time later we were called to be music directors at an Anglican Church.
We had 5 wonderful years at that fellowship.  I had a mandate from the priest to bring that church into a new experience in music. Though I had incredible support both from the priest and the vast majority of the congregation, it was not always easy, and sometimes there were complaints. It is human nature that people are adverse to change, and there were those in our church who did not want to change from the old ways, and the traditional service. We had 2 churches in that place, one ran a traditional service, the other a contemporary one. The fellowship that I was at had the contemporary service. We did a more modern song service, and used more up to date songs... Well, we used songs that were considered modern, but some  were in reality more than 30 years old. It was lovely to bring this congregation into the more up to date songs and a more modern style of music. We did this over a period of time, slowly adding new music and deleting some of the older, less relevant stuff. It was a transition that took probably 3-4 years, though I never got rid of all the old music.

It was a beautiful time for our family and we were blessed to see that congregation grow 3-fold.
Our perseverance had paid off, and by the time God called us into a new church, we left that fellowship richer in their experience of worship. But we also were richer for our experience, having learnt much more about intimacy with God from the beautiful people at that church.

Our next fellowship was back to a Pentecostal church. It is the church where we now have been for the past 4 years. When I arrived at this church I chose to sit in the congregation for a period of 6 months, which I believe is important for any new musician to a church.

Our new church is currently undergoing a major change. Our senior pastor is retiring after more than 20 years in this fellowship. He is a wonderful man who lives God with a passion, and is all about bringing God and people together. At the same time, one of the associate pastors who is also the Music Director has also handed in his resignation. Life as a worship leader under this man has had its challenges, and there have been a number of times when I was ready to go back to my seat in the congregation. However, God has had different plans, and I am still here, And two thirds of the leadership team is going.

This leaves our church in limbo, at least for a little while. The new senior pastor is not due to start work until next year, and this leaves our last member of staff, another Associate Pastor in charge. A beautiful young woman, mother of two with an incredible heart for people and especially young people. She has a big task ahead of her, but I am confident that in God, and with the loving support of her husband, she will not only rise to the occasion, but also shine in it.
And me? Well, as of this week I am the new ‘Music Director’; not a position I chose or applied for, I was asked. I guess God had plans for me all along. Proverbs 3:6 says:

"In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths."

Often we don't know where God is going to take us, but when we are faithful to Him, He is faithful to see us through the most exciting life we could ever imagine; and who would have gained that I would find myself back as Music Director once again!

Perseverance…

When the going gets tough, it is easy to walk away. We don't want to go through the trials and tests if that means we have to suffer or do it tough for a while. A friend of mine told me the other day: Without a test, you don't have a testimony… and God can turn trials into triumphs".
James 1:2-4 says:

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

There are going to be times in your life, (maybe you are in one now) when patience and perseverance are the order of the day, week or month. My Friend, Jesus persevered right through to His death on the cross. He did that with you and me in mind. Isn't it worth the honour to Him that we do the same, and get through this thing? He has already won the victory and put you in the place of the winner!
Hang in there, whatever it is. God is faithful!
Have a great week.
Erick.

When Hands Are Raised

 

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As a worship leader there is no greater satisfaction for me than to see hands raised in surrender and worship to the Lord.  The raising of hands in worship has at times and in different churches been somewhat controversial for all sorts of reasons; and most of them wrong.

Some would say it is showy and we should not make and outward show of our inward worship. A scripture used may be this from Matthew 6:18 :

" ...so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. "

Sometimes our conservative culture is the reason we "exercise self control and show restraint in these matters"....

Jesus talked often about doing things in secret, but when it comes to corporate praise and worship, I believe it is a totally different thing. As the word suggests, Corporate is something we do together.

In my experience there are 3 main reasons why people raise their hands in church during worship (other than at the urging of the worship leader)

EXALTATION

The first is in jubilation and celebration.

Psalms 111:1 " Praise the Lord!
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation."

With my whole heart. That would indicate with every effort I can muster.
The Hebrew word for praise here is 'Yadah' The translation for this word praise is: literally, to use (i.e. hold out) the hand; physically, to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship (with extended hands); "
In Psalm 150 we read these words:

"Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!"

The word for praise here is 'Halal ' (from which we derive the word hallelujah. Halal means praise, Yah is God. )
Halal means:  to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively, to celebrate; also to stultify: — (make) boast (self), celebrate, commend, (deal, make), fool(-ish, -ly), glory, give (light), be (make, feign self) mad (against), give in marriage, (sing, be worthy of) praise, rage, renowned," ...you get the idea.
When we praise God it involves an outward manifestation of joy, celebration and great noise, and the raising of hands...

ADORATION

The second reason we raise our hands is in Adoration. It is when we have such absolute love for our saviour, we just want to be closer to Him.
One of my favourite memories of when I was a young father of small children, is coming home from work in the afternoon. I would drive up our driveway and beep the horn. The next thing Tambrey would open the front door and all the kids would come piling out and run to the car to see who could get there fastest for me to pick them up. Those kids adored their father!
That's what it's  like:  when a small child raises its hands to its parent looking to be picked up, held and cuddled. It's very relational and intimate.  When I raise my hands to God in this way, it's like I want to be close to Him; to hug and love Him, to hear Him whisper in my ear: "I love you, son!"

Psalms 63:4. "Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name."
Psalms 134:2. "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the Lord."

SURRENDER

When you watch a war-time movie or a Wild Western, what is the term used when a surrender is forcibly demanded? "Stick 'em up! "; "Hands up". When the white flag of surrender is raised, and those that are surrendering have their hands raised as the "I give up" symbol.
The raising of hands is commonly associated with surrender. Christians who raise their hands will often do the same for the same reason, but with one difference: when I raise my hands in surrender to God, it's not because I have a gun at my head. My surrender to God in worship is out of love and total commitment.  I have a mental picture of surrender in which I am down on my knees, with my hands raised before a crucified Christ. I want to be surrendered to the One who surrendered everything for me and gave up His life so I could live... I surrender.

Exultation, Adoration, Surrender.
All three motivations for the raising of hands are voluntary responses. All three responses are motivated by love. When hands are raised, I see people connecting with God in an intimate, joyful, exuberant, surrendered display of affection and Worship.

Whether you choose to raise your hands or keep them by your side, is up to you. Whether someone else chooses to or not, should be their decision. Personally, when I am in a place of intimacy with God, I can't help but raise my hands.

Do you raise your hands?

Have a great week.
Erick.

Love God

 

We live in a "What's in it for me?"-world. Our decision making is based on "how does it make me feel?" We look to satisfy our needs, and as long as we are ok, well that's a good start.

As Christians, it seems our faith is often manipulated the same way. Our prayers are based on what we think is best for us and our situation, and our assessment of answered prayer on how it has benefited us. I'm not sure that this is correct thinking.

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The Greatest Commandment

When Jesus was challenged by the Pharisees with the question: "Which is the greatest commandment?" in Matthew 22: 37 Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind."

He added to this that second most important commandment was (vs39) :"love your neighbour as yourself". 

The response Jesus gave was not at all what the Pharisees expected, and it left their arguments dead in their tracks. 

See, I like to think that the Pharisees were looking at a legal-if you don’t do it you will go to hell- kind of greatest commandment, whereas Jesus was talking about the most awesome, lose out if you miss it- greatest benefit to those who live it-kind of commandment.

God-thinking turns World-thinking totally on its head. Sometimes embarrassingly so. God-thinking is so at odds with what society teaches and yet it works. Society says: "Look out for number one; if it feels good do it; you deserve this; pamper yourself; you will feel great if..." God wants us to be Christ-centred, others-focussed, totally selfless. He wants us to focus our love on Him.  Love God. 

 

What's in it for me?

This is one of the most selfish, self centred statements ever to pass the lips of men. The conditional premise of doing anything in the community of Christ is often perceived as "if I do this thing, I will get ...in return". 

Giving is the perfect example. Jesus said in Luke 6:38; "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Most people I know (including me) have used this as the secret formula for wealth. I guess in a way it is, but not in the context that we would like it to be. Investing into the Kingdom of God is important. The question is: am I giving to get or am I giving to give?

We need to turn our thinking around and focus on our total motivation for anything we do in life:

I work and in return I get paid. I give to God of my time, talent and finances because I love Him. I know that He is not only able, but also true to His word in looking after me. My attitude to God is relational, one of faith and trust, not a business deal. We cannot out-give God, so don't try. Give out of relational response, because you love Him.

When I think of my relationship with God, I often compare it to my relationship with my own children. I am motivated by my love for them and respond to their relationship with me. When one of them comes to me with open arms and hugs me and tells me they love me, I just want to bless them. (What can I do for you, how can I bless you?) Their love for me invokes an even greater response of love back. I think in a way that this is how it is with God; we obey his commandments because we honour, love and respect our Heavenly Father and He in return blesses us with answered prayer, provision, peace and His presence. 

God’s love for us is manifest all around us. His promises of supply, protection, care, guidance and companionship, are littered generously throughout scripture.

Matthew 6:27-33

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat? ’ or ‘What shall we drink? ’ or ‘What shall we wear? ’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

Surrender & Submission

Loving God is about surrender and submission. I like to think of it this way: When 2 armies are at war, and one surrenders to the other (white flag and all that stuff), normally it is the capturing victorious army that dictates the terms of the surrender. Funny thing about Christianity is we want to do all the surrendering on our own terms: “Well, God, I will give you these parts of my life, but I am going to hang on to this one...” That doesn’t work. Never has, never will. God wants total surrender, not a partial one. Why? Well, for starters, Jesus was willing to give everything He had and everything He was up for you and me. He set the standard of total surrender when He went to the cross. I really think in His own flesh He had some serious reservations about the whole suffering and dying thing. In the garden of Gethsemane He prayed: ... “Let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.”(Matt 26:39) But He was driven to total Surrender to God’s will by His total love for you and me! The other reason I believe God wants all of us in Surrender to Him is because only He knows the plans He has for us, “plans for good and not for evil, to give you a hope and a future” (Jer 29:11), and He can’t bring that to pass if He doesn’t have our total, confident, submitted trust.

2 Chronicles 15:2

“And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”

When we walk away from God, we leave Him virtually powerless to work in our lives.  

I am realising more and more that relationship is the key to life. When I have great relationship with my wife, things go really well for us. When I focus on doing my own thing, and put her second, our relationship suffers. It is no different in Christianity. God longs for relationship with us. He is looking for ways to bless us. When we stop loving God to pursue other things, we stop His ability to bless. It is like cutting off the line of supply. We are not wired like that. God made us for relationship with Him. Love Him. Today!

Have a great week!

Erick.

Thirty Years On. Life, Marriage, Children

It's been a while since I posted a blog page. I've been busy. I've had a lot on my plate. At my age, you just get busier. I now have grand children in my life. 5 years ago I would not have imagined that I would be sitting here today talking about a grandchild, much less two! But here I am. They are beautiful. A girl and a boy. Mayana and Reuben. We drive up to see them, and then they come to see us.

And so I  keep busy. Last weekend, we drove up to see them.
My Eldest two daughters, both married, both live in the same town. Zoey and Peter are the proud parents of our grandchildren. Bethanie and Lachlan live about 5 minutes from them by car. Zoey and Bethanie are both teachers at the same school (although Zoey is on maternity leave). Peter
Is a teacher at a pre-school and Lachlan is finishing his teaching degree. Having them all living in the same town has definite advantages, both for them and for me. Zoey and Bethanie have become very   close and both couples get together socially regularly.

Tambrey and I miss out on this so we have to travel up to make up the short fall in access place. This is one of the important reasons I run out of time. I love having time with all of my Maryborough mob; family is very important to me, and the fact that they live in the same town means we can visit everyone in one trip.


Our youngest two, Alexie and Jordan, both live at home with us. Alexie is studying Nursing and Jordan is doing a music degree. Both lead interesting and full lives. They are both heavily involved in our church and youth ministry, and volunteer regularly of their time to it each week. Alexie is the unofficial assistant and right-hand to our Youth Pastor, Michelle and the two have become inseparable best friends. She spends two days a week unpaid with Michelle working organising youth programmes and church administration and the like. Alexie and Michelle have become involved in a local High School where they run a mentoring programme for troubled and at-risk teenage girls. This programme has become so successful that the school has asked them to extend the programme to 2 days a week, and open it up to more girls.

Jordan is in classes 5 days a week in an intensive Music degree, the first year of which gives him a dual diploma in music performance and music law. This term his week has been reduced to 4 days and so he too volunteers his time at the church office, helping out wherever they can.


What's with the 30 years?

I titled this blog 30 years on because recently Tambrey and I celebrated the 30th anniversary of our first date.  It was 30 years ago that I took an innocent country girl into the big city, showed her how the other half lived and went to the movies. We saw Chariots of Fire and walked around the city square. I'll never forget seeing those beautiful big blue eyes getting bigger and bigger as we experienced one religious group after another trying to convert us to their way of faith. We had young Christian zealots over in one corner who despised everything the mainstream church stood for saying all was based on pagan philosophy and ritual, Christianised by the early church and nothing to do with true faith. In another corner there was a local youth group doing street witnessing, praying together and singing Choruses accompanied by guitars. And last and most colourful were the Hare Krishna's in full get up complete with tambourines singing and offering peace cookies to all passers by.


For a young country girl whose regular Friday nights only exposed her to the locals pouring out of the pub in various stages of drunk, this was quite a sight, and she was tightly wrapped around my arm as we made our way around. I can say what we have been tightly wrapped around each others arms ever since!


30 years on, we have done much, lived in places where there was no tv and no telephones. We have experienced poverty and homelessness and seen God prove Himself faithful time and again. We have seen our children grow into incredible strong young people of God; independent,  capable, motivated and passionate.  We have never gone without a meal. We have had all our needs met at the times when we needed them met. We have had the privilege of meeting and having fellowship with some of the most amazing people that God ever put on this Earth. We have had the privilege of being an answer to prayer many times and in some of the most surreal situations.
We have walked where no white man has walked (literally). We have been to places that we might only have dreamed of. I have made music to crowds of thousands, and ministered to young people going through difficult times. Tambrey has blessed scores of people that God has put across her path; speaking into their lives, taking them to achieving things they never thought possible.
30 years on as we look back we can see the path that God has taken us on.
It reminds me of that scripture in Jeremiah 29:11.

I know the thoughts I have towards you says the Lord; thoughts of good and not of evil to give you a hope and a future...

And in Proverbs 16:9

A man's heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

God had and still has great plans for us and if I had known then what I have experienced since, I may not have been so keen to pursue this path. But looking back I have no regrets. We have had no shortage of tough times and situations, but God has brought us through every one. And not just barely but triumphantly. What I can honestly say is that these times, times of trial and triumph have defined us and our family, shaping us into what and who we have become.  And through it all, as the song says, I've learnt to depend upon my God.

The one thing I keep on seeing is the closer we draw to God, the closer He draws to us. He blesses us beyond what we have ever dreamed. And as I look forward to the next 30 years, sharing them with the loves of my life and being introduced to new ones, I pray that together we will continue to grow closer and more dependant on Him. Because that is where the blessing comes from!
Have a great week.

BEING FULL OF GOD

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

Have you ever wondered what is to be truly full? I was in a prayer meeting on Sunday morning, and I got the overwhelming sense of God's presence. The word that kept coming to me was “Fullness”. As I meditated on that word, my mind was filled with pictures and scriptures pertaining to full.  

Full of God

I don't know about you, but I want God's best for my life. I know that when am close to God, He fills me with Him; not just that goose-bumpy feeling of warm fuzzies, but a true sense of the reality of His presence. I think clearer, I have a greater sense of where I am and where I am going, and a knowledge that as the hymn says: "it is well with my soul". 

The more of God I put into my life, the more He fills me. 

God wants us not just to experience but to live in the Fullness of Him. The word Fullness brings to mind all sorts of pictures. 

Psalm 16:11 says 

“You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  

Just read that promise a couple of times and be filled with the beauty of it.

This verse speaks of the promise of God; He shows us the path of life. 

It speaks of God's presence bringing pleasures and fullness of joy! And it speaks of forever! 

The Promise of Fullness

The Christian life can be full of hard times, heart ache, trials, and all the stuff we would rather not have in our lives, but the promise of God in John 16:33 is: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

"In Me". 
When Jesus is in me and I am in Him, the promise of God is complete. 

Full is not almost or part. In God's economy, near enough is not good enough, and almost does not qualify as complete. When the Bible talks of full it always speaks of excess. God is an extravagant God.

Jesus gave us the instructions of how to live extravagantly and in God's economy: Luke 6:38: “Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” 

Here Jesus Himself teaches us of God's measure of economy. However what we often don't understand is the measure He speaks of. In Matthew 13:23, Jesus talks of the sowing and harvesting law. 100 , 60, 30 fold increase! God's economy of scale is extravagant; it is one of multiplication, pressed down, shaken together, full and running over! That speaks to me of being completely full. 

Malachi 3:10 says:  ”Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

Again this speaks to me of God's extravagance. When we believe in Him, when we trust Him with all we have, and when we fill ourselves with Him, he pours out His blessing beyond our capacity to contain it! 

Getting Full and Staying Full. 

How do I get this fullness and keep it? 

When I have a meal, I normally eat until I feel full. Sometimes I over- eat and then I feel over-full. But no matter how much I eat today, tomorrow I will want to eat again. I continually need to fill me up with food in the same way as I continually need to fill my car with fuel, or at least if I want to keep going places in it. The same is with God. I need to continually fill myself with God. I can't just go once and expect that that's enough. 

God is a supernatural God. That is beyond natural. That is full and overflowing. God is not the God of near enough is good enough. God is the God of enough and to spare. He talks of abundance, not of a lack! 

When a friend of mine purchased a car, he never washed it, maintained it or had it serviced. He would purchase a new car about every two to three years, because that is how long the old one would last. My Father in Law is almost OCD about his cars. He washes, polishes and vacuums them meticulously and often. His cars always look great, and when he goes to sell them, he inevitably gets top price for them. 

We need to maintain our spiritual bodies in the same way.  That means continually being filled up with God; Staying in tune with the Holy Spirit through giving ourselves to prayer, study of the word, fellowship with other like minded people and worshipping Him both privately and corporately. 

Be Filled

Are you full yet? Do you have a hunger to be filled? Being filled is a daily requirement.  When you fill yourself with God, He will fill you with Himself. Pressed down, shaken together full and running over will God pour into your bosom. 

If you want the fullness of God, be Fully Filled with God! 

Ephesians 3:19: (that you may) “know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 5:18: "Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit."

May you be filled with all the Fullness of God!

Have a great week! 

Erick. 

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PASSION

Are you passionate?

Are you passionate about leading worship? Are you sincerely fanatic about having the Holy Spirit turn up and move in your worship service? 

I have written and spoken many times about the passion of Worship Leading; it is something I'm passionate about. Those of you who listen to our weekly podcast: "the worshipleaders podcast"  will have heard me talk many times about the importance of preparation, prayer, a great well prepared songlist, etc.   But the one ingredient that leads to great worship is Passion. 

Passion is the Glue

Passion is the glue that holds everything together. In life, love, work and play, we see time and again that those who are passionate about what they do succeed well. My eldest daughter is passionate about anything to do with art, craft, or creativity. The result is she's a great cook, photographer, knitter, sewer, jewellery maker and general craft person. Her blog  will testify to that. 

My son is a brilliant musician. We gave him drum lessons when he was younger, but then later when he wanted to take up the bass guitar, I told him he was on his own. Well, with the help of some friends, some chord charts and a whole lot of YouTube, he became a brilliant Bass guitar player. He did the same with rhythm guitar, and is currently doing a music degree at University.  

What makes these two so good? They are passionate about their interests, and will put serious time into getting it right. When they get it wrong, they don't simply give up and say:"well that's too hard", they keep practicing until they get it right. 

The reward of Passion

Part of my profession is as a furniture designer. There is a lot that goes into getting the final design right. It has to be practical, useful, workable, and safe. When I design a chair, it needs to be comfortable, it has to tick all the boxes that require it to be a saleable item. A single design can take over 12 months to come together to finally reach production. And the cost is often many hundreds of thousands of dollars. But when I get it right, many people benefit from the design. 

I am passionate about good furniture design, and the result is people buy my product.

The light globe you switch on when it gets dark is the result of someone's passion to create light without the use of a naked flame. It was not an instant success, but many failures went into getting it right. The car you drive is the result of decades of passion poured into getting a better, more comfortable, more efficient mode of transport. 

Great Passion equals Great Worship.

Great music is the result of Passion. Great preaching, the result of Passion; great worship-leading, the result of Passion. 

Today you can overcome mediocrity by firing up your passion. 

2 Timothy 2:15

Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Jude 20 Says: Beloved, Build yourself up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.

There are many scriptures exhorting us to draw near to Him (James 4:8).

When we allow God to envelop us with His presence daily, when we draw near to Him, when we study His Word, and spend time getting to know not just about Him, but also to know Him, our passion will rise. And when you are passionate about God, and about great Worship, you will have great Worship.

 Luke 10:37b: Go and do likewise!

Have a great Sunday!

Erick