The Bonding

There is something about guys eating meat, sitting around a campfire and getting real. Whatever the accoutrements are - doesn't really matter. What matters is, getting real. It's hard for guys to do this in public. They are not really touchy feeley by nature. So to get a bunch of poor musicians together who have Faith in Christ as a common bond, and who regularly work in a church environment, you can get a lot of very serious conversations going.
No, not one drummer joke was passed, only complements to Timmy Z's rounded skill sets on a kit. Part of me wishes we could have church like this. Well actually it was church without walls with hats and jackets. Three or four of Ricks neighbors just wandered into the firepit and sat and listened to our salty conversations about living lives of faith in the arts, in a broken world and imperfect church. How good it was. I'm thankful everyday for the artists who work, and practice, and woodshed to hone thier skills to honor the Father in their efforts. To show Him that they are trying to be better stewards each day with the gifts they were given. Not just sitting on their base talent. How great it would be some day when the church makes a commitment and re-hires musicians and artists full time to worship God day and night, lead worship and teach worship in the church. Let it be so Lord, for You are worthy of it all.

Good Friday ?

There just seems to be something wrong with the words "Good Friday".
Seems pretty selfish to even say it out loud to me. Should be "Thank You Friday" or "Not Worthy Friday".

Well last night I did a Good Friday service with only my family. Five of us on the platform. Marissa 26 on concert harp and vocals, Jamison 19 on percussion and vocals, Jordan 12 on percussion, Jane "always 19 in my dreams" on vocals and myself on guitar and keys. I remember commenting how wonderful it was to look out and see full families sitting all dressed up, sharing, and learning together, again, about the great price paid for our eternal freedom.

I spent two days recording and editing photos and text for the video backgrounds to get exactly what I wanted behind the platform. 100 candles, two 9ft crosses lit with red fabric and all lights out in the sanctuary gave it the feel I so wanted.

Well, technically it was a nightmare. My son was lost in traffic, we didn't get time to rehearse at all. My in ears were not functioning, I couldn't get my personal projector to turn on for backgrounds, the church office computer would not print a CCLI chart with flash that I needed, My piano mic would not turn on, and on and on. That's the way it is much of the time when you're leading and in charge. I'm not attempting to complain, just explain that I felt for the first time in a long time a real sense of let down. That I didn't properly prepare my troops and have them all locked and loaded for battle. You see it's not your musicians and volunteers faults when things go awry. It's the leaders. End of story. We either have them ready with the correct amount of setup time and tools needed to do the job so they can have it done and ready in time, or things fail and eveyone feels bad.
So with that said, today I've been going back over my methods and pre-planning. Taking mental notes of how to make things better and smoother. It was then that my phone rang, and a dear friend Mark answered. "Hey Craig, didn't want the day to go by without telling you that last nights "Good Friday" service was the most intimate and sensitive service I've ever been to. In case no one told you, I wanted you to know how moved I was, and how blessed it was to see your family worshiping together".

Well, Last night after the service and tear down and re-set for our Sunday services, I was having dinner with my family and son in law. When asked about the earlier service, I said "how I feel doesn't really matter. What matters is that God did what only He could do tonight".
We don't know what that is and if we measure it in the natural, we can be very mistaken.

So then here today Mark calls, and without knowing, re-affirms my faith that God works in our weakness and in spite of ourselves. We give our best efforts, we give them to Him.
We say "Your will be done", and then we must move on to the next assignment and log the corrections.

So tomorrow is Easter Sunday. Millions of believers will be shouting "He Is Risen" along with the host of heaven shouting "Daahhhh". (never thought of that one till right now:) ) and the enemies of our souls plugging their ears! Hallelujah!