HT: fixedpublishing.com

This post is dedicated to all my friends with young kids or kids in their future. 

I held my little girl’s hand, walking to her first day of school. I imagined and pondered. What would life be like for her in twelve years? Will cars fly in the future? Michael J. Fox and the Back to the Future series somehow entered my mind. Like the day of her birth, this day indeed was also big day for a little girl, her mom, and her dad. Our first experience as parents with delivery, diapers, and daycare all officially ended with my daughter’s first day of school.

Seeing ahead to when this child of ours would enter adulthood was like diving in muddy water for treasure. Somewhere the treasure is down there. But, murky is life and the turns it takes. What surprised me is how fast these turns advanced us to having a young woman who now will graduate high school in a matter of days. I remembered her playing with blocks, dinosaurs, and Pokemon. I held her for skinned knees, broken arms, and seen the tears of torment girls shed in Middle School. This year she is voting in her first presidential election.

Not all has changed during these years. Cars do not fly…yet. My girl still loves books. She devours them. She always has. Her strong determination is still there as is her pleasing manner with people and her laughing fits. She used to get stuck laughing as a little toddler. Sugar sets her off. Most prominent, she is her own person. No one tells her what is cool or not for her, not other teens and surely not mom or dad. That will never change about her, flying cars or not.

As I peeked into the future on first day of school, I pretty much saw who God made for the future. She was just contained in a smaller package back then. All the uniqueness God has put into that little girl are maturing in a young woman today. Parenting is more about seeing what God has put in a child. Then we get out of the way so those innate traits mature and grow. Correction is a lesser job in parenting, I believe. It is more about us parents nurturing who God designed.

To all the young dads and moms out there. I know you look at your kids today who are small and wonder what the future will be for them. Back when my little one was small the future was clouded. It still is. But, just as I was able to see the character, uniqueness, and personality of my little girl as clear as day I know you can as well for your kids. It is that vision that is the future.

We live in some pretty tough times today. My graduating girl faces a 59% under-employment and unemployment with her young adult peers. College debt is the next economic bubble. However, I know surely as our girl walked through the doors of kindergarten and grew up, she will successfully walk through larger doors in life. God made her, after all. We just got to borrow her for a time. Now, we get to partner with her. Hey World, watch out!

Chess is a game of iterative steps to the strategic capture of the king. Often times, it seems leaders in church ministry might use this Machiavellian approach, seeing church members and leaders as pawns or bishops. The “enemy” must be wounded beyond repair, or enough to never strike back. All these steps fuel typical politics. Winners means losers are created. But, in a church leadership culture we might gain more by have a different ethic than simply winning.  

I have loved the language of modern church leadership with a respected author’s words: “clarify the win” and such. How about clarifying the loss? How about counting the cost in real human terms as a metric rather than simply putting ministry in the lingo of ROI and metrics. If we keep a balance sheet, losing is really where it is at. Winning makes us feel great. And, morale is indeed important. But, in our day that metric-to-deaths everything, do we really end up earning anything by it?

In order to find our actual win, we have to be able to count the real cost. The Rich Young Ruler had to contemplate the win of following Jesus after he would lose all earthly possession and status. The Widow’s Mite is something a woman lost in order to offer an expensive gift to God. The math of striving, squeezing, and beating the odds make sense in business, but not in the church.

In the business of church the math of people with messy lives means that love is an uncontainable metric. It is valued and counted only as it is spent. Or, lost. This loss is your time, your hobby, your status, and maybe even money. To lose is to win. What if we flip a phrase and say this: “Lose the whole world and gain your soul.” Winning is overrated.

I am excited to have my friend Rick Muchow as a guest on Worship MythBusters Podcast, Episode 14. We talk about transition and other fun stuff after he served 24 plus years under Rick Warren at Saddleback Church. Rick is so down to earth and authentic every time I talk to him. Leaders of all stripes should listen to this guy and learn from his attitude.

Also, his book The Worship Answer Book is now available in digital formats.

I may not appease too many with this article, including some friends. All I ask is that no matter where you are on the political spectrum that you read with the hope of finding common ground where there are divergent cultural and religious views. Christians should be thinking people, as is our history from sciences to art. When it comes to politics we run to the right or left. I suggest we do not always have to make that choice. As the photo presents, our President made a very polarizing and political statement. I am attempting to actually have a discussion that is a bit less rhetorical and more practical and from my perspective as an evangelical Christian.

Civil rights are already given to gays who want to marry in most states. I am not sure it is fair to exclude those rights in a free society such as ours. What does anyone have to gain by that? Domestic partnership where all the legal rights of marriage exists perhaps is a worthy middle ground. Non-traditional views of family and marriage are en vogue, and yet some insist expanding the use of a word that really is reserved for faith-birthed traditional views of family. The state should preserve rights and protect all of us from intrusive or prejudicial treatment under the law. For the most part, we have accomplished this for race and gender, even though attitudes cannot be legislated. At least the law says that your race or gender or religious affiliation are invisible and protected.

As a person of faith, my belief as a Christian is that marriage is between one man and one woman. This comes from historical teaching out of the Bible that reaches further back than our great nation. The importance of rearing children and having an institution is practical and in the interest of the general welfare of all. People who are non-traditional and non-religious usually agree on this point. Time has changed the family experience in recent history. Some choose to raise children on their own. My family of origin was single parented for a period of time. Whether this style of family was by choice or not, we legally protect that family. From the message of my faith, orphans and widows are especially protected and valued. Vulnerable people need such protection.

For this reason, I believe that even though a gay couple should not marry in my religious view I am for the state and society in general protecting the children that may be part of that or any other family. Orphans should never be created. It is a worthy compromise to simply find a way to legally establish civil unions. However, why do some insist on using the traditional word “marriage” for such legal protection on the liberal left? And, why do my friends on the right insist on state-legislating the word marriage while saying their faith is the issue? Both are missing the boat in my opinion. It is easier to polarize people than synthesize solutions.

Here are some bullets-for-thought:

• The state does not (nor should not in our nation) determine my religious belief about marriage. So, why would it matter what they say? It matters if it oppresses. It matters if it excludes. It matters if it interferes.
• Liberals want to change what is traditional rather than define something “new” which in a pluralistic society is wrong on this issue. Come up with a new term or embrace the attempts of this with “civil unions” or “domestic partnerships”.
• Conservatives in some circles want a theocracy legislated about marriage. As a person of faith, I do not want the state to interfere with my beliefs. Period.
• Liberals would do well to appreciate the religious, historical, and practical existence of family. It is not just about choosing who to love, but being sure children and the vulnerable are protected under law. Selfishness is never a good selling point.
• Conservatives would do well to accept that the very small minority of people who might ask for these rights do less harm than the divorce rate of traditional families. Hypocrisy is true of us all. So, be more humble.
• Granting or protecting civil rights should be more important than a word. Emotions want us to define marriage a certain way. Emotions are warranted but not the whole picture for either side. It is not truly “progressive” to destroy an idea that in our society should still be allowed to thrive. It is not “conservative” to marginalize people when religious liberty is the fight.

I am wondering if anyone else out there is in the middle on this. This means you are neither for redefining the word marriage or denying rights to same sex couples.

Instagram is an addiction. If you have an iPhone or Droid smart phone you may have already been hooked. Like most social networking apps, Instagram has its rockstars. TransitionPete has led many of us to use the squish technique each day in May.

Part of the allure for me is the community in real time. People who also love coffee, food, family, and music love to connect with me. I would love to connect with some of you lurkers, so I dare you to leave your username for Instagram and the favorite subject you photograph.

Here is my feed for Instagram (rkweblog).

“Creativity is just connecting things.” – Steve Jobs, ” Wired Magazine, 1996

5 Things That Keep Creatives Up At Night:

1. Everything.
2. Everything.
3. Everything.
4. Everything.
5. Everything.

Did I leave anything out? One thing people who are not creatives must learn about us is that we “process” things to death. It is part of seeing globally before executing a design, finishing a song, or solving a problem. All of it is mixed in together. The majority of people are linear and can compartmentalize their thinking. Creatives connect. After all, creativity is making connections that most people do not even consider.

Staying up at night, or day dreaming, or following bunny trails are all part of the work of the creative. What tortures them on one hand can become the genius of a situation on the other. For us creatives, we should embrace this as normal and learn to still have a healthy circadian rhythm. For those who lead us, work with us, and live with us the advice is to accept it and continue to sleep like a baby.

What keeps you up at night?

This past weekend I was honored with the task of guest leading worship for a brand new church plant’s third public worship service. Venia Church is a new church in Murrieta, CA that has been meeting in a pizza parlor. Pastor Tim Thompson used a trash can for a pulpit to deliver the sermon in a room full of local sport team banners and shirts that celebrate the community gathering that takes place in such a locale. If Jesus can be birthed in a barn, I think birthing a church in a pizza place simply rocks!

Right off the bat, this group of people sang. These committed worshippers did not need coaxing to sing. There is nothing fancy here, just people there to worship, so all I had to do was kick off the music. Everyone serving to set up and make the room ready were eager. Sometimes, as a worship leader you have to gently prod or woo to get folks to even pay attention. But, this was not the case. I will not easily forget this sweet time of singing and the memorable message the pastor delivered. If you were there, “Tic Tacs” and the movie “Dumb and Dumber” will actually have a redeemed spiritual connection. If not, excuse the insider lingo.

I had a small team with me: myself on guitars and keys with friends on cajon box and bass guitar. My daughter sang backing vocals and some lead while laying down acoustic guitar. Putting this together was like guerrilla warfare, as is anything to do with church planting. Just for reference, my wife and I have been part of two church start ups over the years. It was fun to see my wife smile in the second row of pizza tables knowing she had that context in her heart and mind. I must mention that the audio guy Taylor was amazing handling what was thrown at him. Worship leaders cannot do their thing effectively without guys like Taylor.

Here are the tunes we sang together:

• Awesome Is The Lord Most High – Chris Tomlin
• Taste And See – Brian and Jenn Johnson
• God Is Able – Hillsong
• Forever Reign – One Sonic Society
• How He Loves – John Mark McMillan
• Beautiful Things – Gungor

Come worship with us next week (May 6). We are actually going to be in a High School auditorium at Vista Murrieta HS. Check here on Venia Church Facebook for details!

How was your worship weekend?

[Set lists from all over the world here! http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/sunday-setlists-197/]

“Do not move an ancient boundary stone
or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
For their defender is strong;
he will take up their case against you.”
Proverbs 23:10-11 (NIV)

Those who are most vulnerable end up being taken advantage of without anyone to defend them. Or, so it seems. Justice is part of God’s character. When injustice is imposed on people, God sees this. In fact, it says he defends this. But, how?

If we as Christians are the hands and feet of Jesus, then surely we are part of this equation. We are the ones called to care for the “least of these” in our world and defend the orphan. Followers of Jesus represent the good news of redemption from sin which leads to peace with God. And, part of that good news is our heart for those who are defenseless without advocacy.

What is an ancient boundary stone? God marks value to people before they are even born. When we try to take the marker and invade the apparently defenseless ones, we invade on God’s territory. He set the markers there that say, “this one is of value!” When we ignore the plight of people we are numb to God’s heart for justice.

Here are some questions to ask ourselves:

• Do I see the value of people as God sees people?
• How can I in a practical way partner with God’s justice for those most vulnerable?
• If my boundary is being moved, do I trust that God is on my side? Will he fight for me?

Prayer:

Dear God, let me be one who never takes advantage of the needy. Like you, let me hear their cry and defend their cause. Let your justice and mercy be part of not only my speech, but part of my action. As I share the good news of peace with God through your son Jesus, let me also live as a person who defends who you defend.
AMEN.

Worship Leader Media is putting on a webinar that I am excited to teach. There are only 50 spots, so get yours while they last. Here is a practical topic that I think will help worship leaders as they work through launch, growth, and maintenance of their teams.

There are six roles or hats that take place in leading the 52 weekend services in worship. Learning what these roles are and staffing them well is the key to growing a team and preventing burnout and frustration. Leading worship is more than just a platform-driven event. There are people to recruit, schedules to keep, projects to manage, and communication to focus. On top of all the “tasks” there is the primary need for spiritual direction of all the people who make up a worship team. Learning how to leverage which of the six you should keep and which you should delegate can be the difference maker in sustaining and growing a team that can weather change.

In a smaller setting, people will surely wear more than one hat and most likely will be all volunteers. As a ministry grows, paid staff comes in to wear the hats that require more time or specialization. Here are the six hats:

• Worship Leader: This individual’s role is the upfront face, and intuitively gifted individual who can engage a congregation.
• Music Director: The details of music are important, so direction of rehearsal, preparation of charts and direction of the “sound” of the worship team.
• Tech Director: This is audio, video, lighting and setup logistics both in detail and vision.
• Service Producer: During the service, the details and flow are managed. (The larger the setting, the more this is needed.)
• Programming Director/Admin: Project manager of the content and details for execution and/or person who keeps the details, scheduling and project in check.
• Pastor/Executive Producer: Theology, the definition of the “win” for a weekend and organizational mission alignment as well as the shepherding issues on a team. This is both spiritual direction as well as organizationally driven.

The webinar would walk through how these all work together and encourage worship leaders to find which they are best to keep and which they are best to delegate and recruit others to take. Knowing these roles makes us “administer the gifts with grace” factoring in people’s shape and how that applies to leading worship.

This live webinar is FREE and limited to 50 attendees.

April 19, 11:00 to 12:00 pm.

Please note that the starting time listed is PST (California time)

REGISTER HERE

I am writing a “Part 3″ to this “Cut and Paste Creativity” idea. I was humbled to have Worship Musician Magazine publish the first two posts in their current issue. (Links: Post 1 and Post 2)

There are two ways in a church setting that creativity is honed and prepared before public display. Censorship is when things are taken out because of fear that they may damage the mission. Editing is when things are pruned in order to highlight the mission. The truth is that us creatives need some filtering before we lay out  our stuff before the masses, even if our own congregation or community is the scope of our platform.

I believe that we get into a “cut and paste” situation when we censor. What could have been unique, authentic, and captivating turns into mush. Our worship services fall flat, artwork is boring, and our events end up in a coma. The spiritual mystery of what happens when people submit to each other and the Spirit in the process of creating is lost when fear decides rather than faith.

Censorship comes from loss of trust or poor communication between leaders and their creatives. “We will never do a song like that again!” might be proclaimed by a leader. The focus is on limiting threats. The attitude is one of protection and moderation. Now, these things are not bad things. But, they do come from a negative perspective. And, often, they are arbitrary and drop as edicts from a dictatorship. Perhaps there is a better way to influence the outcome of creating in the church or any setting. Editing.

Editors are actual collaborators, contributors, and shareholders in the process as well as the end product. A leader can choose to be in the relationship of the creation rather than just one who manages and mitigates threats. But, the creatives must learn that this submission will make them better and more effective. Often, this is not easy to do when you are trained as an “artist” who in our culture equals being a diva.

A true artist is a servant, and therefore powerful creativity comes from community rather than pure self-expression. We create because we are in the image of God. The humbling thought is that God himself created as a team–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all present at the Creation. Even God himself is in community when he creates!

 To the leader of us creatives, it means learning to suffer by entering the process. To the creative is means accepting and allowing editing of your work. Sharing your “baby” may be easier when you realize you both are together on it. Having each others backs is the goal here. While you may work for a manager who is not a creative, he or she is ultimately responsible to own the results of what you do.

I have had the opportunity to make a few mistakes over the years, so in that context I trust you can learn a couple things from me. Here are five tips to help the creative invite editing rather than censorship:

1. Decide at the beginning what you need to own as yours and what you must be open handed with. We all need to own our convictions, but where is that line? Understanding where you actually stand will help you “edit” your attitude before you even start work.
2. Develop ahead of time a “creative team” that includes decision makers so your creative process is understood when editing time comes around. Community is needed to execute, but also to edit.
3. Ask the following questions before designing your final draft: What is most important to communicate? What things are off-limits? What are my boundaries? Knowing these helps you submit.
4. Invite feedback before the finished product is declared and do so with an open hand. Checking in at 50% progress might make you change course, but if you make the decision together it is better than redoing 100% at the end.
5. It is nearly impossible to put a “metric” to creativity. Remind your leader gently of this fact and forgive yourself if you have done all you can the best you can.

Any other ideas or tips you have to curb the Cut and Paste madness?