I love those
moments when God taps you on the shoulder and says ‘I told you so’.
There are points
in your life when you realise that there are things that you can’t do or
probably shouldn’t take on. You realise the limits of your capacity and it’s a
bit of a humbling moment. Up until recently, my response at those points has
been one of reckless ambition and defiance, while I can hear my wife, Anna, in
the background whispering ‘Are you sure?’ I say whispering. She was probably
saying it quite clearly but I had my hearing filter switched to overdrive.
A few years ago,
I can remember my good friend and pastor, Andy Arscott, referring to me as a
special weapon that we need to keep razor sharp with regard to my worship
leading gifting to get maximum benefit from me as part of the church body; that
it wouldn’t be right to blunt me by using me in other areas. It’s the same for
all of us. God gives us different gifts and abilities so that we can bless each
other. ‘ If the whole
body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing?’ 1 Cor 12: 12 – 31.
There are times when I’d really like to be an ear when I’m quite clearly a
finger. Or a backside.
I quite often end up the butt of church jokes. (Quite literally – I’m often
referred to as Beyoncé by some of the reprobates hanging around the church
office). It’s regularly brought up that I have the pastoral and administrative
skill of a buffalo, yet I’ve been chomping at the bit for years to have a go at
improving in those areas. A couple of years ago, Anna and I were given the
responsibility of leading a home group. Full of eagerness we launched into it.
It had dawned on me that leading another group pastorally and administratively
would improve me in those areas. I’m sure it did in some regards, but it killed
me in most other areas. Leading the worship team took a hit. Family life took a
hit. Church took a hit. Our worship team is not as good as it was two years
ago. We lost a lot of momentum by me striving to be something I’m not.
When Stu and Andy suggested we step back from leading a home group at the
start of the summer so I could concentrate on getting the worship team right, I
was like ‘Whose idea was it for us to lead one in the first place?!’ We totally
love the guys that God gave us for that season, but the most loving thing for
them was for us not to be leading them at a home group, but to be leading them
in worship.
Our worship engine room is about to roar into action again. I’ve discovered
the importance of delegation and have acquired a MMMMONSTER administrator in
the shape of Ben Homer, who has the gig schedule of a musician with a very full
gig schedule, but still manages to find about 70 hours more than anyone else in
the week to help with Church bits and pieces. He’s my special weapon. If you
lead a worship team and haven’t got a Homer then get one.
Homer the homing missile.
Realising your own personal limits and capacity is one of the most
delimiting things you can do for your church. I’m not saying that God doesn’t
give grace to mould you into other shapes. Our lead pastor, Stu Alred is an
amazing example of God’s transforming love and power. When we met, not long
after he became a Christian only 8 years ago, he was by no means a people person - grumpy, rude,
disinterested etc. But God has changed him beyond recognition and I now see him
way ahead of most leaders of his generation. Each year I see more of the impact
of the Gospel on his life, loving people more and more.
What I am saying though is that if God has already clearly given you grace
for a certain area of serving, you should maybe consider that He might want to
use you for maximum impact in that area. It’s something I learned the hard way.
Maximum impact. Aim to hit hard in the way God made you to hit hardest.
