Tag: Leading Worship

The Pendulum Swing

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I think there are two types of people in the world: those who have a plan before starting something, and those who build the plan as they go along.

Maybe it’s more of a pendulum arc, where the you are somewhere on the swing of the pendulum, but it’s possible to display a little bit of both.

When I was in my early 20s, I valued my ability to shoot from the hip. As I’ve gotten older, I value preparation and forethought, but I still land on the “let’s throw this up in the air and see where it lands” side of the arc.

Starting something new can be challenging. For me, someone who values a little chaos, it’s hard to anticipate the speed-bumps encountered by those we lead. That’s what happened this past week.

We are in the building phase of a student worship team at my church, and had our first practice on Sunday. My goal going in to practice was to try to discern, in the midst of the chaos, where we were as a group. I walked away encouraged and ready to move forward.

Then I got the text. One of the students was overwhelmed in the moment, created a not-based-on-reality scenario in their head, and was ready to step down.

At the core, it was my fault. I did not prepare them fully for what I was looking for in practice, once again letting key information get trapped in my head (click here to read a previous post about this). The result: frustration, fear, worry, and ultimately feelings of inadequacy.

Would this student have felt these things regardless? Possibly. But did I do everything I could have done to help them prepare? No.

So maybe my pendulum hasn’t reached where it needs to reach.

I truly believe there’s no perfect balance in this. I think we have things that make us strong. But, I do believe if we allow ourselves to completely neglect one side, we start to alienate a lot of people along the way, and our influence diminishes. Ultimately, if we only embrace our strength, then we only lead people who operate like us, thus diminishing our leadership capability.

What about you? Where do you land on the arc? Do you swing to the side of “everything needs a plan and a purpose”? Or do you swing to “step first, look second”? How has that benefited you in the past month? How has it hurt you? What change do you need to make this week?

Light Bulb Moments

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Have you ever had a light bulb moment? Maybe you were driving in your car and a statement from earlier in the day popped into your head, followed by a moment of clarity.

Maybe you’ve been wrestling with an issue for quite some time, then while brushing your teeth, it hit you.

Maybe your light bulb moments come when you exercise, or drive, or shower.

But I think we can all think of a time when we had a breakthrough in our thinking, a moment of unparalleled clarity. From there, you gained clarity, focus, direction, purpose, and possibly even motivation.

I had one of those moments this weekend. Because of a family situation, I ended up taking Sunday off. Normally, when I am going to miss, I make a point to line out the hurdles and get someone to cover all the bases. This weekend, however, I forgot one thing: the sound board.

I am a bit of a sound board nerd. I always tell kids if I wasn’t on staff at a church, I would serve in the sound booth. A few years ago, we were able to upgrade our sound board at church to a really nice board, and I am constantly amazed at the power and capabilities. There is so much to know, and I haven’t gotten around to training someone else to run it. I haven’t brought myself to ask the 3rd question when it comes to the sound booth.

After realizing my shortfall, I sent a text Sunday morning, and then received one right before the service. There was some shuffling, but they were able to get the board to work without a hiccup.

And now my lightbulb moment: Sometimes it’s okay to let go of something I enjoy in order to bring someone alongside and train them to accomplish the same thing. After all, and this is a common mantra here, what if the someone I ask to help actually enjoys it more than me? What if they, and this is hard to fathom because I’m awesome, can do a better job than me?

The question for each of us comes down to this: as a minister, is it my job to do the work of the ministry, or to equip others to do the work of ministry?

Not a minister? Then, the question for you is similar: as a leader, is it your job to accomplish tasks, or to equip those around you to accomplish tasks?

We are better together. It’s okay to ask someone to help.

Podcast Week: Quick Hits

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Okay, to finish up podcast week, here’s a special Friday post!

These podcasts vary in topic and style, so I thought they would fit together as misfits:

  1. The Tony Kornheiser Show – This is not just a “when I have time” podcasts. This is my go to listen away from Ministry and Business. I very rarely fall behind on this one, and it’s a great way to unplug from the day.
  2. EntreLeadership – I like the business side of this podcast, but it’s not in my regular rotation. I do, however, give it a listen when I’m caught up or just looking for a shift.
  3. Worship Artistry – While the topics may be hit or miss, when I listen to this podcast I feel like the hosts genuinely care for my development as a musician. It’s easily my favorite guitar-ish podcast at the moment.
  4. Revisionist History – A few months back I had a whirlwind trip coming up and wanted a break. I rediscovered this podcast, and it was delightful. It kept me engaged and was fascinating at the same time.
  5. Serial – The first season of this is absolutely remarkable. It’s a definite shift from the majority of what I listen to, but if you’re new to podcasts, definitely check this out.

Finally, let me finish podcast week with this: Audiobooks are awesome. Between Audible and our local library, I’m loving audiobooks. In fact, if you click below (full disclosure–it’s an affiliate link), you can give Audible a try. Check it out and let me know!

 

Thanks for sticking with me this week! Happy Listening!

3 Question Leadership First Thoughts

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Next week I am going to post about the 3 Questions and unpack each one. Today, though, I am going to give an introduction.

On New Year’s Eve we had some friends over. We invited two couples and thought only one would come, so we set up for two families (ours and theirs). When the time rolled around to start, the second couple walked in the door. We talked for a moment and then I decided to go grab some chairs for our extra guests.

When I walked into the back room, I saw my daughter grabbing chairs. Neither my wife nor I asked her to grab the chairs, but she was able to see the need and decided to do something about it.

The foundation for the 3 questions is servant leadership. If we, as leaders, are unwilling to meet the need or work to solve a problem, then we stop being leaders and become bosses. If we are unwilling to grab chairs for extra guests, we miss the starting point.

When we decide, however, to make a difference by first making an effort, then we can lead others to do the same. When we lead others to do the same, our leadership grows.

So, before you read the posts introducing each question, first ask yourself if you are willing to be a servant leader. Are you willing to put forth the effort it takes to accomplish tasks? Are you already exercising servant leadership? If not, start looking for ways to make a difference by serving.

Click here for Part 1 of the discussion on the 3 Questions.

 

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Check It Out-Leading Worship

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I remember being in high school and leading my youth group in worship. I was passionate about worship, and never understood why others wouldn’t sing. I learned so much through the many mistakes I made during those years. Maybe I’ll write out some of my learnings at some point.

Until then, here’s an interesting article on leading worship in small settings  written by Tim Price at the Youth Specialties blog. Check it out and see what you can learn.

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