Meeting the Minimum Requirements

Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can neither do nor teach become critics. (Or so it's been said.)

Often I feel like I have a skill set that uniquely qualifies me to be a critic.

In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul noted that he had been given a thorn in the flesh to keep him from becoming proud. I get it. Not that what I'm about to describe could be called a "messenger from Satan" in any way, but when you meet the minimum requirements for a particular task there's little chance that you'll become arrogant about the job you do. That can be a good thing.

I have the privilege of leading corporate worship through music in a wonderful variety of places. My favorite, hands-down, is the Downtown Rescue Mission in Huntsville, AL. The first time I ever led music in a church setting was about 10 years ago at Wall Highway Baptist Church in Madison, AL, when we were going through what seemed to be a rather rough time for the church fellowship. We'd run out of options so I volunteered. I remember thinking, "What have I just done?!" Prior to that morning, I believe I'd only sung in public two or three times in my entire life. It petrified me, with good reason.

You see, I can tell if you have a good voice, and I can determine how well you stay on pitch. Matter of fact, I obsess about that kind of thing. The problem is that I don't have a particularly appealing voice, and believe it or not, staying on pitch isn't something that comes second-nature to me. It takes effort. I'm fine on background vocals, but if I'm the one who has the main vocal part, it's a risky venture. Every time I stand up in a group to sing with or lead them, I'm keenly aware of the shortcomings in my vocal ability.

For this reason I've never been able to identify with a worship leader who falls prey to pride in his own ability. God knew what He was doing when He led me into this area. He equipped me with the minimum amount of ability needed to do the job, and as a result I've been blessed far beyond what I'd have imagined.

I don't always agree with the saying, "God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called," but in my case the statement is validated. I'm grateful for every single opportunity to sing with the Church.

This is why I want to encourage each of you to step forward into what God calls you to do, whether or not you believe you're the best person for the job. Sometimes the best person isn't actually the best person.

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Pride and Conflict

Pride leads to conflict;
     those who take advice are wise.
- Proverbs 13:10 (NLT)

Great quote from a guy who has many doctrinal stances with which I disagree:

"One of the greatest spiritual advances that I ever made in my life was when it suddenly dawned on me one day that I did not have to win." - John W. Ritenbaugh

(Verse and quote from The Berean daily devotional)

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Arrogance for Jesus

It isn't very often that I write a post about my personal life. At least, not one of those "confess your faults" posts. This is one of those.

Here's what I haven't been doing: I haven't taken shots at anyone in particular. I haven't been speaking or thinking badly about anyone. I haven't been thinking condescendingly about any specific person or idea.

It's a really good thing to be secure in your walk with Christ. It's not so good, however, when you feel like you've hit the main power line with God but maybe some people around you haven't (and for those of you who know me personally, no, I'm not talking about you -- this is not a post about some specific situation). There are some things that are immovable; factual; things that leave no room for question or opinion. But there have been some areas lately where I believe I've thought in the back of my mind that since I've been spending a good deal of time with God, I must know the right answer in almost any situation where there's a question. I'm not talking about leadership decisions. A leader has to be certain that he's heard from God and that it's important to move forward even if it's not the most popular thing to do. I'm talking about the attitude that simply says, "I am right."

And man, oh, man, that can be big-time arrogant, because in order to come up with that thought, most often the underlying assumption has to be that others haven't been spending as much time with God -- that surely they aren't as "enlightened" as I. And with that line of thinking, although I hadn't put it into so many words or thoughts until just now, I'm violating Scriptures like 1 Corinthians 13:4 and Philippians 2:3 (a verse I seem to reference here about every three or four posts).

I think this attitude may be rampant in the Church, but even that idea kicks the superiority complex back into high gear and perpetuates the "I am right" cycle. Today is the day I confess my participation in it, ask for forgiveness, and move on in the other direction. It isn't fun to confess your faults, but there you have it.

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