As the subject says speaking of leading music yesterday being Sunday, my
pastors wife was a bit ill yesterday and had almost no voice and she asked
me to kind of lead the music while she played well, at first I thought I did
awful and I didn't do as well as I might have wanted to but I also learned
something first and foremost I'm not a leader I love to sing but no thanks
to leading.  Second, its ok to make mistakes I knew that but in order to
learn we need to make the mistakes to see all that I knew that too but I
still needed that lesson.


Lelia Struve email [log in to unmask] msn [log in to unmask]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vicki and The Rors" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2005 4:33 PM
Subject: Re: Right Church


> Brad,
>
> I can sure appreciate where you are coming from on this one.  Jumping off
> in
> the middle of leading music is for sure difficult.  Maybe the Lord is
> using
> a God-given desire under his leadership, no ship pun intended, to guide
> you
> elsewhere.  And I'll be praying with you for God's direction and
> fulfillment
> of purpose.
>
> Love your ship analysis, by the way.
>
> Vicki
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Brad D" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2005 3:57 PM
> Subject: Re: [ECHURCH-USA] Right Church
>
>
>> Approaching the harbor you are struck with awe of the external view of
>> the
>> ship you are about to board. It's girth, length, height and width are
>> breath taking to consider. One wonders how this vessel can stay afloat
> with
>> it's many floors, cargo and people. As you approach to board it along
>> with
>> hundreds of others you have no idea of what exists inside and excitement
>> builds as you consider what it is like inside this enormous piece of
> craft.
>> Slowly you make your way through the chained barricades as they wind you
> to
>> and fro like a maze until finally you walk up the gang plank and for the
>> first time see what lies inside this ship. Once you are inside and look
>> around, and get a feel of what it is you find, just like a church, you
>> are
>> either aboard a party barge, slave ship, or Christ cruiser. It is
> difficult
>> when you have researched the voyage and ship prior to boarding and then
>> find later, after you have purchased your ticket and packed your bags,
> that
>> you need to jump off at the next port because it is not the ship for you,
>> the voyage is not what you had hoped. Again this is similar to churches.
> We
>> find Party Barges who drink up the Holy Spirit like a bar fly and party
>> on
>> in a sea of lost folks totally oblivious  to anything beyond their claims
>> in Christ for their own wants and desires. And you have slave ships who
>> also have blinders on who are so consumed with working on the inside of
> the
>> four walls which hold it's cause, that they begin to burn out and the
>> voyage becomes very labor some and with each stroke of a row, it seems
>> the
>> ship moves no where, none of the  people floating lost at sea are picked
> up
>> because the focus is on the ship, therefore no new blood comes in to
> spread
>> the load of work, no sense of accomplishment is seen, no progress, no
>> nothing but sight of endless work and no forward progress but just enough
>> bustle to stay afloat. Sort of like flailing ones arms about the surface
> of
>> the water in a disorganized manner, and for the enormous amount of energy
>> spent, it is by the occasional hits upon the water treading water is
>> fortunately accomplished, while breathing becomes more and more difficult
>> and the arms are beginning to burn with muscle fatigue. And we also have
>> Christ Cruisers who focus on Christ, the lost, set forth plans by the
>> guidance of god and although much work is put into it, it is done
>> joyfully
>> and with genuine appreciation and one is energized to continue and
>> through
>> the efforts those willing to be picked from the salty sea are done so,
>> brought in, washed off, and join the ranks of laborers  making it easier
>> yet to lift more folks out of the sea.
>>
>> It is indeed difficult to find balance in a church. I too am in  just
>> such
>> a position. I've  bought my ticket, boarded the ship and began work, and
>> found out it is a slave ship and in need of checking out at the next port
>> stop. I'm somewhat convicted as I despise church hopping. That is to say,
>> to hop hop hop to find just the church that fits my needs, for my wants,
>> the way I want things to be. After all why don't they do things the way I
>> suggested or want, after all that is the best way... right? Right? I do
> not
>> care for that attitude and yet I know that is not the motivator of my
>> stepping back from music over the next month or two and eventually
>> researching a new voyager. For months and months we've served with no
>> vision, no plan, no idea of where we are heading. No sense of making a
>> difference and lack of conviction that if we ran across someone in
>> desperate need of god, that we could bring them to church and they'd
>> actually be affected. In fact there is no real opportunity for them to be
>> affected on this particular ship. After this decision has been made, now
>> out comes the big plans for a vision, to take action, to move forward,
>> and
>> etc. The idea of removing commitment of music is so freeing, so lifting
>> of
>> a burden, I hadn't realized how much it was weighing on my shoulders.
>> Either I am really missing God to be backing out at this juncture of the
>> church catching a vision and goal planning, or this is the divine
> appointed
>> time to do such to make way for a right person for the work. I've been
>> through essentially two churches on the entry level of growth and getting
>> feet off the ground and now this one, and have experienced as well a ship
>> who is established and carries wisdom and is making a difference. I can't
>> help but look for the latter as it has become too draining to continue to
>> reside in the former.
>>
>> I don't look for the perfect church, cause I'll join and ruin it, but I
>> do
>> gauge  or discern it from it's fruit as God's word says.
>>
>> Brad
>>