Art vs. Ministry: Part 6

In the summer Catherine, Noah and I visited our friend Tim & Mel Heerebout in London, Ont for a week or so. We always seem to have great conversations about the Church, worship, and God. In a chat about worship & ministry Tim & Mel gave me a book by Rory Noland called "The Heart of the Artist". Noland is (or was at the time he wrote the book) the worship & creative arts minister at Bill Hybels church in Willow Creek Church.
The book, in essence, is a guidebook for worship & creative arts ministry teams. At 350 pages, the book really is a manifesto that covers everything from character building, leadership, handling criticism, spiritual disciplines, emotions, to performance. Because I'm in the middle of a book right now ("The Shack") I haven't had time to really dig into this book. However, I have been flipping through and reading small portions here and there (mostly the things that Mel had underlined and written above/below paragraphs). Even within the first chapter, there were a few things that really spoke to me and answered some questions I often ask myself. Let me share:

"... what would I do if I had to choose between a highly talented musician who wasn't very spiritual or a deeply spiritual musician who wasn't very talented? I think that question captures the dilemma the church has been in with artists for along time... He (a Hebrew artist named Bezalel from Exodus 35) was talented and godly. That's what we need to be shooting for! That's the biblical standard. We can't expect to get by on just talent alone. It's imperative that you and I keep growing spiritually and artistically."

- I found that this excerpt particularly helpful when I was thinking about my role as worship leader in my church. Though I am one of three leaders at my church, I'm probably the most dedicated to musicianship than the other two. By that I mean I probably put a higher price on how we "sound" and getting things orderly, flowing, and sounding the way I'd like them to in my head. On the flip-side, Greg (one of my best friends and another leader at the church) and Loralee (other leader) put more stock into the spiritual side of the songs and his leading. That's not to say that I don't put any spiritual effort in leading (how could I not?) but I'm glad Noland mentions this in the paragraph above because I think it's something the church needs; excellence in music and spiritual character. But, where do we draw the line between excellence & submission of gifts?

"Every time we use our gifts for Him, we need to go into it wanting to do the best we can but trusting God's will to be done, not our self-centered, lofty expectation to be met... pursuing excellence means we do our best with what we have to the glory of God. He is worthy of our very best."

- this is something that I've struggled with as being a leader. I certainly have a tendency to lean toward musical excellence than spiritual guidance when leading. I want things to sound their best, but am neglecting the notion that when I'm deliberately playing my best for Him, I am indeed pursuing excellence.

"The Greek philosopher Heraclitus taught that your character is your destiny. That's a value shift for us because we tend to think that our destiny is wrapped up in our talent. But our destiny doesn't hinge entirely on what we do as artists; it hinges on who we are as people... We need to be people of proven character. Building character simply means that we're trying to become the people God wants us to be. For those of us with temperaments, it means becoming the artists god wants us to be."

- this excerpt impacted me greatly. As I journey on the "arts vs. ministry" road, this spoke miles to me. Certainly my talents and abilities are the things I rely on to "make it happen". But, this isn't the end. Sure, these things help guide and direct me to where God wants me, but it's my person, my being, and who I am in Christ that puts me there. While I realize my talents & abilities have lessened over the past year or two (because of many factors), I still strive to improve on those things and make them better. I can practice and play guitar or sing in the shower until the cows come home, but no matter how much effort I put into honing my musical abilities I will not end up where God wants me without re-shaping and molding my Christian character as well. I think about some of the most talented and successful Christian musicians: Lincoln Brewster, Christ Tomlin, Martin Smith, David Crowder (Band), or Phil Keaggy. These musicians & songwriters come from strong backgrounds, experiences, and maturity that has taken years to develop. Whether from being worship leaders at their church homes, touring all over the world with some of the most popular artists, or having their beginnings from ministries started to relieve a need in their local university, their characters were being shaped along with their talents to play guitar or write songs.

That's where I want to be. I've never been one to admit I don't need spiritual development on the inside. I know I do. But while I'm trying to make things happen with the what I have in my fingers, I also need to make things happen with my heart. I need to deeply search God's word for help and understanding. It comes with serving when I don't want to serve, helping when I don't want to help, loving when I don't want to love, and even playing when I don't want to play. It is then that I believe God will show me the more obvious pathways to fulfilling His will for my life.