"Subject: Merry Christmas”
That’s how the email started… … And I’ll admit that my heart sank a little. I’m of the opinion that Christmas doesn’t start until the first Sunday of Advent, and even then I am not convinced that it has really sunk in until I hear “Fairytale of New York” played in public. The reason for today’s email was to ask for some thoughts on my favourite Christmas song/carol for sharing: It was a simple enough question really. "In Jesus' encounter with the woman of Samaria at the well, what does Jesus mean when he talks of worshipping 'in spirit and in truth'? What does that look like for us?"
"Flattery will get you anywhere..." ... Always worth trying I guess. "A smile that could light up the whole town..." ... Why thank you! "He could sell water to a drowning man..." ... It's all about the patter. But it wasn't my flattery, gorgeous smile or patter that worked today...
It's been a while since I played a proper game of poker.
I have only ever properly played Texas Hold-em, and whilst I rarely walked away the victor, I wouldn't say I was bad at it. The problem I have is that I'm unpredictable, and because of that I risked too much. Maybe my character means I am guilty of going "All-in" too often, and the problem comes when someone calls your bluff, or the cards don't fall your way, or you misread your cards, or you are just outdone by someone else. My first instrument is the drums. I've been playing for nearly 20 years I reckon, and while there's room for improvement, I'm not bad even if I do say so myself.
The thing is, I know my strengths. I know that my style and my playing isn't cut out for the big stages and the big crowds. I can pull it off briefly, but sooner or later I'd get caught out for what I am... And I think what I am is a small-room worship drummer. The key, I've always been taught and stand by to this day, to being a good worship drummer is to know what to play, to know when to play, to feel the room and to sense what is going on. You could apply it to any musical instrument really. A day of prayer and fasting today with my churches.
Each church had representatives covering their slots in the day, and at lunch time and at the end of the day wehad gatherings for those who were able to come together. In preparation for these gatherings I came across a hymn I don't think I knew before... it says a lot about prayer though. What jumps out at you? People get old.
Assuming that they are healthy, they can go on for a while. But it's not the number you reach that determines the value of your life, rather it's the number you reach. I'm a youth worker. It's my job to work with young people. More than that I believe it to be my calling. And normally I think I'm pretty good at it... Except I don't think I'm made for all youth work, not all youth work is the same, and not all youth workers have the same strengths.
The real secret though is this: Here's the latest song I've been working on, inspired by the journey of a friend. I sang it at church as part of this morning's service. (I stole the verses from an old hymn that I've never known by George Washburn Lyon, which is now in the public domain, and there's an accompanying tune which will be shared at some point.)
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MARCRemarcable is one man blogging about Youth Work, Theology, Family, Life and those other random things that come to mind. Archives
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