Love Does: Starbucks, a Homeless Man, and Spare Change

I pulled into a spot in front of Starbucks, wondering how crowded it would be just after lunchtime.  I had arrived early so I could be sure to snag a table for the meeting I had in a few minutes.  The store was surprisingly empty with only a handful of students quietly studying in opposite corners.  I spied out a table against the far wall and sat down, keeping an eye on the door for the new friend I was meeting.  A few more students wandered in and sat down, followed by an elderly couple out on an early afternoon date.

Checking the time on my phone, I instinctively started checking my Facebook when somebody walking in caught my eye.  He was an older man with a long, white beard.  The hair sticking out from underneath his hat was unkempt and his clothes were noticeably dirty and worn.  As he walked in, he began handing out small pieces of paper, not much larger than business cards, to everyone in the store.  Printed on one side was the alphabet for sign language and on the other it simply said “I am deaf and out of work and am selling these cards for 50 cents to support my family.”

I immediately checked my wallet to see if I had any cash.  When I came up empty I looked and him and apologized, gesturing that I had no money on me.  He took the card back out of my hand and made his way through the rest of the customers collecting at most a couple of dollars.  I felt guilty for not being able to help him. He didn’t seem upset at me, but the look on his face told me that he was all too familiar with this kind of rejection.  When I was younger I would’ve hesitated to give money to somebody else.  After all, it was mine and how did I know that they were going to spend wisely?  Thankfully I’ve grown out of that immaturity, and this time I really had no money on me to give him, but I still felt like an opportunity was slipping through my hands.  Just then my friend walked in and rescued me momentarily from my thoughts.

The day before, I had interviewed for a new job within my department.  The job description was simply to make sure that all student athletes at Liberty University were eligible to compete according to the NCAA’s academic standards.  During the interview, my interviewers said that the job wasn’t simply to tell students yes or no but to help them become eligible if they weren’t already.  I was told that the moment it is discovered that a student is ineligible is not the end of that case but rather the beginning.

On my way back to the office from Starbucks God brought these two experiences together for me.  I realized that as Christians, our inability to meet another person’s need should not be the end of the conversation, but the beginning.  Often I’m so quick to look for a good excuse out of helping people that I stop at the first potential road block.  Romans 12:9-11 comes to mind, where Paul says “Let love be genuine.  Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor.  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”  Jesus said that whatever we do to the lowest people in our social structures it is as if we are doing it for and to Him (Matthew 25:40).  If Jesus was asking for a mere 50 cents what would we do to get it for Him?

While I was processing through this, I glanced down at my console and remembered that I had a whole ashtray full of loose change, easily worth $10.  Bob Goff wrote a book titled Love Does.  I have actually not gotten the chance to read it yet, but the title has already spoken volumes to me.

Love does.

Simple.  Succint.  And loaded with meaning.

Let our inability to meet the needs of those around us propel us into finding someone or something that can.

Nothing is impossible with God, and no need is too small for Him.

To Worship Leaders and Worshippers Alike

A little while ago a friend of mine (and fellow worship leader) wrote an article about what it was like to have gotten his Bachelors in Worship Studies at Liberty U.  It was a really passionate piece complete with dramatic pauses and emphatic whispers.  He talked about how everybody told them a worship degree was useless and it would never do him any good, but that he and his co-worship leaders-to-be just kept their heads down and kept working at and honing their craft.  Finally his crescendo  driven storytelling ended with a declaration that boiled down to “Look at me now!  I’m a worship leader and I’m using my degree.  How do you like them apples?”

Ok he didn’t quite say that, but in all honesty that was the tone that came across.  Oddly, it sounded fairly similar to Michael Jordan’s Hall of Fame acceptance speech.  A speech that left everybody in the room a little uncomfortable because it was obvious that even after proving all of his doubters wrong from middle school on, Jordan still had a chip on his shoulder.  When I finished reading my friend’s article I didn’t laugh at how overly dramatic it was.  I knew that he meant it with all of his heart, and that’s what saddened me.  I think, at least in writing that blog, he had missed the point of being a worship leader entirely.

In the first draft of this blog I went on to share about my experiences as a worship leader for almost 4 years at Lynchburg Church of God, but I found myself getting caught up in explaining how much work and effort go into being a worship leader, missing the very point that I am trying convey in writing this.  In the future, I may write more about the process that I go through every week as a worship leader, and some tips that I’ve learned over the last few years; but today all I will say is that being a worship leader takes work, more work than most people realize, and it should.  The Bible is very clear about reaping what you sow, both for good and for bad.  It is not my hard work as a worship leader that earns any kind of favor or grace from God, but he definitely honors our hearts when we determine to pursue him with all that we are.  And pursuing God takes effort and work.  Don’t get me wrong, it is some of the most enjoyable work that I have ever found myself doing, but that doesn’t mean it is easy.

I’m sure there are some that think that I, much like my friend, have exaggerated what I do as a worship pastor, and I’m ok with that.  My worth and my security aren’t found in whether people approve or disapprove of what I do and say.  Of anybody, those involved in Christian ministry should know this to be true.

This past week I have been reading through the book of John and I was convicted once again as I read about John the Baptist, specifically his response to Jesus’ coming.  John dedicated his life to telling people about their Messiah, who was coming soon.  He developed a following of disciples that he essentially mentored and poured into as much as he could.  John was constantly talking about how he wasn’t the Messiah but that the Messiah was coming soon and that he wasn’t even worthy to untie this man’s shoes (John 1:26).  When Jesus finally does show up John puts his money where his mouth is and defers entirely to Him, saying “I need to be baptized by you” not the other way around.  Later on, Jesus walks by John and his disciples, and John points to Him and just says “Look!  The Lamb of God” and his disciples leave him and follow Jesus immediately.

As I read this I was reminded that just like John, my goal/job/responsibility is to point others to Jesus.  I’m quick to quote John and say “He must increase and I must decrease” but when it means that I get lost in the midst of it all, it’s a tough pill to swallow.  John understood what his role was.  He wasn’t offended that his disciples left.  He recognized that his job had been done as far as they were concerned.  John wasn’t preaching about the Messiah so that people would complement him on his passion or on how he wore his camel skin.  He was preaching about the Messiah to prepare the hearts and minds of the people for Him.

Being a worship leader has never been about people appreciating what you do.

It’s never been about anybody affirming our choice of career or educational specialization.

It’s always been about people experiencing God as we fade into the background.

It’s always been about pointing people past us and to the God who is greater than anything or anyone else.

One last note…

We speak a lot about how worship is not confined to being expressed through music and lyrics.  Our lives should be lived as worship to our God.  In this way, we are all worship leaders, using our lives and our love to point this world it’s Savior.  How we worship Monday through Saturday is of far more importance than the songs we sing on Sunday morning.  In fact, the extent of our worship on Sunday is determined by the extent of our worship throughout the week.