Striving for Excellence

When talking about music and performing and concerts, it’s normal to consider what kind of audience you’re performing for. Who’s in the audience? How important are they? Are they respected? Does it make you nervous to perform in front of them? As I type this, the Grammy’s are happening. I’m sure those guys are freaked out of their minds to perform in front of some of the most legendary performers and artists.

Well, in church land, we’ve all heard the saying, “audience of one”. Those of us leading others in worship know that we’re not necessarily singing those songs for an audience of people, we’re singing for God and His glory. Duh. But at some churches, it seems as though they say this phrase more than practice it. Are we truly singing and leading like God is sitting in the pews? Would you put half your effort into that guitar lead if you truly played like you were playing for Jesus Christ? “It’s cool if you didn’t practice man, it’s only Jesus.” Fail.

This past weekend, I must admit, my band and I had our set of struggles. There were a lot of obstacles for us to overcome. For me personally, I was trying some new things I’m not used to, things I believe God is calling me to do in order to further perfect the gift He’s given me. It was pretty much the same story for my other band members. They were getting outside their comfort zones and performing in ways they’re not use to. But you know what I say? Bring on the obstacles. Bring on the insecurity, the uneasiness, the nervousness, the stretching, pushing, growing, heart pounding. It’s all a part of growing, man. It’s all part of striving for excellence. Those struggles we worked through are only proof that we are where we’re supposed to be. Also, what kind of leader would I be if the people I lead weren’t growing and exceeding in the gifts and talents they have. I wouldn’t be a leader at all.

And striving for excellence doesn’t mean studio musician. I mean, it might in your particular situation, but it doesn’t have to. If your worship team just has an acoustic guitar and a cajon, you can still strive for excellence. Speaking of the cajon (amazing instrument!), one of my bass players learned to play it in order to meet a need a while back. I wasn’t able to have a drummer for Wednesday night service, so I had him jump on the cajon for rhythm. Today? He’s an incredible cajon player. Why? Because he put maximum effort into it. He practiced like crazy. He studied videos on youtube of professionals playing cajon, different beats, different techniques. And now it’s a joy for me and everyone else to put that guy on cajon.

And there’s so many free resources out there. Free online music theory, youtube, instructional videos, etc. Wanna get some real inspiration? Go see one of your favorite artists live. Watch how they do things, how they handle themselves on stage, how they perform. Stop by a local church (one that you know has a rocking worship ministry) and pick up things, take notes. And I’ll admit, I don’t do this enough. But when I do, it never fails to kindle that fire in me to be greater for God.

All this to say, there’s no excuse for mediocre. There’s no excuse for the same ‘ole thing weekend in and weekend out. Mix it up. Keep it fresh. Do something different. Strive for excellence.

We all know the parable of the talents. A few dudes received some money from their boss. Their job was to take the resources given them and do as much as they could with it. Seems simple enough. But as it turns out, one of the dudes was “wicked and lazy”. He took his boss’s money and did nothing with it. He did nothing with the resources given to him. So the obvious question is, what are you doing with your resources? Your knowledge, your time, your ministries, your gifts and talents, what are you doing with them? Are they kicked in neutral? I don’t think anyone wants to be thought of as lazy, but Jesus makes it pretty clear. If you’re not striving for the best with what you’ve got while you’re on this earth, you’re freakin’ lazy. That’s a scary thought, one that penetrates my heart every time I read it.

And here’s the promise given to those who get off their butts for God glory: “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given.” That’s where I want to be! Isn’t that where you want to be? Rewarded for being about the Father’s business and fulfilling your maximum potential for God’s glory and kingdom? It’s a no brainer. Be better for God, get rewarded for it. Done.