Worship, Mice and Good Friday

Last night was such an exciting night...God's been placing in my heart to have a night where worship leaders who don't get the chance, a chance to lead worship somewhere. So I talked to others and saw whether or not this was something that can be confirmed as I didn't want it to be something that I wanted, but something that God wanted.

So last night we got together and planned the whole thing out. I was feeling great, thinking that this was a confirmation of God how everything is starting to work together for this. Here's the vision of the night:

To provide a venue for people who strongly desire to lead worship to encourage, share and teach other like minded people as well as exercise their gifts of worship leading.

Then I got home and started thinking about this and I was suddenly struck with the thought..."exercise their gifts of worship" but for what end? Why am I concentrating so much on the worship leaders, but not on the object of worship? Have I put so much effort in thinking how to get worship leaders up and that the masses are there for the worship leader's experience, rather than focusing the attention of the night on God? So I've been in prayer about this, and praying whether or not we need to change the direction or thrust of the night from being too focused on worship leader nurturing and on a opportunity to worship God and be changed in His presence!

How many times we get so excited about something, start to go do it, and then realize we missed the mark yet because of the momentum of the event is going one direction? Am I courageous enough to tell everyone that we may have gotten it wrong? Maybe our vision statement should be:

Provide a venue for people to come and worship, to be renewed in the Spirit and encouraged by being in His presence and to provide worship leaders a opportunity to utilize their gifts.

Because isn't that what it is all about? It isn't about the worship leader, it isn't about how much experience we have, because God doesn't want/need experience polished people. God wants willing hearts that will open themselves up to the changing power of God's presence. Nowhere in there is a "worship leader". God and His people. That is what it should be about. The primary thrust of any worship night should never be the leadership. It should be about God and how we worship God in spirit and in truth and that we "sing with our minds" as well as our hearts.

On another note, women are funny. They hate mice. Why? Is it because of their tails? beady little eyes? But yet they will not kill them. I got to a friends house for a meeting and they had a mouse stuck on a glue trap (best way to get these critters) and it had been sitting there for a while, but they wouldn't kill it. So of course, they got me to kill it. I have no problems, since mice to me are just big bugs. I just put the trap in a plastic bag, closed it off so the spatter wouldn't get all over (ask me how I know this) and smashed it with a shoe. Easy. Humane, cause it's over quick. Unless I miss. But I never miss. :)

It's good friday. My small group is getting together afterwards to eat after the good friday service, but when I get out of the night, I am pretty reticent. I mean here I have seen my Savior nailed to a tree, trying to remember what Christ has done for me, dying on the cross, making it real in my life...The last thing I want to do is go to Fuddruckers and eat with a bunch of friends and laugh and have a good time...seems that the night should be sacrosanct. Am I being a stick in the mud? Maybe it's a preview to easter.