I was talking to my wife this morning about life and all of the decisions that we have to make in the upcoming weeks. I visited an area church yesterday that we are interested in and I was filling her in on the details. As I talked to her, I realized that my brain is quite interesting. I’m sure that I’m not the only person that thinks this way, but when it comes to the people I spend the most time with, I know that my brain is quite different. Anyway, I was sharing with my wife all the details and the things that run through my mind over the course of a worship gathering. And we came to the point that I have worship leader A.D.D. What does that mean? That is a made up phrase that just says that I’m thinking of so many different things and sometimes it is hard to conentrate. Here are some of the pros and cons to this ‘condition’…

I consider it to be a blessing and a curse that I have this ‘condition’. It’s a blessing because I truly believe that there needs to be people in the church setting who consider all the inner workings of the time. It’s sort of like being a creative director as well. However, I’ll be the first to say that I’m not really good at the visual creative things. With that being said, I’m so glad that God has wired me this way because I notice the things and people around me while I’m a part of a gathering. I take in sights and sounds and people’s reactions and incorporate them into my own worship experience. The flip side of this, or the curse, is when I let it distract from what’s going on. Sometimes I get SOOOO wrapped up in the details that I completely overlook what God is doing or saying at any particular time. It gets so easy to start thinking about the external aspect of the Sunday morning time, and I can start to overlook what God is doing internally; not only in me but what could be happening within the hearts of others.

Something that I’ve realized is that this is who I am. That is not going to change because that’s the way God made me. The only thing I can do is learn what this means and make the most of it for the kingdom. As I’ve said before, it’s easy to see how this could be distracting in a worship setting. If I spend all my time (and I have) wondering why the lights are the way they are and why that person is singing the wrong note, I’m not concentrating on the beauty of who God is and why He deserves this praise. But when I am able to focus on the task at hand, then this is a lethal weapon as a worship leader. If I can give all my attention and brain power to who God is and what he wants to accomplish, the attention to detail becomes crucial in the overall outcome of what happens when we come together in worship to our heavenly Father. So pray that I can curb my WLADD, because when I do it’s a great thing. But when I don’t….

I’ll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned. In awe of the One who gave it all. I’ll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered all I am is Yours… The Stand Hillsong

Let me start off by saying that I love this song! I appreciate Hillsong and their ability to capture the heart of this Christian walk in song. Another job well done. Anyway…

I was thinking about this the other day and was really struck by the depth of these words. Abandoning your heart is such an amazing concept. When I think about what that means, I am immediately convicted. As a worship leader, I want to be a person who strives to live this type of thing out on a regular basis. Abandoning my heart means that I am putting aside all the things that I think are right or should be happening. I will be the first to say that I don’t do that well all the time. Thanks to songs like this I am reminded to put Christ first and step aside and let Him do what He does.

Right now, I have a lot of things going on in my hear and mind and I want to make the right decisions. I am generally an internal processor and I don’t always do a lot of talking before I work out some initial things in my head. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately, and I’m realizing that without an abandoned heart, I can put some things in the way and as a result not process clearly. I have to be able to clear out the things that are in the way so I can start to hear God more clearly.

Ultimately, the end result has to be me taking a stand for Christ. Anything that does not result in me standing for him means that I’m standing for myself. There’s nothing in me worth standing for. I’m choosing to surrender my soul and give all I have to the Lord. I gotta believe that He knows what’s best for me. From what I understand, he has a plan or something… (Jer. 29:11)

That is such a loaded statement.  It doesn’t seem like it would be to hard to follow, but we seem to have a hard time doing in consistently.  I wonder why that is.  As Christians, our desire should be to worship God for everything that he has done.  But so many other things get in the way. The awes of life and the many distractions pull us away from what we are to be doing.  This line is so powerful because in Revelation it is being said to someone who is a follower of God. John is writing the book of Revelation and is constantly amazed by the things that are being revealed to him.  At this point he had seen SO much and was trying to sift through everything the Lord had shown him.  I have to believe he had to be overwhelmed and a little over stimulated with everything and began to worship the angel that was there with him.  But the angel was quick to readjust his focus.  He told him to worship God.

So many times we get focused on the things going on around us.  During these times in our country and world it is so easy to get distracted by all the news and recession and gas prices and lack of money.  But God has never changed and he never will.  So what am I saying to you? I’m saying that even though there are so many things vying for your attention, you need to stop, refocus, and worship God. He’s got all the answers and he has everything in his control.  It may not look like it and therefore you may continue to try and fix things on your own.  But trust me when I say this, he knows so much more than you and I. So instead of focusing on the money and the commercialization of Christmas and buying presents, worship God.

“I John am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me ‘Don’t do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and all of who keep the words of this book. Worship God!’” Revelation 22:8-9