Don't Forget to Practice Your Piano!

Teaching an instrument can be a challenging task. You start a new student with three initial goals (and hope for the best). First, you want them to understand the benefits and yield of the daily practice discipline. Second, you want them to remember to focus on the score and not the floor.  Lastly, the student must remember that understanding music theory is imperative for effective use of the instrument.

Going forward with the student you have good weeks and bad weeks.  Some weeks the student has practiced dutifully, skill has increased, and the lesson is very growth oriented.  Other weeks, when clearly the weeds of distraction have taken root, the lesson goal is merely to keep them on track; encouraging them to go out and do great things.

As a Contemporary Worship Leader, I am an active participant in the Sunday service and my vantage point allows me to see people walk thru that door.  It occurred to me the other day that the weekly discipline of Church is not unlike that of learning an instrument.  Each week the congregants enter the door of the Church again; sometimes with the glow of growth, and other times with a reflection of disaffection.  The goal, then, is to send that saint home different and changed; ready for a new week. Each Sunday, we need to do four things for one another:  Encourage, Engage, Enliven, and Empower.

Encourage.  Everybody needs some encouragement.  People need to be reminded they are loved by God and loved by His people.  People need their Church brothers and sisters to tell them that "it's okay" and to "keep on keeping on".  Discouragement is a real problem in life.  As a Church, we should be all over encouragement.  We need strength that comes from verses like Joshua 1:6 that say "Be strong and courageous".

Engage.  When the going get's rough, sometimes the person gets going.  After a long hard day at work or school, sometimes we just want to go to bed and pull the covers over our heads.  Life is a challenge and it's hard not to want to just run away and hide.  Sunday should be all about getting one another back on track and back in the game.

Enliven.  Back in the 80's we had a saying: "Pump (pause) it up"  Okay, so I'm not suggesting that we be fake.  Authentic Christianity is always the goal.  That said, a little "Rah Rah Rah" can't hurt either.  We need to remember that God has a special purpose for us and that makes us special.  We need to enliven one another over the exciting job it is to be God's soldiers!

Empower.  God's word and God's way is awesome!  Each Sunday, we need to hear the word exposed, explained and then applied to our life.  The word should empower us to remember "the way the truth and the life".

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We need to encourage one another to pray and to read the Bible.  We need to re-engage them in the life that is the Christian life; the way that is God's way.  We need to excite and enliven their spirits and let them know we are there for them, praying for them.  We need to remember that in being a "do-er" of the word, we are empowered by God to do great things in His name.  What an awesome thing.

Sunday is great!  We need it.  It's place in the week of each believer should be irreplaceable.  We need to remember how important gathering together each week is and how much a plus it can be in the big scheme of things.  Remember to make a difference this week in the life of a fellow saint.

See you in Church!

Blessings, Tim