Next Wednesday, I will be embarking on a new undertaking. The youth minister I work with at Holy Trinity is a great friend, and we have decided to start a Podcast. It’s going to be fabulous, so stay tuned for the details… “The G.O. Summit” is coming soon…
Tag Archive for #Ministry
Hospitality
I’m back on the blogging trail after a few weeks of events. As I drove in this morning the one consistent thing about the last few weeks has been how awesome the hospitality has been wherever the band has played. Back in early August, I was invited to play the appeal mass at Queen of Angels Catholic School in Roswell GA. The entire staff was a joy to work with. The best part is that two of my dearest friends, Ken and Terry Kenan, are staffers at the school and greeted us with an amazing spread of food and treats. The food was amazing, but the part that stands out was how it was made. You see, I know that they made all that food with love. They used eggs from their chickens, tomatoes and veggies from their garden. In addition to all that they had prepared for us, they sent us away with care bags full of more goodies. I know that when we left for the drive home, the guys reviewed the day and overwhelmingly felt loved and appreciated.
Two weeks ago, we were asked to play over in Griffin GA at New Life Church for their weekly Rock The Block session. Every Thursday, the church gathers in the parking lot and welcomes everyone in the community for food and music. The band and I loaded up with minimal equipment, and no expectations for the night. We were just on an adventure to pray, sing, and enjoy an evening of ministry. Here’s a photo of Lenny working with an interesting kick drum setup…
After we got set up and sound checked, one of the parishioners came up and led an opening prayer for an anointing on the evening’s worship. Just as we began our worship set, we could really feel God moving through our hearts. Just as we began, our host Ronnie took this photo…
I am convinced that it’s God reaching down to us. During our dinner break, we were treated to a spaghetti dinner with the best sweet tea Griffin GA has to offer. At the end of the night, the guys and I were loading up the truck and we were approached by different people that live in the neighborhood that heard the music and came out to enjoy the evening. This was the second night after the brutal GA heat subsided to a cool snap that made the evening perfect. We received many hugs as we packed up our gear and said goodbye to our new friends.
This past Saturday, the band and I played the Wide Open Worship event for the Southside of Atlanta, and were once again offered a dinner with the community. The guys and I had a chance to sit down and enjoy each other’s company before beginning the music sets for the evening.
I am blessed by the hospitality that has been extended to me and the guys in the band. Those that we have served have received us and been Christ to us. My heart is grateful…
Out Into Deep Waters…Continued
Sean and I drive into a section of Atlanta known as Little Five Points. It’s an artsy and eclectic part of town. Little Five Points is home to a great music venue called the Variety Playhouse, and is also “home” to many of Atlanta’s homeless. We are walking up the sidewalk towards our dinner destination, and a group of young adults are standing under a business awning to stay clear of the rain. A few of them see Sean and ask him if he has anything to eat. It’s obvious to me that they recognize him and know him. Once again, Sean turns to the crowd of hungry young people and loudly proclaims “I love you my brothers and sisters. Peace to you! I don’t have any food with me right now, but trust that God will provide.” We resume walking to a local pizza joint and order a large pizza where Sean began his ministry over twenty years ago. The restaurant is now named “Little Five Points Pizza”, and was part of the Atlanta “Fellini’s” chain years ago. As we sit and enjoy our dinner, Sean shares with me the story of how he had come into the restaurant years ago on his birthday to celebrate. During his time there, a group of kids showed up that were hungry and asking folks for food. As the owner was dismissing them and trying to get them off the property, Sean got involved and insisted that they come in so he could buy them some food. After ordering a few pizza’s and pitchers of soda, Sean found himself at the beginning of a new ministry. These young people were hungry, and he fed them. He let them know that he cared about them, and that God loved them and cared about them. Fast forward twenty two years, and here I am sitting with my friend where it all began.
As we get up and ready to leave, Sean asks the manager for a box, and then asks the manager to keep our pizza warm on top of the oven. I top off my soda, and we are out the door. We walk down the street and make a few turns before running into someone that Sean seems to know well. I introduce myself to a very tall and thin african american man named “Legend” and his friend Michael. Sean says to me that his real name is “Tall, Dark, and Handsome”. They are both out here on the street selling handmade jewelry to make some money. Legend and I are talking for a moment when Sean asks Legend what impact he has had on his life. Legend looks at me and says “This man right here (referring to Sean), has given me hope out here on the street. Brother Sean has convinced me that God loves me, and that he loves me and cares about me.” As I stand there, absorbing what he said, Legend asks Sean if we have anything for him to eat. Sean tells him to walk up the block to the pizza place, and to ask for Brother Sean’s pizza waiting for him on the oven. Legend and Michael share their thanks and head up the street towards the pizza place. I’m blessed to meet Legend and Michael.
As we walk down the street, Sean continues greeting people that he recognizes and doesn’t miss an opportunity to let them know that God loves them and cares about them. We turn into a store entrance where there are two men getting ready to bunk down for the night in the dry shelter of a store entrance. I meet Dwight, and Sean asks him how he’s feeling. Sean had met Dwight a few weeks prior. He was screaming and ranting in the street, causing the people walking by to turn the other way and walk faster. He had a terrible case of pneumonia, and all he wanted was for someone to listen to him and hear that he was sick. Sean had gotten him to a clinic to get some antibiotics. Now here we are visiting with Dwight, who is smiling and talking with me as we visit.
We continue down the sidewalk, and turn into an alley parking lot. I hop over a small diving wall, and follow Sean down the hill to another street in a residential area. We’re walking past an old church with a for sale sign when he tells me…”I want this building. This is the perfect place to setup shop and provide some health services and feed God’s people”. I stand there in the damp lawn wishing I could write a check to cover the purchase of this place. Sean needs it, and the people need it. As we turn and head back up the hill, I ask Sean about the “briefing” we were supposed to cover at dinner. As of now, I still feel rather unqualified to be out here talking and visiting with folks. I am thinking in my mind that I am missing the necessary tools to do this work. Sean tells me…”It’s really very simple. We don’t fix them. We don’t see with any expectations, and we let happen what happens. We don’t judge it.” I ask Sean how people end up in this living situation. He tells me “It doesn’t matter. I don’t know. Sometimes they don’t know.” In my mind, I really needed a bit more detail on the how. It’s just how I think. I ask him for more detail. “Here’s an example…Imagine living on minimum wage, and making the mistake of overdrawing your checking account. That $35 fee is a huge chunk of everything you have, and things just never recover from there. People get sick, people get addicted. It just happens”. I share with Sean that it’s hard for me to reconcile that I have an amazing life, and I see these people struggling just to survive. I tell him that I’m not hurting for anything, and here are these amazing people fighting for their life. I recognize and am aware that God has blessed me so much with health, a family, and financial security. It’s humbling to me. It’s Grace. That’s the only answer to why I have the benefits and luxuries that I do. Any other answer falls short. It’s Grace, and Grace alone. I know that God’s providential hand and favor have rested on me. Maybe that’s why I am so eager to contribute back.
We turn and begin our walk back to my truck as we prepare for the third leg of our trip. The rain is picking up as we make our way down the sidewalk. As Sean and I continue to talk, a young man is walking towards us on the sidewalk. Sean sees the opportunity in our passing to ask him “How are you”? The young man replies in a mumbled voice, now behind us, that he’s “not so good”. Sean turns now, to greet this young man once again, and asks him what’s wrong. This young man has been traveling, and asks us for food. It’s easy to see that he is soaking wet from walking through the night of storms. Sean asks him if he has any family around, and he reveals that he has grandparents in Savannah Ga. He asks him when was the last time they had spoken, and offers him his phone to call them. Sean dials the number, and introduces himself as a Catholic missionary that is standing here with his grandson, and then asks if he would like to talk with him. He hands the phone over to this soaking wet teenager as I stand in the covered entrance of a bar. As the young man hesitantly engages his grandfather in conversation, I ask “Are they coming to get him”? Sean “I don’t know”. After just a few minutes, the young man says his goodbye and hands the phone back to Sean and asks if he has anything to eat. “There’s a tall black man named Legend up the hill that might have some pizza for you. God bless you, and loves you, and I love you”. This teenager thanks us and begins walking up the hill to find Legend. I start boiling inside. “Nobody is coming to get him”? Sean – “No”. “What, are you Serious” I ask?! “Yep”. Sean looks at me and says “you don’t know what the situation is, you don’t know if he has run away a dozen times before and been picked up a dozen times. Maybe the grandparents are in a nursing home. Maybe they are sick”. Responsibility is huge to me, it’s probably the single strongest attribute to my character. This was flying in the face of everything I believe about family, integrity and responsibility. In the Marine Corps, we execute the order that no man gets left behind. I’m raising my voice a bit now as I declare to Sean…”Someone needs to be in a car driving like a hundred miles an hour to come get this kid. This is ridiculous.” Sean maintains his very peaceful demeanor and tells me that “it’s not for us to judge it or affect it…just to love it and be present to it”. My mind doesn’t reconcile this, even though my spirit starts restoring peace to my heart about the situation. We see my truck across the two lane street, and we’re climbing in and off to Auburn Avenue.
To be continued…
Out into Deep Waters…
Three years ago, I met my friend Brother Sean Rogers. He is a Catholic Missionary to the lost, the disenfranchised, and the homeless. I cannot remember how we got in each others way, but I do remember the first time I met him in person. I was playing a solo acoustic gig to support his Deep Waters Ministry at the Old Tucker Fountain. It was a great night, with dear friends of mine that drove a great distance to come and hear me play. After the gig, Sean and I kept in touch. It was great to get to know Sean over the phone, from a distance, from the comfort of my home or vehicle. Each phone call with him revealed just a bit more light on how he thinks, and why he carries on this mission with such devotion. For three years we would talk, txt, and Facebook about what’s happening in our respective ministries. Throughout these dialogues, he would extend the invitation…”When are you going to come out and minister with me?”. I evaded, deflected, and gracefully had other things to do. My wife and I invited Sean down to Peachtree City for Cinco De Mayo. Peachtree City is a golf cart community, so we took Sean for a ride through the trails to dinner. On the drive home from dinner, I sent the family in the car so Sean and I could talk on the golfcart. I was brazen enough to finally tell him why I hadn’t been out with him. “Sean, you’re ministry is uncomfortable. I wouldn’t know what to say to a homeless guy. I can’t identify with the struggles of a prostitute or drug addict. I wouldn’t know what to say.” Sean paused for a brief moment, and said to me…”Why don’t you start with hello. It really is just that simple”.
On the Thursday before Memorial Day, I ventured out into Deep Waters with Sean for the first time. As I begin my drive into the city, severe storms are pounding the area. As I am backing out of my driveway, a microburst let loose and I sit there watching the trees buckle in my yard as my pickup truck swayed from side to side. “It’s a sign”, I thought. My stubbornness has me continue, and so I put the truck into gear and moved out. The storms intensify on my way out of town. I end up taking shelter at the parish where I work for fear of a tornado in the area. From the safety of my office, I call Sean, half hoping that with the dangerous weather in the area that we will agree to cancel the evening plans. “Come on up” he says. “The people we are visiting with are still out there”. He was referring of course, to the homeless and the prostitutes. Yes, they will still be out there, and I was still in my office. Back in the truck, and motoring out of town, there are power lines down and trees crossing the roads. This is way, far away out of my comfort zone. I eventually arrive in Atlanta and pick him up outside the motel where he lives and we begin driving down Piedmont road. I am apprehensive about heading out into the streets, and I’ll share that at this point I am completely under the influence of the Holy Spirit. As we come down Piedmont near I-85, Sean instructs me to turn under the highway. I couldn’t see an opening, but he insists that I turn just past this enormous concrete pillar. In faith, I pull the truck off Piedmont road and turn through this little narrow gate in the fencing. “Turn on your hazard lights and let’s go” he says. As I get out of the truck, I stand under the enormity of an Atlanta superhighway. It’s noisy, dark, and intimidating. Sean begins walking down a dirt hill towards a set of railroad tracks. I look back at my truck, probably a quarter of a mile away now. I can see the hazard lights broadcasting through the darkness. A thought comes to me that I have stored a great deal of my guitar rig in the bed of the truck, valuable gear that I cannot afford to replace. “Trust in God” I think to myself and turn back towards the path to the railroad tracks. We walk past a burning garbage pile, probably being burned for functional purpose. After crossing the tracks, I notice the dense woods surrounding the area. At this point, we are close to a half mile in from the road and heading up an incline towards the place where the earth once again meets the darkness of I-85. Sean stops and calls up into the shadows…”Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, it’s Brother Sean here to see you”. Moments later, a woman comes down and eagerly embraces Sean. Sean introduces me to the woman, named Nicole, and Nicole walks over to me and gently takes my hands into hers and hold me by the hands like a treasure. She is looking into my eyes as she says to me, “I’m really glad that you’re here”. Immediately, my apprehension and fear subsided, just as the storms had earlier that night. I can literally feel relief pour out of my flesh. We speak for just a minute as she continues holding my hands, and then she turns and we all start walking up the hill to visit. At the top of the hill, the steel beams supporting I-85 are just a few feet overhead. There is an older gentlemen laying under a sleeping bag getting some rest, and another man sitting on the concrete pillar supporting the massive highway. There is broken glass and debris all over the ground where the man is laying down. We visit for a few minutes, as they share with us the news of the day. Someone had just raided Nicole’s makeshift home further down away from the structure that surrounds us. They had taken a few things and disturbed her entire setup. It doesn’t go without my notice that while she wasn’t thrilled about that, it wasn’t the end of the world to her. She just moved on. Sean wraps up the conversation by letting them know that he loves them, and that God loves them, and they matter to them both. They recite this with him. It’s obvious to me that it’s not his first time here. As we were walk back down the hill towards the tracks, it strikes me how the last bit of daylight is dancing on the trees outside the steel structure of the overpass. The trees that I am referring to along the rail path are below the highway surface, and are likely never seen by the cars passing overhead. The beauty of the setting makes me stop and stare for a moment. As I stand in the darkness, seeing the serenity of the trees and peacefulness of that space it causes me to realize that God is here. I turn and share my thoughts with Sean, and he replies to me that “yes, it is beautiful. I would come here anyday before I would goto a shelter.” For some reason, this exchange keeps playing in my head, even until now as I write this.
As we cross back over the rail line and begin to emerge from the dusky underpass towards my truck, a man approaches us. Sean, again, greets him in the name of the Lord. The man introduces himself to us as “Dwight”, and Dwight asked us how the people down under the bridge were doing. He explained that he had recently found a job, and was trying to watch out for the people we had just visited with. He was discouraged because the job he was working was “under the table” and paying him cash, and he wanted to be doing things the “right way”. He shared with us that he had recently been released from prison, and that he was doing the best he could to rebuild his life. He wants nothing more than to see and take care of his kids. When he finds out that Sean was a missionary, he gives him a big hug and asks if we can all pray together. Dwight put his arms around Sean and I as we pray for his situation. He pulls us in so tight that it’s physically uncomfortable at times. During our prayer, it becomes obvious to me that Dwight is soaking wet from walking through the rain. At the end of our prayer time, Dwight recites the 23rd psalm and knows it spot on. I can tell that the Psalm is a source of hope and inspiration for him. He’s grateful for the prayer, and Sean gives him his card so that he could reach him if he needs anything. After saying our goodbye’s, it’s time to get in the truck and turn towards Little Five Points, where Sean’s ministry began 20+ years ago.
To be continued…This blog post is the story of one night out on the streets with Sean. There is so much to share, that I will need to break this into a few separate entries. Pray for the poor today, pray for the homeless…pray for those in need.
The Power Of Rest…
It’s important to rest. I write this having just returned from New Orleans, Louisiana. My wife and I met up with dear friends (and new friends) that we only get to see once or twice a year. We spent 3 days in the sun listening to amazing musicians and celebrating with good food while relaxing in our lawn chairs. After the overloaded schedule of Easter and all the Confirmation prep, it was a welcome break.The rest brought a different dynamic, it changed my pattern. And then I tied my time off to my occupation…
Do not underestimate the impact of the rest. I have always said that the greatest struggle of the weekend musicians is that they overplay, everything. I find this especially true of those that do not have a middle or high school band/orchestra background. Rests are written into musical scores on purpose. In school band, it’s not uncommon to rest for several measures, or even entire sections. In that setting, you learn to be patient and appreciate the value of rest. It’s okay to lay back, and serve the song. When you do lay back as an instrumentalist, your impact is much greater when you are playing. It feeds a breathing dynamic. Hearing a band that is “All on, all the time” is taxing on the ear. Liturgy has a dynamic all it’s own. It builds and drops, sounds and silence.
Give some space to rest. Sometimes the greatest notes are the ones not played…
Where are the ball carriers?
Everyone has great ideas. Everyone has opinions. Ideas and opinions are nice because there is little to no effort in formulating them. They come naturally to us.
We need ball carriers. The ball carrier takes an idea/opinion, and DOES something with it. Ball carriers MOVE the ball forward. Every individual, organization, household, and society can output millions of ideas in a day. I believe that people are scared of being the ball carrier, because there’s a risk of getting tackled. Everyone wants to knock down the ball carrier. Thee are people that make a lifestyle out of knocking people down, and smashing the dreams of others. You should eliminate these people from your life. Unfriend them on facebook, and stop returning their phone calls.
My challenge to you…Take one, singular idea you have, and move it forward to make you, your organization, your household, or your society a better place. Do it today. Take the hit. It’s worth it.
Category: Fitness, Liturgy, This and That, Worship |
Tags: #Ministry, #Music, #Perseverance, #Scouting #Liturgy #48days #Goals, #Songwriting, #triathalon
Peer Ministry Bands
Last summer, we started a new music ministry team made up entirely of high schoolers. Their purpose was to serve their high school peers and our middle school EDGE program. Yesterday, we held our last rehearsal for their inaugural year. We talked through what worked well, and what could work better. Here’s where we think we are…
The band an I agree that they were successful in accomplishing what they set out to do in their first year, which was to form as a small group in prayer, learn (some number) of modern worship tunes, and be the house band for our yearly youth group beach trip and weekly middle school program. They did it, and I am really proud of these musicians. Here’s the roadmap of best practices for you if you want to develop a teen music ministry.
What worked well for us…
- Developing friendships – We spent a good bit of time on the front end developing relationships in the group, just “hanging out” and having a lunch or getting ice cream on the trips.
- Practicing on a click track – This develops excellent musicianship and discipline.
- Leveraging songs that our church already knew from Sunday worship.
- Praying before and after every rehearsal and worship event
- Setting clear expectations (Click “PEER MINISTRY BAND EXPECTATIONS” Document) – If you email me, I will send you a copy that you can edit and customize for your church…
What we are going to improve for next year…
- Yearly Auditions in late Spring – This will enable new people to share their gifts. It also affords us the possibility of forming more than one team, and placing people in more diverse groups to match their playing style (modern worship, christian rock, metal). Having more diverse groups would definitely be a plus to reach more teens.
- Having auditions yearly also helps build a sub list so that if school or work commitments prevent one of the team members from being available during a worship event, there is a list of people that will have an opportunity to serve. Teens are so busy, with very erratic schedules, much of which is due to the nature of high school activities.
- Consistent, published, rehearsal schedule. Always publish and keep to your rehearsal schedule. It doesn’t have to be every week, but it does need to be planned three months out.
- Summer workshop days – Focused 4 hour sessions on learning repertoire. Make the days fun by working in lunch by the local pool, or going to see a movie together.
- Ongoing training/mentoring with existing adult ministry teams. We have so many gifted people serving at the church that have a heart for ministry and can offer different perspectives and experiences with these developing music ministers.
- Adding a dedicated set of audio and projection techs that work closely with the bands.
These teens are a blessing to me, and I am thrilled that they are serving our church with their gifts and talents. The church needs more songwriters, leaders, musicians, audio techs, and people with hearts of service. It’s not going to happen unless someone develops them. I encourage you to pray about how you can get teens involved in your worship ministry, or develop a group of them to start their own. Be a blessing, Greg
Category: Liturgy, Uncategorized, Worship |
Tags: #EDGE, #Lifeteen, #Ministry, #Music, #worship, #youthministry
