Reaching Deep to Serve

   Instant gratification is something that all of us strive to have.  How many times have you been frusted while waiting to get a table at a restaurant, or agitated that you have to wait a day for the store to get the product in? I know i'm not the only one who wishes everything was provided right away (especially food!).  It seems as though the Lord has been teaching me since I was born, to acknowledge that somtimes I have to be patient and wait on His timing.  It's not the waiting that is the toughest part though is it? It's figuring out what to do in the mean time.

    A couple years back my church sent the worship team to an "Integrity Music" retreat.  Amazing worship leaders and songwriters such as Paul Baloche and Don Moen were at this conference.  I remember being there listening to the workshops and worshiping as these men lead worship.  I was literally burning inside, and I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin.  These men were doing what I wanted to do for so many years! They were playing and leading worship for multitudes of people.

   I would've loved to step up on that stage and jam with Paul Baloche in worship, but it wasn't time.  The time for me was to serve in every area of music that I could.  Let's go a little further back in life for a couple paragraphs.  When I was beginning to grow and improve my talent of music, I really wanted to join my church's worship team; I thought, "wow, how cool would it be to play in church"! At the time, I was playing bass for Eastern Sky but was still rather rough around the edges in terms of musical readiness.  I really wasn't able to flow, I could barely read music, I didn't know any scales, but I had the heart to get better at any cost.  I was told that I had to improve before I would be able to play in church.  I took the opportunity to meet with a mentor and take some lessons, and in the mean time learned how to do sound for the services.  What I really wanted was to be playing, but I knew I needed to dig deep and serve where I could; that happened to be learning to mix.  I believe it was a couple years before I was really engrained as a solid part of the worship team, but staying and serving in the ministry of God eventually lead to me joining the team and becoming one of the church's worship leaders. 

   My passion at this point in life for worship was consistently increasing.  Then in 2007, United Night of Worship was founded by Zenzo Matoga.  Wow, a mighty movement of worship was being ignited in New England and I wanted to be apart of it! Again, I found out what I could do and found an area to serve in.  I helped in setup and tear down, and acted as the stage assistant to get people whatever they needed.  Again, I served where needed, and although I wanted to play I knew I had to reach deep and find a way to be apart of it somehow.

   In 2008, I was blessed to play with Darrell Temple at the Call DC.  Man, the power of God was mighty there.  The same year I was also asked to play in the next United Night of Worship.  My servanthood was paying off, year by year.  I am in no way trying to tute my own horn, all I want to do is convey that there are blessings for those who serve the Lord with the right heart.  Philippians 2:7-8 says, "rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature^[a] of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!"  We strive to be like Jesus, so why wouldn't we want to be a servant.  I haven't done everything correct in my life, there are times I should've served and didn't.  But when you humble yourself and are obedient to the instructions of Christ you will be blessed.

   In 2010, we were preparing for the upcoming United Night of Worship: Boston, when I received some incredibly awesome news; Paul Baloche was going to be playing a set in between ours.  I'm sure if I could've seen my face reaction, it lit up.  So many years before, I was wanting to step up on stage and worship with Paul Baloche, who would've known that all this time God was planning just that!  That year I had the honor to play with him for one of our songs on the same stage (we won't mention that I told him the wrong chord progression at one point in the song ;/ ). 

   There are blessings in store when you put others before yourself and serve.  I can say honestly, that it's not always easy and at times very difficult, but the reward greatly outweighs the pain.  Be humble, serve, learn, and know that a good leader knows how to follow.  When Jesus is first, I can't promise riches and a utopian life, but I can promise eternal riches and blessings beyond measure!

Mark 9:35 - ³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”