Today is the day I put out the worship team schedule for my church. It is one of the tasks I take on for our worship community, and it is amazing how fast the weeks go by and my schedule gets outdated. It seems like every time I send out the email and post the web-page, I get this "frustrated" feeling. I always wish that I could do more to minister, train, and pastor our worship community, but don't have the time or resources to do it the way I'd like to.

The Volunteer Leader: 100% heart, 100% vision, 10% of the time of a full-time leader. I'm one of those volunteer leaders that can't quite live up to my own vision. I have a heart to see our worship community gathering from time to time, and going deeper than just doing worship songs together on Thursday nites and Sunday mornings. I have a heart to see our youth raised up in leading worship. I have a heart (and some of the skill) to write songs and record them. My heart longs to do all these things, if only I had the time!!!

So, I have to let go of certain expectations, and serve God the best I can in the place He has put me. Being a volunteer leader also reminds me that my fellow team members are also grinding out the commute, the job, the commute, a quick dinner, and running out the door to make rehearsals and meetings. It's not easy, but the passion for Him, and to see Him worshiped compels us.

Sometimes I get down on myself, and wonder if I'm doing a good job at being a leader. But I pray that there is grace for the time and skills that I lack. I think maybe when I'm down on myself is when I'm relying mostly on myself and not on Him. When I'm really relying on Him, the struggle goes away, and I find rest.

Could we all be doing more as leaders? Maybe? Should we? Maybe....and maybe NOT. Some of us are already stretched. But all of us should do what we do in His strength, and not ours. That's a fairly basic belief of our faith, but I forget it all too often.

Labels: Worship Leading