The rest of Saturday and into Sunday

After the breakfast club we went back to the church for the ladies meeting and also to help with the cleaning. It was our first full Saturday in the church. We finished off in the music rehearsal and got home by 7.15pm. Another long day.

This morning we helped with the music. I played the keyboard and Andrew sang. I learned another great lesson. As I was playing I couldn't hear a thing. There were no foldback speakers. I knew that I was pressing the notes and that out in the congregation they would be hearing me perfectly well...and I knew that people were really worshiping God from the expressions on their faces and the volume of the singing...but I had no idea what I was playing. In front of me I just had the words of the songs with the chords. Some of the songs we had rehearsed, others we hadn't and some I didn't know. Those of you who are musical will be thinking, "What a nightmare!"

So what's the lesson? I thought about how easy it is to give out in ministry. We work so hard, we press the notes and people out there are hearing and responding to what we do but sometimes we don't get the input ie. we aren't listening to God's direction in our lives. I felt restricted in my playing. I didn't want to play wrong notes. Had I been hearing from the foldback speaker I would have known how I sounded, I would have heard my mistakes and have been able to correct them. Knowing that I would hear that would have given me much more freedom to play and to potentially lead the congregation even closer to God in their worship of Him. I need to hear from God daily so that I know my failings and mistakes and with God's help see them forgiven and so that I might be more effective in my service.

This morning in our Sunday School Class we were talking with the kids about perseverance. We talked about finishing life well and about the steps we need to take today to ensure that we do. It was a challenge to our own hearts to be daily abiding in Christ and fulfilling God's purpose for every day. This week I was encouraged and challenged as I thought about Jesus when He said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work". It seems simple, yet at times in reality it isn't so. May we always be concerned just to do His will and to accomplish the plan He has for our lives.

Here are some of the kids in our Sunday School Class in competition with others learning perseverance and struggling with desperation as they try to build spaghetti and marshmallow towers (recognise this exercise any of you who have done OMS cross training?)