like riding a bike

I was given this idiom as advice from several people for leading worship (1st time in over 2 years). Good advice, but my experience was more like riding a tricycle on the interstate going in the wrong direction. There were some sudden stops and loud noises and bad-words-going-through-my-head.

Musically (both voice and guitar), things went well. The set-list was: You Never Let Go (Matt Redman), Hope To Carry On (Caedmon’s Call) [this is a stand-by for me that is easy to teach and sing without music], and Marvelous Light (Charlie Hall). The songs flowed well together and even went with the theme of the evening: Spring is representative of the change Christ works in our lives (especially “Marvelous Light”). The youth group I was playing for was a small crowd (5 kids and 5 adults – it was Spring Break, so numbers were low), but they were welcoming, involved in singing and worshipping, and even kind in clapping for me at the end of my set. I accidentally cut them off to transition through prayer as I was not expecting such a small crowd to be involved in any way.

However, about half-way through the first song the Hispanic service worship team began practicing in the sanctuary. For this to be of any meaning to you, you must understand the set-up of the facility. It is a warehouse, not a traditional church building. There are subdivisions for rooms, offices, and sanctuary, but the walls do not reach all the way to the ceiling and also do not keep out any sound at all. As there are limited resources for the small youth ministry, I was playing acoustically and without any amplification. The worship team however, decided to plug into the sound system and pump their volume up pretty high. So much so that I was playing and singing at one volume throughout – really loud – just to be heard. There was no intonation or natural rising and falling throughout the songs. Then during the pause between the 2nd and 3rd song, the volume of the praise band raised to a new level with very fast percussion beats. I could barely hear myself playing the guitar much less get the correct rhythm in my head. Eventually, I was able to start by singing a little, catching up with the correct tempo on the guitar and then getting my voice at the correct pitch. Not the best, but it worked.

So, all in all, it was a fun experience. I didn’t come away crying but getting a new perspective on “space” issues (it’s more than just square footage). I will be playing again at either of the two upcoming meetings (there will be a band at the other one).

Help me keep laughing at this situation by sharing a story (or two) that tells of a time when you were leading something and outside forces just made your efforts laughable. Keep it light.