Archive for January, 2012
Strategic Sabbath
I feel like I’m not the best person to talk about taking a break, but I am noticing some symptoms that are causing me to think that I need to talk a break:
1. I’m not being as intentional about building diverse relationships as I have been.
2. I’m not being as intentional about working with someone to do song translations.
Now, I point these out in particular because these are things that I’ve been really passionate about in the past. In fact, this is a lot of what I teach others, especially the first one.
But with all the different things going on in my life this past year with my youngest son’s health, working at the church, working on this blog I do see some breakdown in my close relationships. That is a cause for concern.
In a recent conversation with a worship leader friend of mine in Texas he noticed some burnout. He then proceeded to invite me and my family to visit him and his family and take a vacation. He said he’d provide free lodging and food, but I had to get plane tickets for my family.
I’m not sure if we’ll go yet, but that conversation in particular opened my eyes about how much time I’ve spent working, but neglecting other areas of my life.
Question for you
What are some things you notice about yourself when you are getting burnt out?
Blog post by Peter Kihyun Park
© 2012 – 2011, Peter Park. All rights reserved.
Is it right, wrong, or different?
Whether it’s song selection or incorporating different elements of the service we all have our opinions. There’s a certain way that God has taught us about Him through our experiences, backgrounds, gender, culture, etc. And all of this can cause us to ask:
Is it right, wrong, or different?
I would say there are a couple of things to bear in mind when you’re serving at a multicultural Church, and specifically when you’re working on a team.
1. Is the opinion or idea that’s being brought up an opinion/preference or is it out of line with God’s Word?
2 Timothy 3:16 teaches us that: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
I always want to lean on using Scripture as a guide for whether an idea is right, wrong, or different. For example, when we were first introducing the song “Give me Jesus” there were a lot of strong opinions about how we should do the song. Should we sing it together or should someone sing it as a solo? Should we vote as a team or was it my decision to make?
Long story short I ended up accompanying one of our worship team members as he sang it solo.
2. Who’s the leader and are you submitting to their authority?
Hebrews 13:17 says: Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
One of our worship team members and I have had many good talks about spiritual authority and what it means to be in submission. It’s been helpful that as we both grow in this understanding that there’s been more mutual respect for one another. I wouldn’t say that our relationship has been perfect, but it’s certainly moved forward. And this has helped my work at the church be more of a joy than sorrow.
Questions for you
How do you handle different opinions and preferences on your team? Or, if you’re a worship team member, how do you give your opinion while submitting to your leader?
Blog post by Peter Kihyun Park
© 2012 – 2011, Peter Park. All rights reserved.
Metro Community Church “Beautifully Broken”
© 2012 – 2011, Peter Park. All rights reserved.