Why We All Need Embarrassing Moments: We all may not have climbed Mount Everest. We all may not have run a triathlon. We all might not have tasted octopus, done jury duty, or bunjee jumped over the Grand Canyon. But there is a story we can all tell. And that’s the story of an embarrassing moment. Anyone who does anything on a stage will have embarrassing moments to share. Let’s be honest – sometimes words come out the wrong way. My first story is about a word that came out the wrong way. Oh, the difference once (freaking) letter can make! It was our Saturday night service. The Holy Spirit was moving. We were in a moment that all worship leaders crave. People were engaged, God was there. As the leader, I wanted to speak into the situation to give some direction. I felt we needed to clap our hands and shout unto God with a voice of triumph. So I said, “Can we all just lift up a clap of praise?” Only I didn’t say clap. With all the bold faith I could muster, I said “Can we all just lift up a crap of plaise?” Yep, I said “crap” in church. I’ve permanently banned the word “clap” from my worship vocabulary and think you should do the same. Another time, we were the guest worship team for an outreach service at another church. We were doing the song “Glory to God Forever” in the key of B. For you guitar players, you know what’s up. Capo 4 is what’s up. Only I started the song by myself with capo 5. When the band kicked in, it sounded like Halloween. Demons were laughing and angels were fleeing. I turned around, furious at my band, only to hear my guitar player yelling, “He’s playing in C!” Wow. Moments like these can often paralyze a worship leader. We put a lot of stock into our talent – our ability to perform. We like to impress others. We want people to speak highly of us. But there’s two points I want to make regarding embarrassing moments. We need embarrassing moments because: #1: They Keep us Rooted in Reality Sure, we don’t want to screw up on purpose. But moments like these are a constant reminder that we shouldn’t lead worship to be impressed with ourselves or to impress others. We need to be fully impressed with God. That is the goal. Your embarrassing moment doesn’t ruin anything, because it’s not about you. #2: It’s a Sign We are Taking Risks If you don’t have many embarrassing moments to share, it may be because you’re playing it too safe. You’re hanging out in the shadows where no one can see you. You’re insulating yourself from fear and rejection. To step out on stage means risking failure. You’re being vulnerable. You’re making art. What’s the alternative but to hide, share nothing, and avoid making an impact? I’ll pick getting embarrassed any day. :)
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 14:45:46 +0000
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