The Response Is the Most Important Part

The Response is the Most Important Part

The trip to Buffalo has been a defining moment for the Praise Team.  First, it gave us the insight as leaders on how to be better in skill, tune in leading and to be equipped, having the right attitude in leading people despite having limited resources. It encouraged us being able to worship and relate to hundreds of praise team members from different churches.  There is something special in shouts of victory we hear from members of different teams and churches, just letting it out, unaware surrounding factors, but just getting focused while getting lost in moments of pure “desire for God’s presence” worship.

Our Leading Worship session with Paul Baloche amazed me by how much our team simultaneously reacted when shown the incorrect way to play, and the correct, almost flawless, way to play.  But it all came down to dedicating ourselves to practicing and desiring to show excellence in this Ministry. We are designated Levites to play, but to play “skillfully.”  We are to “Waste our Weekends” in practice, bible study, and worshiping, arming our quiver to be equipped for our battle in service.

I was reminded that God uses flawed people, murderers (Moses), schemers (Zacheus), swindlers (Jacob).  But He changes these people, even renames them to what He wants them to become, from what the world calls them out to be. Thank God He separates our sinful past from us as far as the east is from the west. Now that we are new vessels, how do we use it for Him? Waste ourselves in Him.  May our lives be wasted for God’s glory and honor.  Just like the perfume was only released when the alabaster jar was broken (Matt.26:6-13), we too have to be wasted so that we can be used.

Last December we prayed for a venue wherein we can be equipped as a Praise Team to become better worshippers, better lead worshippers/musicians. Having been given options, we were then led to CMS, an obstacle-filled journey where one by one, God showed why He really wanted us to be there. Even up until the destination, the enemy tried his best to rob us from fully experiencing the true meaning of this trip.

Why did God allow us to be there for a Wasted Weekend? For us to be excellent musicians/leaders; yes that is true. But beyond that, God wanted us to draw near to Him to seek Him, to go beyond our limitations (motives/physical/emotional), and respond to His call to come nearer to listen and hear his call.  Only after this shall He draw near , when we let our defenses down and just trust Him that it is HE who leads this ministry.  And we must respond to Him long after the song sheet have been folded, the mics turned off, when the room keys have been surrendered at the Holiday Inn, after all this training that we were so blessed with.  What will our response be once we go back to Pitman, back in our personal worship at our homes, school, work place?

Several months from now, we may not fully remember word by word, every lesson in detail, but God will surely remember our response. He will remember these testimonies about our CMS trip.  He will remember the tears you shed that night when Paul Baloche led hundreds of people singing at the top of their lungs,  “You Are Glorious.” SJBCI Praise Team, we’ve heard it.  We sang it. Now its time to respond and live it.

“A woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table.” Matthew 26:7:

“Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” Matthew 26:13

To all who helped, prayed, drove, made food, and invested money for this trip, thank you for fulfilling scripture that we are One Body but many parts.

-Cliff Carino

This entry was posted on Friday, July 8th, 2011 at 7:35 pm and is filed under Devotions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.