Highlights
The last 2 months have gone quickly, and much has happened during Term 1! One of the highlights was attending Emu Music’s Word in Song conference with around 30 members of our church music and production teams. Emu’s vision is “to encourage and equip the church in biblical, beautiful, and transformative singing” and each of the attendees came away keen to implement new ideas and skills.
We kicked off with a talk from Toby Neal (of Vine Church) on “The Preciousness of the Church”, exploring how valuable the church really is as a manifestation of God’s “plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph 1:10). Our team members attended a diverse range of electives, including: Church Music Masterclass (layering instruments and sonic cohesion in small and large band contexts), Resources for Church Music & Production, Vocal Technique, Song Leading, Services that Shepherd (how to lead our congregations by well-planned services and flows), Leading a Team, What Songs Should We Sing?, “A Career in Music Ministry?”, and workshops targeting techniques relevant to each instrument. A team from Turramurra Music also ran a stream on Sound & Mixing for the production teams, which I joined.
Pray to thank God for a great conference of productive learning, and ask that we would come away refreshed and keen to keep growing our convictions and skills as we serve and lead our church brothers and sisters through music and production ministries.
I’m also thankful for my Growth Group this year: we have nearly wrapped up our first term of meeting together, in which we studied John 6-10 looking at many of the “I AM” claims of Jesus and how he relates to his Father. I have been pushed in learning how to adapt to leading a new group of people this year, and to concisely draw together my own study questions/big idea from the material provided (so many great questions to ask and so little time!). Yet at the same time, it has been a joy to see our group grapple with God’s word, asking great questions and sharing incisive insights, and to see co-leader Enoch and group member Tony step up to lead some great studies too. We have also been hearing one another’s testimonies, and how God has been at work in each of our lives in each of the pivotal and seemingly mundane moments.
Pray that we would continue to grow in love for Jesus and one another as we study God’s word this year, and that I would continue to refine my leadership skills in preparing useful studies. Pray to thank God that our group members are willing to be open with one another, and ask that our group would continue to be a safe and edifying place for sharing fellowship and wrestling with God’s word.
It’s also been a joy to tackle a “Bible-in-a-Year” reading plan with a handful of other church friends, as we share our insights and questions each day through a group chat. Hearing the group’s reflections and unique insights has been a great encouragement, and often a challenge to me to slow down and understand what’s going on rather than to breeze through familiar (or challenging) passages. It’s also been sweet to hear how particular passages/Psalms have resonated with other members and shaped them in the present and past. As we recently finished Judges and 1 & 2 Samuel, and begin 1 Kings, is has been both humorous and humbling to read of Israel’s constant failure to follow God in big and small ways. Without God’s help we are just like them. And yet God continues to show himself to be both merciful and just, showing that we are weak yet he is strong; and as humans, leaders, and kings continue to fail, he has slowly revealed his plans and promises to redeem his people.
Pray that we would continue to be diligent in reading and understanding God’s word by the power of his Spirit, and put into practice our learnings about our great God.
Learnings
This term I have one big learning point: ministry is hard. Although I was aware this was true before now, and it has come as no surprise to me as God makes this obvious through his Word in the descriptions of a range of tests and trials, I have felt it more than ever this year. But in many ways this is a good thing: God uses these hardships to strengthen me and others! As it says in James 1:2-5 (which I have recently read in a 121 with a church member as we tackle this letter together): “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Why is ministry hard? At the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart: both I, and the people I minister to, are still sinful people until Jesus comes again and makes us perfect. I have been humbled to remember that, even unintentionally, I can make it hard for people I lead to follow my leadership. Recently, that has been expressed in my weakness in understanding and responding to people who value communication styles that may differ to my own. Add to this the challenges of differing (or unclear) expectations, and the regular difficulty of balancing life and busyness, and sometimes a perfect storm can arise.
By God’s grace, he grants grace and wisdom when we ask. By his grace he has also provided a wonderful staff team at St John’s to step into difficult situations, providing support and helpful feedback for myself and others as needed.
Pray to thank God for providing trials in his sovereignty that produce steadfastness and growth in character, and ask God that I would consider it joy even as I rely on him. Pray for my maturity and wisdom in difficult circumstances to love and seek the best for those I minister to, following Christ’s example. Pray that I would be aware of my weaknesses and sin and bring them before God. And pray for peaceful and real resolution to relational friction that I have contributed to, that we may all be strengthened as members together of one body in Christ. Amen! 😊
The Marsden Fund 