CBC Worship Ministries: Devotional Blog

Pastor Gay has just begun a new series entitled "Moving Out", as we
prepare to open the new facility. I hope he doesn't mind me blogging
on that theme; as I thought about the idea of moving out I had some
things I wanted to share with you. My hope is that this will dovetail
with what Pastor is going to be presenting over the next several
weeks. I would imagine that my thoughts will probably take a different
direction than his.

Over the course of our marriage Lorrie and I have moved thirteen
times. We started in an apartment in North Plainfield, NJ; from there
we moved to a small house in Mount Clemens, MI; and then another move
to a parsonage in Mount Clemens. From there a move back to Toms River,
New Jersey, then a move to Clinton, New Jersey. We bought our first
home in Warren Glen, New Jersey, then subsequently sold that and
bought a home in Easton, PA. We went from there to a house in Red
Hook, New York for one year, then back to the home in Easton. We moved
from there to a new home in White River Junction, Vermont. A move back
to PA brought us to a townhouse in Yardley, then we purchased a house
in Fairless Hills. Finally, we sold the house in Fairless Hills and
landed in our current home in Newtown. Are you exhausted yet?

You might say that I'm somewhat of a an expert on moving out. Along
the way I've learned some important lessons. . . lessons that that
might have some application to the concept of moving out that we are
studying now. The first lesson that I'd like to share with you is this
- a successful move begins with strategic planning. Long before we
completed any of our moves we had carefully planned out the move. We
planned out the packing. We planned the change in address
notifications, the bank accounts, and the doctors. We made sure that
we were leaving a place in good repair and thoroughly cleaned. There
were always dozens of details to remember and plan. We found that
careful planning was essential for a smooth transition to a new home -
especially during those moves where we were carting around two small
twins!

As you open the book of Joshua, the very first command that God
gives Joshua is this . . . "get ready." (vs.2) Get ready, Joshua! Make sure
you have a plan in place before you leave. Know where you're going and
what you are to accomplish. Don't just act on a whim!

God has the same directive for all of us as well. Get ready! What does that
mean for us as worship leaders? Certainly there's the aspect of physical
preparedness; making sure we have the equipment, technology and materials
in place and ready. But there's also a spiritual readiness as well. Understanding
that this move is not about us, it's about Him. Realizing that we are going to
have new opportunities to reach more people for Christ. Disciplining ourselves
to make our worship totally focused on God rather than on our performance
or our own egos.

As the day draws closer to our moving out event, I encourage to BE READY!