I am currently sitting on the far west end of an old soccer arena that got converted into a church, is now a Bible school, but is currently operating as a 24/7 prayer room. There are only four chairs out of 1400 that have tables in front of them, and if you get here early enough you win.
I dare to say that August 1, 2007 is about as big of a day for me as January 1, 2007 was. Well, it’s not so much this exact day that bares the weight so much as this week. Things have shifted for me in a dynamic way.
It was January 1st that I officially became Merchant Band’s ex-drummer. A few weeks later I joined the natorious Justin Rizzo team and got to rock for 6 months. All the while, knowing things were still changing.
Well, they have changed. Here’s the story.
Some good advice from a very wise, old man
Don’t tell Mike I called him old. It sounded so good in the heading didn’t it?
When I knew I was quitting Merchant Band I had to decide if I would join another worship team or not. I’ve never listed drumming in my long-term goals and visions so I thought perhaps this was the time to stop drumming.
I sat down with Mike and asked his advice. He said, “Don’t quit when you’re down. If you can, keep going until the time is clear. Something will come along and make total sense. When it does then think about quitting drumming.”
In leu of that great advice I joined Justin’s team and it has been a great time. But now those “things” are coming along, and it’s time to move on to something different for a while.
The Daniel Academy
A new private Christian school is starting on August 20th. The Daniel Academy. And Anna and I were asked to be deans of the Leadership and Excellence Track being taught to the 9-12th graders.
Basically what that means is we are writing an entire high school curriculum from scratch, and then teaching it. (I am actually taking a break from working on the first class to write this post.) The track will focus on Godly leadership while training high-schoolers to become men and women of integrity and excellence.
I have been shocked at how much work is needed to take on this task and how easy it has been. The Lord is clearly helping us.
Marketing
I have also jumped on with the IHOP marketing department. I’ll be working with an awesome group who stands out different than any other marketing team you may see. This group is committed to prayer. A. Maze. Ing.
The IHOP Internal Support Raising Department
This job is going to be a blast. I was asked to develop, spear-head and direct the new Support Raising Department. It is still in major infancy, (I just submitted the department proposal 72 hours ago) but it has already been a joy working with some of the others involved.
I know for sure that if I wasn’t on full-time staff with IHOP I would own and run my own company. Well….I sorta already do, but not on the same scale as what I would be doing. So having the opportunity to head up a department is a delightful challenge. And yes I know I’ll be eating those words in a few months.
Friendship
I cannot get past the issue of friendship with God. It is on my mind every morning and every evening. (My mind goes on break in the afternoons.) It has become clear to me in a new way that the determining factors to my relationship with God are not “what I do.”
I use to think that my function was directly related to my relationship with God. That’s just not true, and I continually feel the invitation to enter into deeper friendship with God; through prayer, fasting, singing, Bible reading, anything. Anything that will help me get closer to Him.
Now I’m facing the new obstacle of learning how to do ‘business’ and ‘various tasks’ without disconnecting from God. But I know if I can navigate this transition right, I will be able to enjoy and grow in the coming season.
The Two Final Sentences
For all you who skimmed to the bottom, or for all those who read this whole article hoping for a glimmer of hope in your own life here’s what I have to say: Keep on going. You’re not big enough to screw up your calling as long as you are giving your heart to God.
