John Tibbs Music

Title: ‘All to Us’

Artist: Chris Tomlin (ever heard of him?)

Key Phrases: ‘Let the glory of Your name be the passion of the church’

Partnering Scripture: ‘God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Corinthians 1:9)

Goes Well With: ‘Sometimes’ (David Crowder) ‘I Am A Temple’ (John Mark McMillan) ‘Awaken’ (Elevation Worship)

Leading worship.

It’s my passion. It’s my hustle. It’s what I do for a living. But the truth is, I’m still figuring it out. I’ve been leading for 5 years, and I’m 21 years old. I don’t have things down to a formula & I don’t pretend to act like I do. God forbid that day ever comes.

But I am learning. I don’t even think it’s learning. Maybe it’s realizing, or how about being reminded?

This past week, the young, vibrant, growing service that I lead was about to begin. We follow a youth service & have to reinvent the space. In 15 minutes.

Please hear me: I’m surrounded by an INCREDIBLE team that deserves a much better leader than myself. But this past Sunday, for whatever reason, I was running around like a maniac. Turning off lights. Turning on lights. Picking up papers. Closing doors. I reminded myself of Charlie Sheen when he’s on one of his rants. I made absolutely no sense. Everything was already handled and under control. And the truth is that nothing we do really matters as long as God’s hand is in it.

No matter how great of a leader I am. And no matter how faithful my team is. And no matter how creative, cool, relevant, & [insert hip adjective here] we are, God will still have His way. Granted, hard work honors God, but God can do whatever He wants. And if he wants to reach someone that day, I really don’t think He’s going to put all of his eggs in one basket and hope I bring my A-game. That’s just not how it works.

There’s this monster inside of me that I like to call ‘perfect.’ Everything I do encounters the monster. And I’m learning that the monster usually has nothing to worry about. When you work hard all week, and surround yourself with a great team, things fall into place.

But here’s what I was really reminded of: What really matters is people encountering love. That’s it. That’s what it’s all about.

So screw the papers, and the lights, and all the worries, and insecurities inside of you. Instead, love those people who walked into the door for the first time and reconnect with that family who has been there every Sunday for a year and you STILL don’t know their name.

What distracts you from what really matters?

jt