Being a beginning "cell band mentor"

Most of you know that I completed School of Worship at YWAM Denver this past June and that it was a great experience that included lots of praise team practices, songwriting, recording, and blood, sweat, & tears.

(Mostly tears.)

But this past week, I had the opportunity to give back what I learned as a School of Worship student by working at a one-week Worship Camp for middle and high school students!

That's right! Last week, I worked all day every day at Joysong Worship Camp, co-mentoring my OWN cell band of worship leaders.

Someone decided to put me in charge! Ah!

 (This is not to say that I owned them, but rather to say that they were in my charge every afternoon from 12:30-1:30.)

[Btw - To this day, I still do not know why School of Worship bands are called "Cell Bands." The name makes me think of "Cell Block Tango" from Chicago.]

Aren't they cute? So precocious and full of wonderment! #TalladegaNights

While it was a bit of an intimidating experience, having the responsibility of helping a group of 7 youths cultivate a passion for worship and also develop musical skills, it was also an incredibly fun journey.

I could look back over the notes I took during lecture times to give you one of the amazing, deep revelations presented to the campers, but really I feel I learned more from the actual experience than from the presentations.

One of the biggest realizations I came to was that God legitimately trusts me to impart what I have learned to others.

Because being a band mentor is something I had never tried before, I had a difficult time believing I could do it. I remember asking God to equip me for the task ahead, and He kept telling me that I already know what I am doing.

Often times, I feel like we decide not to try new things or take risks because we don't truly believe in our own abilities. But when we choose to jump into something we don't feel fully prepared for, there is an opportunity to learn something new about ourselves.

A friend of mine recently put it this way,

"We think trust means standing on the high dive, saying,
'God, fill the pool, and I will jump.'
But God says trust means jumping,
knowing He will fill the pool."

I'm sure you've heard the cliche, "God trusts us more than we trust ourselves," but, honestly, He does.

While there are some things I definitely could have done differently and some musical things that maybe could have been communicated more clearly, over all, I think everything went fine. And all in all, I know that everybody learned more about how to worship God in a way they didn't know before. So really, I think it was a success.

And I think I would love to do something like it again. Because it's not always about doing something perfectly. Sometimes, it's simply about trying to do something.

1 Chronicles 16:23-31 -

Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.  For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.  Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place.  Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength,  ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.  Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.  Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"