One more excerpt from Israel's upcoming book ...

(pages 63-64)

Another dark place, especially for those of us who serve God very publicly - on a huge stage with big spotlights - is our ego. For us musicians, we've worked hard at our cvraft, rehearsed, and spent years practicing our instruments. Then, after we serve God on a Sunday, people come up, pat us on the back, and say, "Good job!" And it's not just the music team. They do that to other artists such as dancers and actors, depending on your church. They certainly do it to preachers.

They don't do that to those who serve in certain other ministries. When was the last time anyone praised the person in the nursery?

"Great job changing that diaper during the first service!"

When was the last time someone complimented the parking lot attendant?

"That was amazing when you stood out there in the rain for an hour and directed traffic!

Or how about the youth worker?

"What an awesome job you did of investing in those junior high boys for two hours on a Thursday night! Way to go!"

Certainly there's nothing wrong with giving or receiving a little encouragement, but it's a very small leap to adoration - where we are accepting the praise, instead of giving it up.

For that reason, we are constantly reminding ourselves that we are to be lenses and not mirrors. That means we are able to be looked through and not necessarily looked at.

At the same time, one of the things I've been encouraging New Breed to see in recent months is that we should err on the side of confidence in believing that we are playing a part in making history right now. Therefore, we should take the gifts and ministry that God has given us very seriously. We need to walk humbly and graciously in the knowledge that others are watching us. We should not downplay the influence we have on others and begin to live our lives loosely.

Much of this book is written from Israel & New Breed's experience as worship leaders and musicians. But there are aspects that apply beyond that. In this case, I can see myself on both sides of Israel's example here. There's not too many moments where I don't make it a point to thank any of the musicians I bump into after a service. It's music that tends to help me focus the best and I tend to relate best to God's involvement in my life. As a sidenote, I should point out that John Ortberg has a great rundown of various "paths to God" in his book, "God is Closer Than You Think." That aside, I'm always a touch cognizant of the fact that I might be inflating someone's ego when I offer that ounce of praise. Maybe I have it easy in the fact that we have such humble praise and worship leaders in our band and choir (ed. note - there I go again!).

On the flipside of all this is that I have my own volunteer outlets that I enjoy immensely. And as if to prove how great life may be for me, I'd be one to douse Israel's concern that there might not be enough praise headed our way. In my own case, at least, I definitely find myself having to hand over the praise and encouragement I get for what often seems to be merely doing what comes naturally for me. Good thing Lakewood is an encouraging church, I suppose.

Now, all that said, the KidsLife volunteers and traffic volunteers probably can't get enough good words headed their way. We should probably make it a point to add to that next time around.