Excellence

On the 22nd of February I went to a Praise & Worship Workshop given by our Praise Band Director, Tracy Williams. Tracy is an accomplished guitarist, having played with and toured with many well-known artists like Gladys Knight & The Pipps and Bernadette Peters. His passion now is to see genuine musicianship merged with genuine worship in the Church, and through a series of circumstances (the type of which you look back on and say, "That was totally God!!"), he is now an adjunct faculty member of our Music Department.

Tracy has a new vision for church worship. Well, actually, it's a new vision to revive an old vision! He explained that, years ago, The Church used to be the place where creativity and "high art" were made. Over time, we've "lowered the bar," as he put it, so much that now most of what is played in modern churches lacks true musicianship, creativity, and inspiration.

I'm sure there are some who would argue otherwise. But whether you (or I) agree with him is not the issue. The issue is, as Tracy said, "It's okay to be excellent."


Excellence, when pursued with a humble heart, can be a form of worship unto God. How many parents want their children to live up to their full potential? I would have to say, if they're good parents, ALL of them! Why should our Heavenly Father feel any differently about us? If you parents paid for your college education, wouldn't you want to thank them by working hard at it? Wouldn't you want to make them proud by doing the best that you could?

So, excellent musicianship in the Church is not a sin -- unless, of course, it becomes an idol or a source of that ugly thing we call pride. But Tracy's workshop reinvigorated my desire to reach the full potential that God has placed in me. One way I am pursuing that is by going to college. I am not just working to get a piece of paper that will potentially make me more money; I am pursuing an education in the things that God has called me to do. I am going to Southwestern, specifically, because I want to see (through my teachers and fellow students) what it looks like to be an excellent musician/scholar/teacher/(fill in the blank) within the context of an "intentionally Christian" life!


We all know that the Kingdom of God is a upside-down Kingdom; or rather, the kingdom of this world is backwards from what God intended! For example: I used to think that an excellent performance trumped an excellent character! This is typically what we see in the world. But, since coming into a real relationship with the Living God through Christ, I have begun to understand that God is primarily interested in my character! My character is developed through an intimate relationship with Him. Ultimately, excellence in other areas is actually a by-product of that character; it is a response to God's great love and grace toward me.

What about you? Are you working to reach your full potential, for the glory of God? What things in your life are helping you reach that potential? What things are hindering you? Are you caught up with "performance" (music, grades, sports, being a "good Christian")? Or are you caught up in your wonderful, exciting, dynamic, and mysterious relationship with God?

I'd love to hear your feedback!

God bless you,

SWCgirl