Earlier this year at seminary, in our "Worldview
& Culture" class, our prof was doing his weekly
routine of playing some ethnic music in the
background during our class discussion times.

Often, it's been some really cool African
traditional music which is absolutely beautiful in its
richness and funkiness. This week, the CD that was
playing was... the Celtic rock band that I play
in(!). It was slightly surreal to hear the same
songs that I had performed just the evening before
in a pub, being played in a seminary classroom.

There were some questions asked of me during our
breaks, wondering how you go about being a
Christian witness in a band that basically plays songs
that could be summed up as "drink and fight and
drink and fight and drink and fight some more".

Here's some of the things I've learned over the
years of playing in secular bands, on and off,
since I was 19. (I'm 42 now -- you do the math):

(1) Be slow to speak and quick to listen to their
stories before you try to interject your own.
(James 1:19-20) "Earn the right to be heard" was
Crazy George's way of saying it. If you wonder how
I'd apply the "slow to get angry" part of James
1:19-20, see the next point.

(2) If you choose to follow Jesus' example and be
a "friend of sinners" (Matthew 11:19), don't be
surprised when you see and hear things that might
normally offend you. Getting past being easily
shocked, without hardening our hearts, is the skill
that needs mastering here. Jesus went out of His
way to be gracious and merciful to the woman
caught in the act of adultery (John 8:3-11) -- surely
we can learn to do the same in our contexts.

(3) Lot gets a great deal of bad press because of
the whole Sodom & Gommorah deal, but St. Peter
recounts a different side of Lot: a righteous man
whose soul was grieved by the evil around him (2
Peter 2:7-9). Yes, our souls at times may be
grieved, almost overwhelmed, but we need to commit
ourselves to not retreat into the false "safety" of
a Christian ghetto.

(4) Missionaries have often spent years sowing
seeds before seeing results; in our
fast-food-drive-thru mentality of ministry, we often give up if
we don't see "results" in a relatively short
time. Get used to a journey (process) that requires
time.

(5) Since the emphasis in a postmodern world is
on "conversation", the seeds that get planted are
almost never sown in a linear, point-by-point
fashion. The seeds land haphazardly here and there,
because in a conversation, topics bounce all over
the place. But the seeds do land, and some will
take root (Matthew 13:18-23). Relax. Don't jump on
every "opportunity" as if it's your last, and try
to shove people or conversations to a
pre-programmed conclusion. The journey allows for many
"little sowings".

(6) Jesus asked way more questions than He
answered. Try reading through the Gospels and noting
the number of times Jesus answered a question with
another question. We need to learn the art of
asking good, honest (non-manipulative) questions.

(7) One last important part of the equation: pray
tons. Pray for the individuals that you have
regular contact with (the band members and their
spouses/significant others, in my case). Pray for
spiritual protection and wisdom/discernment for
yourself before you go. Pray a cleansing prayer after
you come out. Keep praying like the widow in Luke
18:1-8, and see what God does.

And this year, unlike previous years, things have
been changing in the pub culture, in that I have
had numerous "God talks" with people from the
audience during our breaks. God is up to something!

---

really dig hearing your $.02 on this one... it was well worth the price of admission :)

nice work
--erickeck ( eric at erickeck dot com ) on 7/5/2004; 11:44:37 PM

Rob - Great thoughts. Especially the idea of haphazard seeds sown. I am in Glasgow ('pub' central) and have had a 5 minute conversation with an acquaintance where we have talked through points about Eastern religion, their issues with politics in America, and then we are discussing what is true freedom - my hope is to be able to present that it's in Christ. I believe there are roots in my conversation that evevtually will produce fruit. I need to be patient, step back and pray for wisdom as it times it can seem hopeless when you bounce around in your discourse. Those seedlings will sprout soon and I'll see how all along He was connecting things while I tended the soil! I'm digging this seed idea - couldn't resist the pun!
--Mike ( mkurtyka at jump-in dot org ) on 6/28/2004; 6:57:44 AM

Thanks, guys! I appreciate the resonating encouragement.

Seems like the Spirit is speaking similar things all over the globe, doesn't it? The good news is that, apparently, we ARE listening!
--robbymac ( clanmcalpine at shaw dot ca ) on 6/24/2004; 6:19:17 PM

Great thoughts. I resonate with what you are saying. For a minute there I thought you were inside my head walking around.....

~
--Joe ( jlongsemail at yahoo dot com ) on 6/10/2004; 10:47:09 AM

Well done, Rob. Occasionally I finish reading something and find myself saying, "I could have been the author of this work." Your article strikes at the heart of what it means to live as a follower of Jesus. May the creator of all things give us the courage to live out our lives with the concepts you've addressed.
--Rick M. ( rick at ayfc dot com ) on 6/7/2004; 4:44:44 PM

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