Songwriting, etc. . .

I'll start this blog by borrowing lyrics from a song written by one of my favorite musicians and adapt the words to fit my purpose.
"There's a song that's inside of my soul, and I've failed to write it over and over again."
I'm a musician. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a great one, but I have finally embraced the fact that God has gifted me with some musical ability. I'm fairly confident that I'll never reach the success level of a Paul McCartney or a Bob Dylan. However, I do know that in this stage of my life God has called me to lead His people in worship. This calling, partnered with the truths God has been teaching me about Himself, has left me with a strong desire to write my own worship songs. So here I sit day in and day out trying to write. Maybe it's because I'm my own biggest critic or simply a lack of creativity, but I couldn't write a decent song if I stole all the words and melody from "Come On Eileen". I recently heard an interview with Jon Foreman where he talked about how he wrote "On Fire" and "Dirty Second Hands" in 15 minutes on his tour bus. Are you kidding me?! I wonder if he has ever felt my current frustration. Of course, he would probably be the first to admit that he has written a lot of sub-par songs in his life too. I wish I could write a sub-par song. . . :)

Winter Retreat '08

This past weekend The Well took a trip up to Big Bear for our 2008 Winter Retreat. It was a wonderful time of snowboarding, sledding, and fellowship. We were blessed to have Brandon Fischer come and speak to us. Brandon is currently a teacher, but prior to that he spent several years working and speaking up at Hume Lake Christian Camps. This weekend he challenged us to take an honest inventory of our lives to discover just where we are with the Lord. This resonated with me in a very powerful way. I spent much of the weekend in prayer asking the Lord to reveal the things in my life that may need changing. I asked myself some very important questions:

How can I be a better steward of the ministry I have been called to?
How can I make a lasting impact in the lives of the guys that God has called me to disciple?
What areas of my ministry have I failed in up to this point?
What areas of my life do I need to surrender in order to become more like Jesus?

I know that there are areas in my life and in my ministry where I have failed miserably. At times this realization has led to feelings of discouragement and frustration. But I will continue to move forward as I rely on God's perfect grace. Even now, I am humbled as I consider how truly amazing His grace is.