Carrying On

I was taking a daily trip around the world wide web and decided to check out Jim's blog and see what he was speaking about at Prince Street Church this morning. He wasn't speaking today, though, because it was Youth Sunday.

Seeing that gave me some mixed emotions. It's not that I was broken up that Jim wasn't speaking (no offense, Jim). I was excited because the kids were up there leading worship and I was proud of the musicians especially. But I was also a little sad that I wasn't there to be a part of it.

You see, in the two years I was at Ship I saw a young, inexperienced drummer turn into very capable drummer and then into a guitar player that was leading a youth Sunday service. I also saw his little brother, our reliable egg shaker and tambourine man, become a good drummer in his own right. When I got to Prince Street, there weren't many instruments being played. But I just got there at the right time. I filled a need of guitar. A college freshman filled the role of bass player. And the two brothers got an into-the-fire learning experience as they not only learned to play in a band, they were learning their instruments at the same time!

I remember getting together with those kids to try and teach them "God of Wonders" for a youth performance. Those first few practice sessions had some choppy waters to navigate. We couldn't keep a tune or a rhythm, but the young musicians progressed so quickly.

Later, I even stepped in and played and even sang with them on a couple of occasions. Being a part of the growth and evolution of something like that is pretty darn cool. No one will ever accuse me of Phil Keaggy in terms of guitar prowess and no one will ever confuse with Chris Tomlin as a worship leader, but am always grateful for the two years I spent sharing my meager talents with the folks there, especially the kids. But as good as those memories are and as much as I'd like to still be a part of the group, it makes me smile all the more that they have kept it going and have no need for me any more.