Timberlake Tales: New Direction

I have been on my church’s music team for the last three years. Last night I told the ministry leader that I had made the decision to step away from this particular ministry indefinitely.

My heart over the last six months or so has been steadily drawn towards people in this world whose lives are not as comfortable as my own.

It all started by coming across a number of adoption blogs, and watching adoption videos. The passion the adoptive families have, not just about adoption, but about making a life changing difference in people’s lives has had a big impact on my personal walk.

I grew up in a middle class family. The church we attend is probably 99% upper middle class families and individuals. I go to church in our million dollar building on Sundays, wearing my nice clothes, driving my nice, newish car, and park next to all the other nice new cars. We are able to read the songs from the thousand dollar projector screens, and listen through the fancy PA system.

Once the service is over, we go out to the cafe and order coffee’s and cakes, and can watch Christian music videos on the three LCD TV’s hanging on the walls. We are then able to go out for lunch in nice restaurants and enjoy the freedom we have.

I’m not saying those things are bad, but if we choose to act as though this is the only way people live then we are really seeing the world with skewed vision.

James 1:27 says this.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

I truly believe that my thinking has been polluted by the world for a long time now. In my mind the most important things have been buying a house, getting a new car for me, keeping up with the latest fashion, etc, etc.

These thoughts at times have consumed me and been a barrier to my spiritual growth. I truly feel that God is awakening my soul to the hunger (both physical and spiritual) that exists in this world. My hunger for material things was never satisfied when that was all I focused on.

Once I started to shift my thinking to those in need, when I allowed God to speak to my heart about what is important to His heart I became completely satisfied with the material possessions I already had. In fact I have thought about going through our cupboards and getting rid of a whole lot of things we just don’t use.

I think by freeing up the time that I put into the music team I am giving God that extra time to do with it what He will. I feel free to give my time to ministry that reaches further than the walls of our church building.