I don't know how the last fifteen minutes are before your services, but for me it is “all hands on deck.” I often feel like I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I ignore people, I don't stay and talk because this is “Go” time.
As a technical director we have to make sure that everything is working smoothly and efficiently when people start showing up. There is the pressure of making sure that the lights, sound and video are all set and ready to go. The stress is even greater if something happens to go wrong, as it always seems to at the worst possible moment.
This reminds me about one of the characters in the Bible that I relate with so much, Martha. I am sure you remember the story in Luke 10:38-42 when Jesus and his disciples dropped in to hang out with Mary and Martha. Martha seems to have done what most tech directors would do, she got busy making everything perfect. She was cooking, cleaning, adjusting the lighting and making things just right.
Do we ever get so worried about things being perfect that we forget to take time to spend with our Savior?
Meanwhile, Mary, Mary, quite contrary, was in the other room just hanging out with Jesus. What nerve she had? Didn't she care that things weren't perfect? How rude is it that she was making Martha do all of the work?
Martha finally had enough and she stormed in to tell her sister off and get Jesus to take sides with her. Jesus looked at her and said, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Do we ever get more concerned about the details and making everything right that we forget to just sit at the feet of Jesus? Do we ever get so worried about things being perfect that we forget to take time to spend with our Savior?
Philippians 4:6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Instead of being so worried, or we may call it “focused,” perhaps we should take time to pray and seek God for a few minutes before each service. Instead of panicking about a technical snafu we should seek the wisdom of the most technical mind that created us.
If you are working with a team of people maybe you should consider taking the first couple of minutes together not to talk about the flow of the upcoming service but to sit at the feet of Jesus in prayer. It can be easy to forget that this is ministry and it is all about Jesus. If every piece of gear you have blows up but you are sitting at His feet then you haven't really lost anything.
