IT'S OVER!

[itsallpeach]

Yesterday was my last Sunday playing at the church.  I was getting miserable SPIRITUALLY and was not getting anything from the "empty" messages that were being preached on Sunday.  I sat in the choirstand last Sunday and saw three sentences written on a sheet of paper and he spent the next 45 minutes just RAMBLING through his message.  Instantly, I said to myself, "Some things are just more important than a check every week".  

My church just built a new Family Life Center and they had a celebration yesterday immediately after church.  They are about $30,000 from paying it off (and it just opened)....and when everyone paid what they were asked to pay last Sunday, we raised $18,000.  My pastor/grandfather REALLY wanted me to be a part of the celebration, so I agreed to do what I was asked to do.  I told the Pastor of the church I was playing for that I'd be leaving as soon as we finished singing and he said OK.  However, after church he called a meeting with the congregation and they agreed to give me HALF of my salary ($75) because I left at 12:15...or as he says, I only played for an hour!  There is one lady who can SING on the praise team and I worked her a lot  because she was the only one who could really sing...I TOLD THE PASTOR TO MAKE THE CHECK PAYABLE TO HER AS MY WAY OF SAYING THANK YOU!  Needless to say, I won't be returning.  I was already a bit BENT about the spiritual part of it and the fact that only one lady on the praise team could actually sing (and she is a good friend of the Pastor and not even a member of that church).  This incident was the straw that broke my back (and the camel's).

I had fun at my church yesterday.  I still have no desire to go back and work with the choir there.  BUT...I realize now that my limited ability to play is primarily given to me to help me out when writing songs and nothing more....not to play for a church or anything!  Now that I know that, I'll just continue to write as God gives me the material.  

Thanks to everyone who did anything to help me during that time!

[blessedone]

Herman Herman Herman 8O

Do you have anything else going on in your life except for drama ?

Pray and God will send you somewhere that you can get spirit filled and many blessings.

I will be praying for you.
Sharon

[SisterT]

Herman Herman Herman 8O

Do you have anything else going on in your life except for drama ?

LOL!!

[aljeres]

let god really lead you......he is not the author of confusion. in fact he not a part of it at all............so who is leading you? gieres!!!!!!!!!

[CESharp]

How about the "church" drama....wow...........and it happens everywhere
I know how you feel and I had to re-evaluate my purpose/my ministry God has for me.  I was involved in a music ministry that just didn't take time out to really practice or teach notes so...........we didn't give 100% on Sunday morning.  This bugged me and also things were and still are unorganized, etc.

Now tell me this people, if teachers have lesson plans for their daily classrooms at school, why can't we prepare for God's house on Sunday?

Let us continue to pray for our church members and stay positive and faithful to God.

WIV: WALK IN VICTORY!

[ebert]

I'm pretty interested to know how this all works out.   I know that it is hard to make any type of transition and leaving a church home is a big step.  I agree with what was posted earlier.  Make sure that you are following God and He is leading you to another church.  It can backfire if you get ahead of God.   8O

I had to leave a church once because it just didn't touch me. It was rountine and not anything else.  So, I kinda know exactly what you are saying.  I found out years later, that I was the first of many who eventually left the church for some reason or another.  But at the time, I was really struggling with making sure it was the right decision.

[CESharp]

Also, sometimes we leave a church for the wrong reasons.  Here are some examples:

1.  so-and-so made me mad
2.  they won't give me a solo to sing
3.  the pastor doesn't know my name
4.  he asked for money all the time (discernment needed for this one)

We must first evaluate ourselves........
Who are we going to church for?
Why are we going to church?
Are you growing/learning from the preached word?

REMEMBER:  you can't run from yourself.  anywhere you go......there you are!

GOD WILL SPEAK TO YOU!  BUT IT'S UP TO US TO LISTEN!

[Noelle1977]

:lol:  :lol: You can always visit my church (Longview Heights Seventh Day Adventist Church)  685 E. Mallory.  I think you'd enjoy it, the only difference with Seventh Day Adventists is we go to church on Saturday.  Some people are apprehensive about trying different religions but i'm not. I was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist but I've visited lot's of different churches.  You are always welcome to come and worship with us one Sabbath. If nothing else you would LOVE the music!!!!!

[itsallpeach]

I come to Divine Persuasion's concert every year.  Felecia sits right beside me at work...we are co-workers and close friends.

BUT EBERT....please read that post again.  The church I just quit playing for is NOT my home church.  My situation at my home church is family-oriented, dealing with not wanting to pay me because I'm the Pastor's grandson, etc.  That's why I quit working with the music ministry but I still do the bulletins and serve as the Admin Asst at the church.  I have not left (although many people here felt I should have after all the drama went down).

But I don't really like to play anyway.  God gave me the ability to play the few songs I know so I know I have it for a reason.  I just wasn't sure of what it was until now.  Writing songs is another gift he gave me and my limited ability to play helps to make the songwriting easier.

[ebert]

That's my bad then.  I'm sorry :oops:

[BBoy]

Wow. There are some things that happen a certain way, unfortunately. However, my brother, can I ask you something? I have found that it is very important HOW you leave any place . . . not just THAT you left. Read me? I mean, sometimes if you leave with unresolved issues, you will find that even though you may have left physically, that place will still go with you. So, as brother to brother, if you felt like you had to leave and you were released to go, that's fine. Now check your heart . . . ask the Holy Ghost to show you if the past is really the past. (This is what the shaking the dust off your feet was symbolic of . . . a personal, deep symbol that you know you have done all you can, and you know you have been released to another assignment. Sometimes when we have left, we haven't really LEFT; if you get my drift) Check your speech about the place you felt that you had to leave. Can you say that it is bitter, even slightly? The mouth always speaks what is in the heart. If you're sure everything is great, you can go back for a visit or see someone from that church with absolutely no ill feelings, then take that writing gift and bless God and us . . . we're waiting to hear from ya! Be blessed . . .     BBoy

[itsallpeach]

Well it must be all right, then.  One of the church members called and asked if I could play for them at 3pm tomorrow.  Her mom's church is having an appreciation service for "dear old mom" and the church I played for is on program.  They don't have a musician yet, but as a favor to her I am going to do it FREE OF CHARGE!  Sounds like everything's OK to me, huh?

[4hisglory]

How did it go??

[azirp]

Hi All,

I want to say that I do not understand the concept of getting paid to worship God on sunday.  If you can understand that you are not just a musician, but a minster TO God.  Yes, I said minister TO God.  Then your entire attitude will change.  That is why God has blessed you with this talent, so you can Honor Him with it.  When you play and sing, teach the choir to sing to God with a pure heart and to humble themselves and repent before him, and not to be there to entertain the congregation on Sunday.  Read God Chaser's by Tommy Tenney. If you are a worshipper, or have been called by God into the ministry of music in some way, it will change your life.

In turn you will teach congregation to truly worship The Father and then when you humble yourself before him, you can go behind the veil and "enter in" to His presence where His glory is.  

We seek His FACE and not His HANDS when we worship him in spirit and in truth.  But only "Dead" men can see his face, remember what God told Moses.  If we really want the Glory of God to show up and the annointing that breaks the yoke, we must be holy before worship by staying in prayer, being in tuned to the holy spirit, humbling ourselves, and repenting of our fleshly ways.  

Worship is a powerful thing and the devil does not want the church to get this concept.  It's not just about hooting and hollering.  That's good to get our body and soul to worship God, but we must be able to sing worshipful songs to God in a worshipful way, so that our spirit begins to worship God.  

The following article will bless you.  Someone else had posted it earlier.   I pray that you understand and accept the calling on your life.  Our Sunday worship will only be as good as our private worship.  We should  be worshipping God, not just singing songs, but praising God all day long, all week long.

http://www.pianomoods.com/entertainment.html

Lord, let your Glory break out in your church and let it begin with the worship.

Amen.

[itsallpeach]

Daryl, it went well actually.  They had them on program for 3 songs and I took one of my church members with me to help make the harmony and it went over very well.  They shouted for a WHILE and I was on a keyboard that almost fell off the stand while I was playing!  I had an AWFUL headache from the change in the weather here, but it went over very well.  The lady offered me something for coming, but I refused it.  I enjoyed the experience.

[4hisglory]

azirp,
    I can see what you are saying BUT here is my opinion.  It would be easy for me to say that musicians shouldn't be paid, because I do not make my living from being a musician.  But there are alot of people out there that do.
    Like you said, musician's are ministers for God but don't Pastors, Bishops, Apostles get paid???    Do you think if you called up Tommy Tenney and asked him to come for free he would??   The only way he is able to spread the gospel is through the money he receives.  Musicians can be viewed in the same way.  They have families to maintain also.