into my own hands if I ’ m only using optics as the measure of God ’ s movement . So sometimes I like to flip these ideas on their heads a little bit because it ’ s one thing to be in a room where all the optics aren ’ t giving us the signals we ’ d like , and no one would post the Instagram picture because people don ’ t look like they ’ re into it . I think oftentimes in a room like that , there ’ s a couple sweet older ladies who ’ ve been worshiping the Lord for longer than I ’ ve been alive , and they could teach me a little something , right ? Then I also think that we ’ re living in a dangerous time on the other side in settings that I actually spend most of my time in … where people are going off . And it ’ s hard to discern if it ’ s just because it ’ s their favorite song or if it ’ s because the Lord is moving .
And so I think this is the discernment and wisdom that you need to be walking in as someone who ’ s trying to steward the presence of God in communities . If you are in a pastoral worship role in a local community , you have sealed that relationship and you get to be in the long arc . And any step of faith goes a long way , even if it ’ s for that person who maybe they always have their hands in their pocket , but after a couple years of you sowing seeds of you coming so full that the stewardship of God ’ s presence just oozes out of you , it beckons people forward . It creates a safe , vulnerable space for people to bear their souls . And maybe after a couple years , that guy takes his hand out of his pocket and lifts it to the Lord . I ’ m telling you , the Lord is smiling on that .
Louie always talks about the word and worship are like two lungs that breathe together , and we spend a lot of time with that pastoral kind of care around those two mediums . They ’ re both valued very intimately . And so even in the songwriting process and in the stewardship of songs , we have a real relationship . So , there ’ s a union of the spirit that happens . I would also encourage that if you are in a role where you ’ re working alongside a pastor and a communicator , get to know each other , really come under the rightful leadership of how all that interacts in your community and in your church , so that trust and bond forms , and God does a lot of business there too .
[ WM ] Yes , absolutely . Well , in what you ’ re saying , you reminded me of something that I ’ d forgotten about , and that was , I was counting back in my mind , I would say 25 years ago , Delirious ? came to Nashville to do a showcase .
[ Sean ] Amazing .
[ WM ] And so I was invited to that showcase and sit right up front . I will never forget , Martin ( Smith ), he took immediate control of the room . What he was saying by his actions was , “ I ’ m going there , and if you want to come along , you ’ re welcome , but I ’ m going there anyway , with or without you .” And not just Martin , but the whole band , and it was profound .
[ Sean ] I love it .
[ WM ] I ’ d like to wind down on a high note . The song “ Led Me to You ” is a great encouragement in a pop music style . What can you tell us about it ?
[ Sean ] Oh , well , I agree . That was actually a bit of an experiment for me because that song , what I like to say about that song is that it sounds like summer , but it was written in winter . A lot of it is teasing out the idea of seasons because we have a tendency to think that God is more accessible in more favorable times , but God ’ s presence is just as available in every season . And so I was in a really hard season , and I thought , instead of trying to write about where I am immediately , I do that all the time . I thought , why don ’ t I write towards where all of this is going ? And what ’ s remarkable about that is when you do that , it actually helps you get there .
And so in “ Led Me to You ”, I wanted the music to feel relentlessly hopeful . And it just had a persistence to it of kind of an “ optimistic persistence ”. But also , if you listen to the lyrics of that song , the first two lines , “ I don ’ t like pain when I ’ m in . I ’ d rather just skip to when it ’ s finished . But that ’ s not the way it works ”. But if you put that inside a cadence that says , but my goodness , somehow , I don ’ t pull the levers .
There ’ s a movement and a working inner working in that person ’ s soul that is , maybe it ’ s not going to make it on Instagram , but to say that that ’ s not valuable is something ’ s broken in the system . And so I think some of it is just that perspective that not everything is sensational . A lot of this is what we are supposed to do as God ’ s people to come together and remember his promises and to surrender our hearts . And that ’ s a stewardship that we just practice , and we practice together . But at the same time , I do really appreciate that I ’ m in a community that
14 August 2024 Subscribe for Free ...