FIRST IN LAST OUT
PRODUCTION IS TOUGH ( ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR ). LET ’ S ENJOY IT ! | Todd Elliott
photos from Highlands Worship , “ Comfort and Joy ” session
Recently , I was leading a team that handled the production needs for a concert tour and for those of you who have done something like this , you know it is a ton of work . Anyway , there was someone on the team who wasn ’ t really a production person and who didn ’ t normally serve with us . He kept saying how much work production was and that , “ Normal people didn ’ t have a clue what it took to pull off what we do on a normal basis .”
I agreed with him . Production is tough stuff . There is a ton of work that needs to get done . Lots of physical labor . Lots of details to manage . A crew of volunteers to keep track of and keep moving forward ... and on and on .
I ’ ve been doing production work for a long time , and it never seems to get easier . When we build in new systems or buy new gear to streamline the process , we usually increase our capacity and then push ourselves to that new standard .
I often tell myself that what I am privileged to do is not easy . But if ’ m going to spend my life doing it , I want to enjoy it along the way . Here ’ s some things I have learned along the way and try to implement , especially this time of year :
DON ’ T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY I worked at a place where the phrase ‘ every week is like the Super Bowl ’ was said often . From a production standpoint , who can do the Super Bowl every Week ? And furthermore , who WANTS to ?
In reality , there is no way to keep up this level of intensity . It is so easy to get wrapped up in not making a mistake that you end up putting more pressure on yourself and your team than actually exists .
This somewhat artificial pressure can steal the joy of serving from you and your volunteers . I don ’ t know about you , but joyless serving doesn ’ t sound like God ’ s plan . I love that God has chosen to use us and our gifts to help accomplish His purposes on this planet . I don ’ t understand it , but I ’ m grateful that I get to be a part of bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth . However , if I am so worked up about not making a mistake , am I really contributing to bringing heaven to earth ? Isn ’ t it true that God is infinite and is able to do things that are beyond my comprehension ? Couldn ’ t he work in people ’ s lives whether or not there is audio feedback ?
This is a giant mystery to me . God has chosen to use us , but he doesn ’ t need us . We have to do everything we can to create an environment where people can meet with God in our services , but at the end of the day , God doesn ’ t need us in order to meet with his people .
So , with this as the backdrop , let ’ s stop taking ourselves too seriously .