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FUN EITHER WAY | Jesse Schaefer
Anyone can make a see-saw : take a board and place the middle on a rock . Push down on one side and the other side goes up .
or
You could take a plumb board , find its bilateral symmetry , place the symmetrical-axis point on a fulcrum apex , apply force on one terminus to result in an equal but opposite reaction on the antipode .
Fun either way … an excerpt from This Book Is Alive by Mr . Schaefer
Disclaimer : Though I am technically a “ Mr . Schaefer ,” I did not write the book quoted above . My brother did . It ’ s a collection of poems meant to be an interactive reading that makes you think in ways you may not have typically while consuming a book . That is the exact reason I chose to start this article with “ Either way ”. You see , the very act of looking internally at our processes and the “ normal ” way to read a book , the point of this poem is accentuated .
Dolly Parton wrote both “ Jolene ” and “ I Will Always Love You ” in the same night . Now , I wasn ’ t there , but I can imagine she just let the idea flow naturally and created something that wasn ’ t over analyzed and picked apart . In this example , she would be the first instructor in the poem above .
Leonard Cohen , on the other hand , took 5 years and over 80 verses to write “ Hallelujah ”. That ’ s a baffling amount of edits , experimentation , tweaking , cutting , and just plain mental energy to land on what many consider one of the greatest songs to have ever been written . Cohen would be the second instructor in the poem .
Both of these artists made contributions that influenced the way people not only consume music , but the way they write it , and the massive impact it can have on a wide range of people . One process simple , one process detailed beyond comprehension .
Fun either way .
I think about this often in regard to leadership , specifically in a worship setting . For so long , it was a common belief that “ bigger ” churches had the capacity to get into the weeds of production , planning , musical complexity , and even theology . The opposite side of that sword was the belief that “ smaller ” churches were too short staffed or under equipped , and merely tried to just make it through the week with what they ’ ve got . Please don ’ t hear me incorrectly ; your struggles are your struggles and should be addressed . That being said , I have personally caught myself at times worrying more about what I don ’ t have and that I ’ m not getting every meticulous detail perfectly right , instead of just simply “ making a see-saw ”.
I used to get so anxious and discouraged because I was convinced that we could never lead effectively without more people , more production , more resources , more , more , more . It wasn ’ t until after I found myself in another country , being led in worship on a cheap guitar by someone whose first language was not my own that I realized I was missing the point . In that incredible moment of brevity ,
46 May 2023 Subscribe for Free ...