Bridge the Gap

I’ve written a lot of songs and most of them have never been heard by anyone other than myself. And the ones I’d like people to hear haven’t been heard by anyone either. So it can be difficult when you meet new people and they ask you, what do you do? I write songs. What kind of songs?

And the inevitable pause, followed by my answer…

Well… church songs.

Sometimes it’s easier to just call myself a musician, but that usually leads to more questions. I used to call myself a worship leader, but that usually stopped the conversation. Over the past few years I have noticed a few gaps like this in life. I don’t know if they are new, if they’ve grown, or if I’m just starting to pay attention. I used to think I had to choose a side, but now I’m learning the gap shouldn’t even exist.

I love my faith community, but we can have a tendency to do things I can’t stand, things that embarrass me, things that make me nervous about telling people I write church songs. We’re all guilty of messing up, but I have a lot of unbelieving friends who seem to love more like Jesus than some of my Christian friends. Have you been on Twitter recently? It seems like Christians are saying some of the most hateful things I have ever read.

On the other end, my Christian community has also given me a place to connect with and learn from amazing people and experience a sense of wonder I haven’t seen elsewhere.

I remember the first time I felt true wonder. It was at a concert at my church. Music and art have a special way of awakening dormant parts of our soul. I like that about music. It’s not manipulation, it’s the power of what can happen when the head and the heart mix.

Put another way, something powerful happens when truth and spirit are intertwined.

Recently I’ve thought a lot about the music we use in our churches. It’s changed my life. But I wonder if we are missing out? Like a painter with only a few colors, we’ve created some beautiful artwork.

What would happen if we had a larger pallete?

Think of the art and songs we could create…

I’ve met a lot of people in a similar place, who may not be musicians or people standing on a stage, but find themselves living in the in-between, with one hand embracing the good of today, and the other grasping the good of tomorrow, jumping back and forth between head and heart, spirit and truth, trying to hold on to the bests of both worlds. Convincing ourselves we have to plant our flags on one side or the other. The truth is that living this way is exhausting. You can find yourself worn out, confused, with friends treating you like an enemy.

So I started looking for bridges. They’re weren’t many. And the one’s I did find were hardly standing. That’s when I realized that it would take all of us, the pilgrims, the pioneers, those unsatisfied with the status quo, to build that bridge. I think It’s going to take a lot of work, but I believe it is worth it.

Life isn’t about separating things into sides, boxes, or categories. It’s about living full, whole, meaning filled lives.

That’s why I have always liked the story of Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra was a teacher and pastor. Nehemiah worked for the government and then became a contractor. According to the story, both of them were needed to bring people back to God.

In other words, we all have a part to play. I’m not a preacher, contractor, or government employee, but I do write songs. It’s the part of the bridge I know how to build.

What part are you building?

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Andrew Steven is a musician and songwriter from Seattle, WA.

Download Andrew’s new song, “Between You And Me” for FREE at andrewsteven.com