If you go to the average church service, especially if you’re not a musician or a speaker, you might be tempted to ask, “Why should I use my gifts in ministry?” I saw this beautifully illustrated recently.
Breakaway 2024
I was invited to be part of Breakaway 2024, a wonderful weekend youth conference run by the Mason Dixon Youth for Christ at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Maryland. The event included about 600 teenaged students and 50 adult leaders and was one of the best organized events I have ever been blessed to be a part of. Gary Grecco and his team put together a very memorable event. I would highly recommend this event to any youth ministry within driving distance. My “job” for the weekend was to paint in each of the four worship gatherings, and I was very excited to do it.
But There Was a Problem…
It wasn’t with the event or the venue, or anything having to do with the people. Well except for one of the people—me. You see I found myself getting more and more nervous as the event drew near. I was really tense and I wasn’t sure why. Then, in prayer, it came to me. I was dealing with a “imposter syndrome.” That’s where you start to wonder if you really are good enough to do what you’ve been called upon to do.
It made no sense. I’ve been making art for most of my 60 years. Through most of my life, if you had asked me what my number one gift was, I would have told you it’s art. Since I’ve been doing art ministry, art has taken a different role. Art is the tool, that draws the people into the message for me. I give my best to making it as good as I can in the time allowed, but my primary gift is becoming the story I am telling, and the preaching I am doing. Now all of the sudden, there would be no story coming from me, and I started to wonder, “Is my art good enough to stand on it’s own. Self doubt was rearing its ugly head and I needed to get past it.
The 14th Row
I was praying, asking the Lord what was going on, and He reminded me to a song. It wasn’t a Christian song. It was a classic rock song off of one of my favorite classic rock albums, Styx’s 1977 masterpiece, The Grand Illusion. The song is called Superstar. Now before I go any further, this has nothing to do with me having an inflated ego. I harbor no illusions of being a superstar, but there is this one line in the song that turned it around for me. It says, “Don’t think I can’t hear you calling from the shadow of the 14th row, cause I had the same dreams you have just a few short years ago…”
That hit me like a ton of bricks. That’s what it’s really all about. It’s not about how good an artist I am, or how good my work comes out. It’s about God and His glory. It’s about faithfulness and bringing Him my best and it’s about that kid in the “14th row.” The kid who has a gift, but he or she isn’t sure where he or she fits in the Church or even in the world, sometimes. Maybe it’s about giving someone a new idea and showing them that God has given them their gift for a purpose, and that He can use it in big and small ways in His Kingdom.
That’s How It Worked With Me
I’ve always been an artist, but my life was radically transformed by two things. First someone cared enough to introduce me to Jesus, that made all the difference, but there was something more. I came to Christ and I joined the church, and the church did something that I recommend every church do with literally every new believer. They got me involved in serving the church. If they had their way, I would not become a consumer. I would become a participant, taking ownership in the ministry of the church. One day I got a call to ask if I would consider being put on our church’s ballot to be a trustee. I jumped at the chance, I said, “Yes! I’d be honored!” Then I got off the phone and called my then girlfriend, now wife, with one pressing question…
What’s a Trustee?
I had no idea what I agreed to. My wife was scared. You see I paint for a reason. A paintbrush is the only tool I can use with any degree of proficiency. The trustees in our church did most of the maintenance work for the church, and I was mechanically deficient. I tried so hard, and the other trustees were so kind and so patient, but I was failing and I knew it. That failure triggered old feelings of incompetence and not belonging. I was probably in danger of falling away, because I feared failure badly. Fortunately, my pastor came up to me and asked me if I would do something for him. Well the trustee thing was going “so well,” that I was scared to say yes, but I loved the guy and he was doing so much for me, so I said “What do you want me to do?” His answer changed the course of my life.
The Right Ministry
He asked me to paint a backdrop for the Vacation Bible School skits. I was amazed because that was in my wheelhouse, and before I knew it, I was doing all of those backdrops. At that stage of my life I was terrified to speak in public, to the point that I hated to go to Sunday School because we took turns reading Scripture aloud. While I was very literate, I would get so nervous when it came to be my turn I would stumble and fumble through it. My involvement in the VBS program eventually led to me being in the skits, which led to teaching a VBS class. Over time God had to deal with some of my priorities, but eventually he called me to ministry, now I speak all over the country and I feel speaking has become my primary gift. It all changed because someone found my gifts and put them to work.
That was my 14th row… and now I’m blessed to be called to the 14th row. I was so energized by this revelation that I took a post it note and wrote “14th row” on it and hung it on my sun visor, so I would see it the whole way to the event. No more of this “Am I enough? Imposter syndrome garbage.” I was there to faithfully do my best for the glory of God and for the “14th row.” When we got to the venue, I set up my equipment, and counted off 14 rows in the theater. And I sat in that row and I prayed.
Staff Devotion
I was invited to bring a staff devotion on Saturday morning of the conference, for the volunteers and those who would be sharing on stage—what many events would call the talent—but I’m not going there. Oh don’t get me wrong the people on that stage were all immensely talented. I was honored to be among them, but we weren’t the only talent. Every person in that room had at least one talent. Some were serving out of their ability, others out of their availability, but every last one of them was there for a Kingdom purpose, to serve the Lord and to look for the kid in the “14th row.” It was a blessed time of worship.
Confirmations and Affirmations
The fingerprints of God were all over this thing and big and small affirmations were happening. The first night I painted a butterfly. It came out pretty well, and I got several nice comments, but I wasn’t sure it fit. The next morning in my personal devotions, the Daily Bread article was about Monarch butterflies, the very butterfly I painted. I was going back and forth on whether or not I had the right passage for the staff devotion, but our speaker the evening before used a verse just prior to it in his message and it ended up fitting really well. The biggest affirmation happened the last day of the event.
I was painting with the worship band at each service, and when I would finish, I would leave the stage, and go out into the audience to sit with my wife and listen to the amazing speakers and musicians, (more on them in a moment). On that particular day, the emcee came out before the last worship song to thank people, and he called me onto the stage. I was in the very back rows of the theater. So it took me a while to get down there. Before long the entire crowd was chanting “Dave, Dave, Dave, Dave…” and when I finally got to the stage, hundreds of students were lined up across the stage for high fives. I hope this doesn’t sound shallow or that I am in it for the applause. That’s not it. I think God was showing me the value in the gift He has given me, one more time and I was blessed, but the biggest blessing was still to come.
I finished my high fives and stepped off the stage as the worship band finished their last song. I knew when they were done it would be time to begin taking my equipment down. A group of students was standing there waiting to talk to me, and one young lady said after seeing what I did she was going to work on her art and using it to serve the Lord.
I wonder if she was in the 14th row?
On Stage
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment and mention the many talented people that shared the stage with me. Our worship band for the weekend was The Drew Wagner Band. These young people’s talent was only surpassed by their love for the Lord and their humility. What a blessing.
Next up we had Ripe Creatives, This is a ministry from Philadelphia that has a mission to spread the good news of the gospel through creative expression and the worship arts. Scott Smith, one of the leaders of this amazing nonprofit ministry, served as the emcee for the event, and did a spoken word piece that was both touching and thought provoking. Scott brought a few artists with him.
Let’s start with Diomer (pronounced “Demeer”). This young rapper knows how to work a crowd. Watching him pumped me up and made me tired at the same time. What a dynamic talent with a real and evident heart for the Lord! He was joined by…
Doc Hero another very talented rapper, laying down a powerful performance. In the midst of the energy and fun were some very deep lyrics. While these two men are usually solo performers, my favorite moments were when they joined each other on-stage supporting each other. The rappers were backed by…
DJ Ant G .This guy does a lot more than playing records. He was mixing beats and laying down tracks, that were unique and creative. This guy is a musician on the turntables, but DJ Ant G wasn’t just backing his fellow performers. He was setting the tone and making music on the spot.
Our first speaker for the event was Chris Singleton. He spoke on the topics of unity and forgiveness, and this young man knows what he’s talking about. In the midst of pursuing a baseball career, his life was changed when his mother was gunned down, along with eight other people, in a racially motivated church shooting. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a message so challenging and yet touching. I literally hung on his every word.
Our other main speaker was a man named George Dennehy. George was born without arms, and he brought two immensely powerful and challenging messages, about overcoming diversity and how God loves us and is with us through it all, but before he spoke, he sang a beautiful song, while playing guitar with his feet. I came away very challenged by his words and his example.
Being a part of this event was amazing. If you find yourself on the east coast and you work with youth at all, you really need to get to this even it was a first rate blessing.
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