Wednesday, March 14
What makes us who we are...
It's a story that intersects with my family's life...I asked Greg if I could share it with you...
It's a powerful reflection on God working in our lives...
"Isn't it amazing the small moments in life that make us who we are? For almost all of us, if we think back through our history, we could identify one small moment... one chance encounter... one accident... one sermon... one coincidence... one something that changed our whole direction. I was thinking back on all the things that have led me to where I am now and realized that it would probably all be totally different if not for that one day when my friend Mark Nelson's son got sick.
I was a freshman in college and Mark had asked me to come help him lead worship at a week of camp in North Carolina. Back in the day, Mark was asked to lead worship all over the place and I almost always went with him and played the keyboards. Sometimes it was just me and him and sometimes we had a band. At this week if I remember correctly, we had Scott Bradford on drums, and a couple of other people I can't remember on guitar and bass... this was in 1994 so forgive me if my memory is a little hazy on some of this.
Anyway, at this point in my life, I didn't sing really... I mean, I had been in choir but I didn't ever sing alone. No solos, no worship leading, no nothing. I was terrified of the thought really. I was surrounded in high school with people who had amazing solo voices (Justin, Mendi, Casey, etc...) and I knew my voice wasn't in the same league as theirs, so I was more than happy to just hang out behind my keyboard. Paul Shaffer was my hero.
On Thursday night that week of camp, we started our worship set about the way we usually did and all was well. Mark was rocking us all out on a little number called "Praise Him Raise Him" and probably got crazy with a little "King Jesus is All" too... I can't remember what songs we really sang, but in my memory, Mark is perpetually leading those two songs. As we moved through our faster more upbeat songs and got ready to sing some quieter things I remember seeing Mark's wife Monica walking down the isle towards the stage. She looked concerned. Very concerned. We had just started the intro to the song "Beautiful Scandalous Night" (I do remember that song for sure...) and Monica stepped onto the stage and whispered something into Mark's ear. I remember looking at him as she whispered and his eyes got wide and a look of concern grew on his face. I was not ready for what happened next.
Mark picked up his microphone stand, calmly walked over to me and set it in front of my face. He leaned in to me and whispered only one word: "Lead!". He then jumped off the stage and ran out the back of the room. Everyone's eyes followed him running out the back of that old wooden gym. And then slowly... their eyes... turned back to the front... and looked at me. I'm not sure what I thought at that moment, but my guess is "Oh crap!".
I honestly don't really remember what happened next... I know I sang "Beautiful Scandalous Night". I'm sure we sang 2 or 3 more and I'm sure I was terrified. It must not have been too bad though because afterwards I can remember a few people telling me I had done a good job under such strange circumstances. Turns out Mark's son Michael (who was probably 4 or 5 at the time) had gotten really sick... sick enough to need to go to the hospital. I don't remember what was wrong, but I know he was okay and back at camp later that night.
After I got home, I heard that my home church was needing someone to lead worship on Sunday nights for the youth group. I called the youth minister and told him that I would be willing to do it. I'm certain that I never would have done that without the confidence I had gained from leading in North Carolina. For the next couple of years, I led every Sunday night there in the senior high room at Farragut Christian Church. I made friendships with musicians then that last to this day... guys like Danny Rosenbalm, Scott Bradford, Jason Blankenship, Corbitt Reeves, Jeph Hurst... they were good times.
It's strange the things that make us who we are... I never would have asked for a little boy to get sick, but who knows where I would be if he hadn't? It's hard for me to imagine my life if that one event had never happened... would I have spent 9 years as a worship pastor? Would I be a songwriter? My wife first noticed me when I was leading worship (I know... checking out the worship leader...) and on and on it goes. I could have been a completely different person.
So what are some of your moments? Who put a microphone in front of you and said "Lead!"? What is your one small moment that changed the whole story? Let's hear about it."
Mark Nelson at 9:13 AM 3comments
3 Comments
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at 5:09 PM
said... There is one occasion that stands out in my life. In January 2004 I was asked to do my first communion meditation at church - both services. Knee knocking, sweating bullets scared. Took me 3 weeks to prepare something. I look back now and kind of chuckle. But it was the beginning of what I call "standing in the center of God's perfect will for my life.
That moment soon led to my first opportunity to lead our Wednesday night Bible study and then my first sermon - all by the end of October 2004. A lot has changed in 3 years as God has taken that initial first step of faith and led me into a call into ministry and progressive opportunities to serve Him.
It continues to be a daily journey as I juggle grad school, a full time job, family and an obedience to the opportunities that God is opening up. I have more questions than answers and an increasing awareness of God's deep desire to reach the wounded and disillusioned in the world.
Despite the struggles at times and the visits to the "wilderness", God's grace and faithfulness continues to amaze me.
I wouldn't change a thing.-
at 4:01 PM
said...
Mark,
I am a huge Bruce Cockburn fan and I also like Over The Rhine. I saw Bruce for the first time in Ohio last Friday night. It was an amazing concert. Sorry for posting this in the wrong spot. I am a worship leader also.
Dave Coplin
dscoplin@insightbb.com-
at 11:53 AM
Brokenness-Quebrantado said... It is strange but this story made me remember how I ended up serving as a missionary in the United States. In the year 1999 I was part of a mission organization called Youth With A Mission (YWAM) based in Adams, TN with my wife Paula. We were there because a good friend of mine asked us to join him for a ministry planting project in the Yucatan Peninsula and in order to be part of the YWAM staff we needed to do a requiring training. After one year serving and finishing the training we were ready to travel to the Yucatan Peninsula, but things didn't work out and we ended up without going anywhere. We were stuck in TN with no money, because we spend around $3000 dollars to pay all our training. We didn't have money to buy a ticket to return to Mexico, our Country. A class mate shared this incident with her dad and her dad gave us a love offering. We returned to Mexico very confused because a year earlier we sold all our belongings to answer the call of God to become missionaries in this ministry. We came back to Mexico with our tails between our legs, without vision, work, home etc. While staying in my in laws' house I received a call from my friend's dad asking us if we were willing to interpret to an American Church in their mission trip. We said "yes" as a way to thank this person for his kindness. We met him in a hotel in Mexico City and he introduced us to the man that has become my spiritual mentor, spiritual father and a great friend.In the year 2001 my wife and I came to serve as missionaries to the United States just because we were in the right time and in the right moment for God. Even though in that moment back in Mexico City we thought we missed the call of God.....I need to learn so much from God's ways...