#AtoZChallenge: Jesus

Jesus is the centre of it all, and this is one thing that we cannot lose sight of. And yet it’s one of the easiest (to forget). There are so many things that can — and will — distract us, things that are important to every performer. Don’t bother denying that you’re a performer. Everyone who goes up on stage, everyone who loves to sing or make music — all of us are performers in one way or another. Some of us may like it more than others, but the fact remains that we do perform and often, we perform for people.

The fear of being on the worship team or of leading worship is often a fear of being judged for our performance. What if I don’t sing or play well enough? What if I mess up? What if the congregation doesn’t like the songs I choose? What if they don’t like my voice? What if…? There are a million what-ifs of things that could — and do — go wrong. And that’s the other thing that keeps us from focusing on Jesus: we need to keep our eyes open to see if the people are responding, we need to think about how we’re singing and/or playing (not everyone can sing AND play!), we need to think about the dynamics of the song and how it’s flowing, and we need to make many, many snap decisions — from tiny to huge — during that short 30-minute block on stage.

When all this is going through your mind, how do you focus on Jesus? It feels impossible, really, when you break it down into parts.

The best thing is to really just remember that you’re performing for an audience of One. All this stuff — it doesn’t matter what people say, because 10 different people will have 10 different opinions, and none of them matter compared to the One you’re supposed to be worshipping.

So practice your best, work out as many issues and problems as you can beforehand, make as many decisions as you can before you even start, and when the lights come on and the music starts, put your heart and your focus on the one main thing you’re there to do: worship Jesus.

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About the book:

Jane Hays has been told all her life that it’s dangerous to be out in the forest past sundown. At fifteen, she’s quite sure that it’s all old wives’ tales... yet, why does her village bar the gates every night? Why do they even have gates? When she is caught in an unexpected rainstorm on her way home, Jane ignores all the warnings and seeks shelter in a cottage in the middle of the forest. Soon, she is caught up in a world of magic and beauty – and in the storm of the Fairy Queen’s wrath.

The Fairy Queen is out for blood. There have been intruders – human intruders – in her domain and she will stop at nothing to find them and kill them. After all, it is only fair. She is only seeking retribution for the death that humans leave in their wake.

But Jane isn’t all that she seems to be. And the events of the night aren’t as innocent as they appear.

A tale of magic, fairy creatures and family, Coexist is a novella for the young and the young-at-heart.

Get Coexist on Amazon or Smashwords. Check out Book Depository or Createspace for paperbacks!