With Gusto

Our church has a great music ministry.  While I have no musical talents whatsoever, I can surely appreciate people that do, and we have several of them that perform every Sunday.  Each week the band and the singers bring a ton of energy to the service and they really pull out all the stops to build excitement from the parishioners.

Beyond the team up on stage, we have a few regulars that can really sing.  A couple of them are actually trained opera singers and you can hear them over the rest of the audience pretty easily.  One of the staff members of the church has a BIG voice, and he isn’t afraid to use it during the worship songs.  His name is Ben.  Ben is a great guy and serves in several areas at the church, including leading the kid’s ministry.  Our son Brock loves it when Ben is there to greet him because he thinks Ben’s deep booming voice is pretty awesome (Ben also sings in the holiday choir each year).

His voice is so strong that you can tell where Ben is in the church because you can hear him singing above the band and the singers on the stage.  He sings each and every song with gusto (and without a microphone).  The reason we tell you this story is that Ben’s enthusiasm is inspiring.  It’s pretty cool to see someone laying it out there week after week.  To bring that level of energy and zest is quite frankly awesome.  Ben is a great example to those around him.

So what does singing at church have to do with sports?  Here you go…..

Does each one of us bring our talents to the table with all our might every week?

Sure, you can’t go 100% all the time.  However, we can set ourselves up for success when it’s time for peak performance.  Just like an elite athlete trains to be ready on gameday, we can put ourselves (and our organizations) in a position to be at our best when it’s time to answer the bell. 

We can study research, exercise, get good rest, watch what we eat, spend time on professional development, work with mentors, reach out to stakeholders.  There are numerous ways we can prepare for the next opportunity.

Set yourself up for success.  When the time comes, share your skills with gusto. Bring it every week.  Even if you don’t have a booming voice, you can still be like Ben.

Have a great start to the New Year!