Leftovers

Leftovers...aren't they awesome? I love leftovers from time to tome. Many times on Sunday as a kid my Mom used to prepare a meal and later would throw it into the oven when I got home after school on Monday. Then we would proceed to eat it for the rest of the week. Eating leftovers is a great way to save time and money!

But let's say we had company coming over--people we really wanted to make a good impression on...people that we actually wanted to have in our house again...what do you think we would serve? What would you serve?

I really don't see me going to the fridge and pulling out three day old chicken pot pie, throwing it in the microwave, getting out the paper plates...you know, sort of the routine we go through when it is just us at home. Nope--when guests show up we go all out. I spend a lot of time preparing the food and creating a very welcoming atmosphere. I figure these people are guests in my home--and I want them to have a wonderful experience and as I said before, want to make a return visit.

I think there is a lesson or two that the church can learn from this analogy.

One core value needed at any church is excellence. Please understand that excellence does not mean perfection! (I promise that I mess something up just about every week.) I simply define excellence as offering God our very best...and that means that each and every Sunday I am going to put forth an intense effort to serve the very best meal possible--no leftovers.

One Sunday while I was at a friend's church, this guy got up to sing. I was very surprised to see this dude with a microphone in his hand...I had no idea that he could sing.

He couldn't!

He began to sing and I began to scream, inside of course. I thought, "This has got to be a joke." I'm not kidding--it was worse that a cow dying in a hail storm. I began to pray for the rapture to occur--immediately. I just knew at any minute my ears were going to bleed. When the song was over I clapped...I could not help myself...the song was over and the joy of the Lord had returned to my life.

I know what some of you might be thinking. "Now Keith, you shouldn't be so critical, he probably had a good heart." You are right, I know the guy and his heart is good--but his voice is awful!!! What is unfortunate is that we will excuse that type of performance in the church and call it godly--no wonder many of the lost and unchurched are so turned off by Christianity...we have been serving them leftovers.

I think the church should be passionate in our pursuit of excellence. We are called by God, gifted by the power of the Holy Spirit--we represent a risen King. We should have the best music, the best art, the best literature, the best speaking--the best of everything. The church should be the main influence on our culture--but we will never achieve this by serving leftovers.

This is a deep conviction of mine...and it is fueled by events that happened last night. Some friends and I went out to eat after church and the meal was awesome. Afterwards I asked our waitress her name and then invited her to church. She was bluntly honest, "I'm not a Christian." That floored me...I wanted to weep...my heart was literally torn out of my chest and I could not focus.

When I regained my composure I told her, "That's ok--there are a lot of people who are not Christians who come to our church." I then explained to her what she would experience on a visit to the church, the awesome volunteers, our INCREDIBLE band, and a ton of other stuff.

I know she is going to visit one day. I am going to continue to go to that restaurant, try my best to let her see Jesus in me...and leave HUGE tips. And I am driven personally to work as hard as I can to do my part to prepare for her visit. As the one of the worship leaders, I will guarantee that I will do my best to not serve leftovers...and I know the incredible volunteers and staff that I am privileged to serve with will do the same.

I know, I know--some of you are asking the question, "Well what about God--where does He work into this?" Great question...it is my personal belief that God works through people who offer their very best. Not perfect people--not people who are the smartest--but people who are willing to give Him their very best effort. It might not be your conviction--but it's mine...and I am relentless in my belief in this and will always strive to offer God and the people who attend my church every week the best "meal" that we can offer...and then beg God to move in and do the things that I could never do.

As my worship pastor Tim says, "There are no throw-away Sundays".

God's never offered me leftovers--why should I do it to Him?