Under Construction
After several years of praying, planning, fund-raising, researching, and prepping my friend and fellow Jacob's Well staff member Mike Crawford (pictured with the usual construction suspects) is building. Mike and company have begun construction on a recording studio that will be in our building. I am really excited, but my excitement cannot compare to what I know Mike is feeling as the actual outworking of his dream begins to take shape before his eyes.
Mike came into our community and full-time church ministry through a curious/circuitous route that over time has demanded a great deal of imagination and faith. I met Mike at a wedding for which he was playing music. At the time I was preaching and leading worship every Sunday and after a couple of years of doing that I was basted. In the months following the wedding I slowly got to know Mike over lunches at a Raytown Wendy's. As we first talked over wedding cake and then later over hamburgers, I had a sense that there was some kind of connection happening, but at least initially, nothing formal seemed obvious.
Eventually I was so worn out from doing the majority of the worship experience I called Mike to see if I could talk him into a ten hour per month job, even though he didn't go to our church. We were to meet at a Franciscan Retreat Center for lunch on a Monday (Mike would join me on his lunch break from his programming job). On the Friday preceding our Monday lunch though, Mike called me asking for the number for the retreat center. He said he wanted to spend the whole day there and he would tell me more when we hooked up over lunch. The long and short of it was that the day before Mike's programming position was a casualty of down-sizing. As I told Mike what I had had in mind, he told me that he might have been interested, but given the fact that he was now unemployed with a new house and a third child on the way he could hardly afford to think about a job that was ten hours per week, let alone ten hours a month. I was sad for Mike. I was sad for me.
Then a cool thing happened. As we drove back to the retreat center from lunch, I simply asked Mike to describe to me what he loved to do. The whole tone of the conversation changed. Mike isn't and never was a programmer. He did it and did it well. But Mike Crawford was made for music. Anyone who knows Mike knows this is true. I listened to him talk about how much he missed his days playing in a band, writing music, performing in front of a crowd. He said he missed recording music and the more he talked about that, the more he came alive. I watched him describe how much he loved not only the creative process but also the relationships that he formed sitting next to people over a mixing board. Mike loves people. He cares for them. And as I listened to him I was drawn in. Totally.
So I asked him a couple of questions. I asked if he ever considered pursuing this dream of music again like he had in his past before he was a respectable member of the work-force. I asked him if he had ever considered whether or not his dream might be part of the mission of a community of people intent of embodying the gospel in ways that hadn't been imagined or tried yet. I asked him if he would consider coming on staff at Jacob's Well as a part-time worship leader (20 hours per week would really stretch or little budget) and consider raising support as a missional musician. His band would be part of his calling. We would also build a studio that would enable Mike to pastor and reach out to musicians to create great art and build real relationships. I smiled. Mike's eyes filled with tears. Away we went, along with a whole community of people who were willing to risk and stand behind Mike and his family as they pursued Christ into new territory. It has been a great and at times hilarious journey (e.g., we took the money we paid an accountant and paid for his health insurance by capitalizing on his experience with Quick Books - creative church plant financing 101).
Mike has been on staff at Jacob's Well for several years now. I remember him saying to me, "Tim, I'm not sure I can really lead worship. I've got kind of a weird voice and I don't know...I just don't know if I'm a worship leader. I guess I'll try." Grins. Mike is a shepherd who leads a very diverse musical community and out of that community creates the musical worship experience of our church. He also has a band that I've mentioned before called Builder. By the way, their web-site now has a music player that allows you to sample their music.
Now, the studio is under construction. Unbelievable.
The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!’
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