Reminiscing

I once took a personality test as part of one of those DISC assessment evaluations that revealed that I am what the test called “a traditionalist.” My first response was, “Really? I don’t think so.” But as the test went on to explain how, I had no choice but to agree that the assessment was accurate. I then became quite introspective of different traditions that I maintain without even realizing it. Here just a few notables:

1. I always watch Notre Dame Football games on Saturdays in the fall. If I’m unable to watch, it’s a pretty devastating thing to me.
2. I must wake up in my own house on Christmas morning. I refuse to travel on Christmas Eve because it will keep me from doing so.
3. Every trip to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH, I always make a point to pay homage to the exact spot my best friend threw up after riding the Magnum XL-200 back in high school.
4. And I find it hard to keep some of those songs that really impacted my personal salvation out of a worship set on any given week.

In particular, the songs from the “Passion: Our Love is Loud” from 2002 are ones that will always be dear to me. That was my very first Christian Music CD. In fact, it was given to me by my Youth Pastor at the time who also led worship for the contemporary service in our church.

Listen to this to understand my worship roots.

One of the main reasons he gave it  to me (other than witnessing) was to learn the songs on it. I was a somewhat talented drummer in high school and he had asked me if I wanted to play drums in the Youth Band he was going to create. I said sure, took the CD, and listened away. I had no idea what kind of impact it would end up having in my life.

It just seemed like every track filled me with joy and love in ways I had yet to experience. Do you have a song like that? Maybe a group of songs? An “era” of music?

I always love to put one of those songs (which are now all over 10 years old) in the worship set when appropriate so that I can sing like I did when I was 15 again.

Do you go to a church with “traditional worship?” Traditions can be a powerful thing to the faith of many. The task at hand for worship leaders is to know that new traditions are created every day by different people in different age groups by different races and the list goes on and on…

Traditions help us to remember some of our most fond moments in life…like our salvation. Never scoff at tradition. There is much to learn from our past and how God brought us here. There is also much to be excited for what God has in store for us in the days to come. I often wonder… “What will God do today that I will remember 10 years from now?”