Guest Blogger / Jason Miller

At the beginning of 2009 we took one weekend for Q & A.  I tried to address as many questions as possible, but more questions were "texted" to me than could be answered during the services that weekend.  So I asked some of our leaders at GCC to help me.

This is Jason MIller's response to your question, "Are you guys scared? And nervous?"

Jason (the keyboard genius in the above photo) is one of our pastors at GCC. I trust him. I jump at opportunities to sit at his feet, take notes and learn.  I'm proud of him.

This is how he dealt with your question...

                                                                  

Hey everyone,
 
I picked: “Are you guys scared?  And nervous?”  
 
Here’s my response:
 
I really like this question because it speaks to something I’ve been wrestling with.  When I first started teaching, I would prepare like crazy, and then I’d get up on stage and not feel ready.  I assumed that would change as I gained more experience, but it hasn’t.  And I’m glad.  
 
I wouldn’t call it scared or nervous.  The stage can feel like home just like any other place where you spend a lot of time.  It’s not the feeling you have when you’re worried about what’s going to happen.  But there is a special kind of energy that keeps you on your toes.  It’s like the feeling you get when you’re strapped into the roller coaster car right before the ride begins (assuming you like roller coasters).  You’re excited for what’s about to happen but not entirely sure what it will be; you know it will be good but it’s not entirely in your hands; it’s the feeling you get when you give up on ‘safe’ and let God stretch you.  And it’s not just the pastors or preachers or artists on stage who know what I mean. 
 
There are heaps of people at GCC who experience this feeling every time they jump into the adventure of serving God.  Maybe you’ve experienced it, too.  Gary Haugen, head of International Justice Mission (one of our partners in India), once said, “Jesus didn’t come to make us safe; he came to make us brave.”   When we take Jesus up on His risky offer to follow Him, He inevitably takes us to places that stretch us and surprise us and keep us on the edge of our seats.  I wouldn’t want it any other way. 
 
So… scared and nervous?  No.  But ready for an adventure?  You bet. 
 
Want to read more about that kind of adventure?  Check out the book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, by Mark Batterson.