WHEW - it was a pretty stress-filled and nerve-wracking responsibility to oversee lighting for our recent Gracepoint Live performances! When the seniors came on for their finale song at our last Sunday night performance, I felt so relieved that it was all over, and thankful to God that the background work that went into the lighting went smoothly so that the performances could go without a hitch.

I first learned the ins-and-outs of lighting back in 2004 during our last G-Live performances. Since then, Conrad’s given me a lot of great instruction on improving lighting; but, as they say, the best way to learn is to do, and my lighting skills have really honed through experiences when the pressure is on, like at G-Live. Almost all of the work for lighting happens before the performance: mounting the lights, connecting them to a power source, connecting to a data cable so that the board can control them, aiming them; and then, as the various groups rehearsed, we had them pause while we brought up the right lighting and then saved the setting so we could replay it later. Thankfully, the lighting team members, Sarah and Richard, were there to share the workload, and especially the joy (and stress :o) of making all of this possible.

It’s encouraging for me to see how God has used what I’ve learned about lighting, especially through such a large event as G-Live. I’ve heard many stories of people who really enjoyed the performances and were so blessed by them, and I’m thankful that I got to contribute to that experience.

One weekend as I was "blocking" the Sierra House, I couldn’t help but think about all I’ve been able to learn while serving at this church. I never thought I’d know what "blocking" is, let alone what it is used for (to support the trusses of the roof), or how to do it, and yet here I was actually handling nail guns, Simpson Ties, and 10D nails while up on a 10ft+ ladder. When I got home, I thought it'd be neat to draft up a list of all the skills I’ve been able to pick up while serving in various ways-- sound setup, video camera setup, video taping, video editing, running A/V for Sunday service, cooking for small-medium sized groups, organizing outings/activities for group events, using various handheld power tools, woodworking/house building, teaching MYT, cleaning, hosting game nights, coordinating transportation, prop making, lyric/skit writing, web-programming, leading discussions.

As I inspected this list, cleaning and web programming would have probably been the only skills I'd have acquired had I not come to this church. The rest were clearly a result of the training and opportunities I've received through my years here at this church. I realize that in serving God and others, not only does something get accomplished, but my own life gets enriched and I become a more useful person. It's ironic that in giving and serving others, I myself become a better and fuller person. It’s very contrary to the way this world works. The world advises to serve myself and clutch on to what I have. But I would have never learned and been enriched by all these skills if I was living on my own, serving only myself. What is more, the abilities and talents I've recieved get multiplied and passed on so that others may be built up to serve in the same kinds of capacities. As I think about this overall effect I can be a part of, I feel very privileged and thankful for the opportunities I've had to grow through service thus far.