Hmmm, not so special.

I grew up in a church where we would have a special time each and every week. It was indicated in that week's bulletin as a "message in song," or a "special." The truth of the matter is that usually it wasn't all that special. It was usually just mediocre. I think that, truth be told, we could have labeled most of them as "sub-pars." As in, "let's all git ready now as sister Donna comes up here to perform a sub-par!" The sad fact is that, in my opinion, the church perpetuates the musically un-talented to keep at it. This is demonstrated each season of American Idol where we watch as countless people believe that they have a beautiful voice because: a. their momma says so, and b. "I sing in my church!"

I don't really believe that we're doing these people a favor by coddling them just to be nice. I feel that it is much better to just tell them the truth. I'm not saying to tell them they're dreadful (with a British accent.) The unfortunate dilemma is that most likely you'll be crushing a dream, and slapping them with a reality check which will cause them to think about past performances....much like the video below...




So, all I'm saying is that we owe it to people to lovingly tell them if they are serving in an area where they just aren't gifted. It's worth it to us and to them to help plug them into an area of ministry that fits better. If you work with volunteers...I would love to hear any good stories on this subject.... *note: The video is not to make fun of the young woman, just to laugh along with her.