Riding above the level of mediocrity: ROTTEN EGG PLANTS 2005

What a great lesson in expectation. Particularly for the worship team that I was helping out with this past weekend at Avalanche 2005, held at Muskoka Woods Sports Resort. I guess once you've done a conference or two, it seems like cakewalk. Well, not so when dealing with 500+ charged up junior high students. But it's really not the kids, who are still quite impressionable. It's the adults who absolutely believe they know what a human being a quarter of their age will respond to. Throw in a little brash communication techniques and ridiculously granular micromanagement and VOILA, you have a formula for an interesting experience for an extremely talented, yet unseasoned and young worship team. This is not to say that the scrapping of song sets that the team had worked on for months and months to prepare with 30 minutes before the session didn't result in a more participative worship session, but it was the way that the program was manipulated that worries me. After all, who can truly say that the kids were more responsive SOLELY because of the program change, instead of the Spirit of God? And the lack of respect. Yes, the organization probably saved thousands of dollars by not hiring a professional band as they've done in the past, but that is not license for demeaning puppetry. You don't adjust the amp settings on a guitar player or put duct tape on the snare head of a drummer without asking. Yes, they are proven techniques in the sound world for desirable modifications, but there is a tactful way of collaborating with the musician to do it!

Anyways, I rant only because one would think that such things only happen in the secular world. But, in some ways, I'm glad that it did happen. I believe that the true character of a team can only be displayed through adversity. Because the team was so talented, it probably took something so drastic (and appalling) for their integrity to shine through. They responded, well, like how Godly leaders would: understanding what the purpose of the team was and building a firm position around it. In fact, it drew the team together in fellowship and prayer. I just hope that they don't remember me for being the one who got the van stuck in a snow bank while we ad hoc-ly decided to find out what was on the other side of the mysterious tunnel, and caused another vehicle to crash into the other snow bank while trying to avoid us! I learned all about "Safeties"; that the drum riff for One Way can go with practically any song; that Russell Peters can be quoted SO much and still be funny; that a Honda Odyssey can drag a small to medium sized tree under its belly and still drive like normal; that skin REALLY does stick to metal in cold temperatures (I didn't do it, but one of the emcees did and he got a swollen tongue trying to get it unstuck); that kids don't mind drinking pop from a can that is covered by SOMEONE ELSE'S sock or stuff vienna sausages up their noses and seeing how far they can shoot it by hawking it out through one nostril; that it's a lot of fun kicking a frozen, half eaten apple in a field of snow because it doesn't break apart; that there is a Lytton Blvd. in Forest Hill and a Lytton Blvd. in Richmond Hill; and that you can play home run derby with a fooseball table. Wow, what a crazy weekend. I'm glad I got to know this worship team through it, and I'm so encouraged by their passion for worship and for serving God.

Here are some pics: