FaMiLy is MiNiStRy is LiFe = MiNiStRy = FaMiLy

I love music. Essentially I like all music but I really love good music. Like choice food, music is delicious to the ears. There are so many variations and nuances, changes and consistencies, rhythm and rhyme. Music also does something for the soul. Like a good meal, it is satisfying to hear an excellent melody. I could make music my life. Ohh, and then there is live music. What is better than actually hearing someone play in person?

Last night I was able to stop by a coffee shop to hear some new friends play a few of their tunes, Steve Perry and Tim Hart, members of the band Wintersound (from Australia). It was obvious when listening to Steve sing that he loves music too. He is a talented musician, but he hasn't made music his life even though he could so easily. While talking with Steve about his and his wife’s journey, especially the past year, we were both commenting on the importance of family, in the sense of Christian committed, community life. He and Kelly (his wife) had gained the value of family while living/interacting with the band members. For Steve and his fellow band members, music is not the highest priority. Steve said, “Music is only 10%. We’re a family first.” Wow! For a musician who would like to make it big, that is a huge statement. Family first, not music? What does that mean? Does it mean that the relationship is more important than what is produced? Absolutely! Does it mean giving freedom to a band member to leave the country, right after making an album? Yes. Does it mean giving up record deals so that the friendships can go deeper? You bet. Living this value of family isn’t an easy thing but will create something far richer. It’s a sacrifice, yet the sound that is produced is more pleasant than the most beautiful melody one has heard. I want to hear that tune often. I want to see that song played more.

So I love music, but I also love family. And I want to embrace the value of family as Steve and Kelly have.

The method of creating music, as Wintersound has done, is counter-intuitive and just logically backwards. One would think that in order to be a better band you must make music the top priority, not relationships. However in God’s kingdom nearly everything is paradoxical. In order to go high you must go low. To become the greatest you must become the servant of all, like Jesus did. Steve said that music used to be at about 80% priority but now commitment to a Christian community is first. But now where does this leave ministry? Life isn’t just about family! As a Christian don’t we need to always think about how ministry fits into life?

While Steve and I were talking, I was reminded of a phrase, "Life is ministry and ministry is life." So if life and ministry are the same and family is a top priority, then everything kind of goes together.

As a follower of Christ, one learns the value of ministry, because that is what Jesus did. He gave his life away. And that is exactly what ministry is. Jesus defines it pretty well for us--giving our life away to people. There is no distinction between living life and doing ministry. I don't have a full-time job and do ministry on my days off. I'm a minister wherever I am, whatever I'm doing. (And a musician is a minister whether he has a guitar in his hands or not.) As intentional as I am at doing my job, ministry will happen similarly. As deliberate as I am at being a family ministry will also happen. We want life to ebb and flow between the pages of committed relationships with people who are pursuing Jesus.

Since ministry is giving our life away, then our first and foremost assignment is to spend our life on our brothers and sisters, our family.

So life is ministry is family and ministry is family is life and life is family is ministry and family is ministry is life...