Monday, December 10, 2012

Albums and Telemarketers


Two major things have happened since I last wrote: album making + calling drive.

Album.
We recorded a live album in tandem with the other team! It was a lot of fun, and the great part is that it didn’t detract from our ministry at all. Because it was recorded live, we still went to several different places that week and ministered to people just the same. In fact, because we were recording the whole process, we took more time in preparation of the sets to ensure a cohesive message. It was an awesome experience and it made us all think harder about our program, what we have to say, and how to share it. It was a great experience and I’m certainly thankful for it. Plus, there’s now an album of us all :)
Also, one of our concerts was in Canada, so technically we’re international recording artists.

Calling Drive.
For the last week or so we’ve been calling all of CTI’s supporters, past and present. It’s part of how CTI brings in money for our general fund. And it has essentially turned us into telemarketers for the time being. At first it was really stressful and strange… and it’s still a bit stressful and strange, but at least now I appreciate it all a bit more. Let me explain.

One day I was calling a lot of people from this one place we went earlier this fall. After calling all these people, it was clear that every one of them only knew about CTI because of this one girl who was a part of CTI years ago. Through one person, an entire area/church family became consistently involved in CTI by supporting or hosting teams. It was awesome to see the huge ripple effect she had! It was a good reminder for me in our ministry to trust in the Lord’s work regardless of what tangible effects we may see. It reminds me of a quote I found recently:

“Work should be regarded less with reference to its immediate results, or as to how it may affect this or that person; the great question is, will it, when sifted in His presence, be acceptable to Him?”

Point being, we should seek to honor God with what we do, not do whatever yields the most visible results.

Merry Christmas to you all! And I’ll be back in MD from the 14th to the 2nd of the new year! I’d love to see you all.