No Strength

As tour was drawing to a close, I felt like I had nothing left. I felt like I needed the Easter break that we’re just now at the beginning of. But there were a few concerts left, and I was speaking for one of them. Each day sapped more energy from me, and I began to wonder, “What do I have left to offer this tour?” I had nothing left, and I had to pour out just one more time.

As I was praying and thinking about what to speak about, I arrived at a topic.

2 Corinthians 12:9-12

But [God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I spoke about relying on God, when that’s the only means by which I was speaking to them.

When I have no strength left, I will rely on my God.

Now comes break. Time to rest and prepare for the final fulltime tour, so that we all might finish the year strong. After all, what should we offer God but our best?

A Weekend for a Fool

Normally when we play a concert, it’s in front of a sea of blank faces. I don’t know anybody, and that seems to make it easier to do dramas and give testimonies. This past weekend was, as James put it, “the weekend that is Mike Wilkins”. Friday we played at my alma mater up in Troy, NY. Then on Sunday we played at my home church twice: once for the service and then again for an afternoon concert. Essentially, all of my worlds collided over the past few days. I was a bit nervous this weekend, speaking to so many familiar faces. And many of them had varying beliefs when it comes to faith, which only added to my nervousness.

During the drama we performed for my church, I was feeling so goofy and self-conscious. I’ve never been one who tends towards dramatic expression, and they all knew that. Halfway through the drama, an expression came to mind: “Fool for Christ”. I don’t remember where I first heard the expression, but I remember its meaning sinking in. It was supposed to describe people who are unashamed to be perceived as a fool for the sake of glorifying God.

Even with that expression in mind, I still felt a bit foolish. The encouragement from the expression came later. By the end of the weekend, I’d heard about as many compliments on our ministry as I’ve otherwise heard since sometime last fall. Having more of the behind the scenes roles on our team helps that statistic, but it was nevertheless a huge encouragement.

Even though I felt like a fool at times during our programs, I always felt genuine. I believed in everything we were doing. I was fine feeling goofy if it glorified God.