Stuff that matters
I bought a notebook computer last week. I've been considering for a long time whether or not I needed one for my writing. After deciding that I did and after looking through the ads, I found one that matched what I was looking for. It was the last one “on the shelf” at the day-after-Thanksgiving super-sale. I didn't even have to wrestle someone for it. The young lady who checked me out was so pleasant (I found out that she knows Jesus). My daughter told me before we went into the store that she loves to be especially nice to salespeople during the Christmas rush. I like that too...you know, making someone's day who has been dealing with demanding people all day. It's nice to see them sigh and smile.
I have been loading it with my stock of software this week...office stuff, CubaseSX, Masterwriter, recording interface drivers, etc. Today, Bryson (our master IT guru) made it so I can access my office desktop from anywhere in the world via the Internet. I'm thinking that will come in handy when I'm in a co-writing session, trying to find that one lyric I misplaced.
It's kind of scary putting so much labor into documents and mp3's that represent the totality of your creative output only to entrust them to a little box that could decide at any moment to never give them back. So I forked over a little more for an external backup drive and of course you have to have a case....
A lady I met last Sunday at my friend, Corey's Ordination reminded me of what my “creative output” is all about. After the service she asked me, “Did you come and sing here about ten years ago?“ (my wife's calculations make it closer to fifteen). She bought a cassette (remember those?) back then of some scripture songs I had written. When I play these now, I cringe because of the cheesy synth parts. At that time, I scrimped to buy a good dual cassette recorder to duplicate them one at a time (I can still hear the chipmunks in my mind from the sound it made as the tapes were being dubbed). She then began to explain that she had literally worn out the tape and needed another. She started to cry and tell me that the songs had ministered to her through some really tough times. Now I was getting teary eyed as she spoke....someone I had never met, yet someone who, in a way knew me well.
Songs have a strange way of taking on a ministry of their own...sort of like children that grow up in your house and make their own way in the world, accomplishing things you may never find out. Every once and a while you get a glimpse of some of their effect. The web as changed the amount of feedback you get from your “children.“ Occasionally, I will get an e-mail requesting one of those ancient songs for use in a bible study or something. On the back side of the tape I recorded just the backup tracks so people could sing them in their church. A missionary told me one time that one of my tapes had been translated by someone in Japan and re-recorded in Japanese, using the tracks. I think about that now whenever my statistics page tells me someone in Japan, or elsewhere in the world is downloading songs from my website. Also, nowadays a CCLI report gives me some idea of how my songs touch the church. Still, there is nothing like someone telling you face to face that what you do matters to them.
The technology has certainly changed, but the goal is the same--Phil, write stuff that matters!...matters to people...matters to God...matters to bring them together. I know I can't always accomplish it, but anymore, I'm to getting where I really want to do stuff that matters.
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