Ernie Halter, shallow lyrics, community, and YOU
I took my wife on a date last night. We went to 3rd and Lindsley, a bar & grill in downtown Nashville, to eat and listen to music. We both enjoy music from the singer-songwriter genre, and though neither of us were too familiar with the lineup of musicians, we enjoyed the night. (as a side note, Paulie Pesh, the opener for the show, was really good)
Listening to the headliner Ernie Halter (another side note…neither of us liked his performance. The music was okay, but the lyrics, and his commentary on them, were really shallow, which is not becoming of somebody in the singer-songwriter genre), perform, I was struck by this:
Why is it easier for a musician, who knows nobody in the crowd, to be completely vulnerable and honest with his in-between-songs-running-commentary, than it is for people in a small group?
Maybe it’s the fact that he didn’t know anybody in the crowd.
Maybe he’s just an open book.
Maybe it’s that he was 2000+ miles from home, and didn’t count on word traveling back to LA.
Maybe he had had too much to drink.
Whatever the reason, he quickly developed a relationship with the audience. He had them (except my wife and I) eating out of his hand, sharing stories that allowed the crowd to be able to quickly know his story and his struggles. Community was developed in a matter of a couple of minutes.
The quicker a small group can move from surface-level talks about the weather to deeper talks about real life, the quicker they can move into authentic community. And this move to authentic community needs to start with you. Whether you’re the group leader or not, you can be the one that helps your group move away from one-word answers to questions and prayer requests for your next-door neighbor’s 2nd cousin’s cat. You can begin to discuss and pray over personal issues that matter, and lead the group to do the same.
Are you willing to take the risk?
Yes. How else can they really lead? Or are they merely an extension of your leadership? With responsibility should come the authority to carry it out. When Jesus sent the disciples out two by two HE gave them authority, did HE not?
I’m in this suitation right now, Ben, and it is very frustrating. I know the things I am capable of, the problems I could help turn into solutions. Seeing things not be at their peek effectiveness frustrates me greatly. No idea what I’m going to do about this!
Have you read or heard of The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero? I just read it.
No, I haven’t. Is it worth the read? Would it help in the area of developing community?
Nice observation. I enjoy the singer/songwriter genre for that very reason – stories and the quickly developed community. I think “story” is a critical piece of developing community. Knowing one anothers stories and entering into new ones together. Shared experiences and even inside jokes are evidence of community but they are also developed as we share stories together.