Recently, a musician friend of mine asked me to come and play in a jazz band which had a deep need for trumpet players for their rapidly approaching performance date. After checking my schedule, and seeing no conflicts, I said yes and went to my first (with this group) rehearsal. First, the good things: The musicians were rather pleasant and I wouldn't have to play lead trumpet all the time (this means my lips wouldn't fall off my face after practicing!). The Bad ( i.e.unknown): I've never seen the music, so I'd be sight-reading every chart (unless I was lucky and there was some familiar charts in the book), ALSO I had no clue to the musicianship level of the ensemble.

After the initial introductions, the band launched into their "warmup", which started out with the rhythm section (piano and drums - the bass was absent) playing a standard blues progression, and then starting with the trombones, one member at a time would STAND UP and play his/her warmup, SOLO! This caught my attention! Yes, I got nervous, because some of these players were AWESOME! All I know is that when my turn came, I stood and played, and when I was finished, I sat back down, initiation completed! Out of the thirty or so charts we rehearsed that night, only 1 chart had I ever seen before, so I was working! Because I was so focused on sightreading, and hacking through the various solos, the rehearsal time flew by, and I was surprised when the rehearsal ended (I still had gas in my tank - not a lot, but I still could continue!)!

So what's the moral? Well, I practice almost every day, and try to play lots of different music literature, so I was ready for this challenge. The other thing, is that when faced with an uncomfortable situation (playing a solo right off the bat) I didn't run out the door like I thought about doing, or faking an instrument malfunction ("Excuse me guys, my spit valve is broken") I stood and played. My playing was far removed from Wynton, Freddie or Al, but I did it and lived to tell about it! This very same principle lies at the very heart of our Christian life - when someone asks you about Jesus Christ, do you sweat and worry about what to say? DON"T! The best things to share are the things about what Jesus is doing in your life! People are not looking for theology, they're looking for answers, and for people to love them as they are!

No sermon, no three or four point talks. We just study The Word, pray, and share about Jesus! In this, we can truly "stand and deliver"! See you at church this Sunday!