Several years ago, at the suggestion of my brother Jon, I read a book called “Who Moved My Cheese?,” by Dr. Spencer Johnson. It’s a parable about two sets of mice and how they deal with life’s inevitability: change. The following is from the publisher’s description of the book:

“Sniff and Scurry are mice—non-analytical and non-judgmental, they just want cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Hem and Haw are ‘littlepeople,’ mouse-size humans who have an entirely different relationship with cheese. It’s not just sustenance to them; it’s their self-image. Their lives and belief systems are built around the cheese they’ve found. Most of us reading the story will see the cheese as something related to our livelihoods—our jobs, our career paths, the industries we work in—although it can stand for anything, from health to relationships. The point of the story is that we have to be alert to changes in the cheese, and be prepared to go running off in search of new sources of cheese when the cheese we have runs out.”

I’ve been self-employed my whole career, and if anybody knows about running out of cheese, it’s me! It’s so important to flow with the seasons in life. One of the biggest mistakes that people make—and believe me, I’ve made many— is to wait until it’s too late. The secret, as the book’s message clearly provides, is to stay ahead of the curve.

I’ve witnessed two country artists who, even in the face of a changing music market and diminishing record sales, refused to surrender after their “cheese supply” started to dry up; these two guys are a study in self-reinvention.

Ricky Skaggs helped start the neo-traditional movement as a country performer in the eighties and maintained a high place on the music charts for over a decade. A new generation of artists emerged in the nineties who took country music toward a more pop sound. As a result, and after much soul-searching, Skaggs decided to return to his bluegrass roots. He also left his record company to start Skaggs Family Records, began to actively embrace his elder statesman role on the Opry, and continues to keep a busy touring schedule. Skaggs recently released a recording with Bruce Honsby and a new autobiography.

Over a decade ago, Marty Stuart decided to embrace his elder statesman role as well, and in recent years, has started his own TV show on a small cable network. Over time, Marty gained the respect of country music fans and professional musicians alike not only for his incredible talent, but also because of the high-caliber musical guests on his show. He gained new fans in the process—ones that probably never knew his music when he was climbing the charts as a young artist. Stuart’s current band, The Fabulous Superlatives, are top-notch pickers and singers—solo artists in their own right, who’ve released music on Marty’s own Superlatone Records label. Marty has one of the largest country music memorabilia collections on the planet, including priceless show costumes and instruments from country music’s greatest stars. He has a packed concert schedule, and is considered by many—along with Skaggs and Vince Gill—to be a foremost country music ambassador.

Not bad for a second wind! These guys didn’t wait for country music to come to them; they created their own music industry—what an inspiration.

As the “cheese” book suggests, it’s probably wise to take Ricky and Marty’s lead and create a “cheese factory” all our own. Instead of waiting around for an invitation to do what we love (and for which we are highly skilled), let’s make a plan, set some goals and head out with excitement toward the next season of life. That’s what I’ll be doing, my good friends!

I saw a few weeks back that Ricky Skaggs, probably my all-time favorite country/ bluegrass artist, had a biography coming out. It’s been informative and entertaining. The book takes the reader through the backwood streams and “hollers” of bluegrass history, involving Ricky’s upbringing and rise to fame, with stories of early bluegrass pioneers, including his heroes Ralph Stanley, and Bill Monroe in particular.

The sweetest and most tender part of the book, in my opinion, comes in its last quarter. By this time, around the mid-’90s, Ricky’s record sales had dropped considerably, compared to his “high cotton” days of chart success during the ’80s. As a born-again Christian since his teens, Ricky had by this point recommitted his life to the Lord. Now he and wife, Sharon, were hosting prayer meetings in their home. On one particular night, Skaggs invited Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass, over to one of the meetings. Monroe agreed to come, but when it was time for the couples to break out and pray, Monroe, who came alone, didn’t have a prayer partner. So he asked Ricky and Sharon if they’d pray for him.

Skaggs revered Bill Monroe all of his life—ever since he was a little kid and first heard that old 1923 Gibson Loar F-5 mandolin (pictured below) pounding away over the radio from the Grand Ole Opry. He even got to play that very mandolin when Monroe visited his eastern Kentucky community for a local school house concert, and the inventor of bluegrass himself pulled the then 6-year-old Ricky up on the stage to play.

Now, thirty-plus years later, Ricky stood there before the elder statesman, and this time he asked Mr. Monroe to pray a blessing over him. Ricky explains that he got on his knees at Monroe’s feet and asked him, “‘Would you bless me like a father blessing a son; would you pray that I’ll be a caretaker of this old music?'” Monroe agreed, bowed his head and said these words over Ricky—ones that he’d never forget: “‘Lord, would you just give Ricky the love for the old music, like you’ve given me through the years, and help him carry it on? Bless him and his family.'” Ricky went on to say,”With his hands laid on me, he gave me his blessing. (p.283)”

Speaking a blessing over someone doesn’t have to be a sophisticated, fancy event, or a verbose statement filled with theological phrases and religious mumbo-jumbo. It is a powerful gesture of love, faith, hope and belief in someone. I believe everyone has the power to bless, and it’s something that is said verbally and not inferred; it’s spoken clearly to those we bless, and not left for interpretation. Even telling someone “I love you” or “I’m sorry” is a blessing in itself.

The spoken word is powerful. I want to use my words to leave a positive legacy in people’s lives, especially within my own family and to those with whom I work closely. Lord, help me speak a blessing to someone today!

I’ve finished the book, Worship Foundry, and it’s being prepared now for print and e-book. I’m excited that Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson, will release it—hopefully by Christmas, or soon after. I have published bits and pieces of the book on this blog over the past several months, and I wanted to post its introduction here today. I hope you enjoy it!

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It was a life-changing decade for me, but by 1979 I was in a quandary as to what to do with my life. A small church in my neighborhood needed a young leader for their youth group. As a 19-year-old, I was only a year or so older than some of the ones I would be leading. I jumped into the job wet behind the ears. Only four years earlier, in the spring of 1975, I made Christ my Lord, and now I was called to step up and be a leader—no longer just a follower.

I soon realized how the pastor of that small church was disrespected and bullied by the very congregation he led. I made a mental note that I would never find myself in that kind of situation. But all of us who have spent time in ministry have learned that church leadership is in stark contrast to simply being a church member—one of the flock. Unfortunately, the pastor of that small church would continue to be bullied and his ministry was basically reactionary; he spent most of his time dodging stones that the church counsel would fling at him.

At that early, tender stage of ministry, I had no mentors or anyone to come around and tell me that being on a church staff could be something fulfilling, something that could actually bring joy. By January of 1980 I was invited to leave Fullerton, California—the place where I was raised and home of that little neighborhood church—to tour the world as a professional musician. I put ministry on hold. After all, who would want to invest their life in ministry when the the very people you serve become the enemy? Regrettably, many ministers have come to ride out their careers just like the pastor of my first church: hunkered-down in a defensive position. Could ministry be fun? Could there be a place for a musician like me in a church? Could I become a full-time minister and encourage others to be the same?

A year earlier, during the fall semester of 1978, I asked one of my professors at Golden West College—who was also a Christian and a music professional—if he thought I should become a secular musician or a Christian musician. He seemed amused at first, but said that I’d have to figure that out on my own. It seems as though I’ve been figuring things out on my own ever since. I must say that the Lord has guided me through it all, but in the ensuing thirty-plus years since those early days, I have come to realize that not much has changed in the Church. I feel it’s about time we seriously mentor young people, to help guide them, to help form them into effective ministers—way before they enter college and before they go on to seminary. I eventually returned to ministry, but what I would learn in college wasn’t near enough to prepare me for the real-world of working on a church staff and leading people.

We have an incredible opportunity to raise up dynamic, Spirit-filled, well-equipped, powerhouse ministers to take the Gospel into the 21st Century. Great musicians and ministers are in demand, but we have done a poor job of putting especially those with a high-degree of musical talent onto our church stages without first giving them a solid foundation in leadership, ministry team building, theological, musical and technical training, and proper time for their own spiritual formation. In short, I feel that many of the young worship leaders of our era are fatherless; they have been put out there in ministry because they are good guitar players, singers, performers and artists. They’ve been given a platform without proper oversight, support and training. The results can be damaging to the individuals and to the churches they serve.

This book, Worship Foundry, is a self-contained mentorship program of sorts. It encompasses just about everything I would want a student of worship to know—the most important items that I feel a successful worship leader must have in their toolbox. If there was a desert island list of things I would leave with someone, these pages contain the nuggets that I feel will get them started on the path to success.

A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings; Worship Foundry is not a factory, but a way through which ministers of all ages can be shaped, formed by the hand of God, purified with fire, and made into vessels for the Holy Spirit to use in a world that sorely needs Jesus.

Some have equated excellence with perfection. I want to dispel this notion by breaking the two words down into bite-sized pieces. In defining each concept, I hope to help others avoid the destructive sink hole of perfectionism that I’ve fallen into from time to time. We can find success, peace and satisfaction in life even though we’re imperfect people in an imperfect world.

Excellence

I don’t see excellence as a destination but rather a road trip— heading out on a God-journey toward bigger and better things that He has planned for us. We need to remember that “…we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10-NIV)”

My granddaughter, Charlotte, will turn one year old in September. The pediatricians say that she’s right on target in overall health, development and size. She tried to crawl up our stairs last week, and if it weren’t for us hovering over her like helicopters, we would have spent the rest of the day in the emergency room. You see as a baby, Charlotte is doing extremely well; I would consider her an excellent baby. If one were to measure her behavior and physical abilities compared to an adult, though, we would be worried. Thankfully, Charlotte is living up to her baby-sized potential.

Excellence is in play when a person or an organization is operating at their highest potential. They may not have all of the resources, or the strength of the next guy, company or church, but they are maximizing their capabilities and giving it everything they’ve got. The good thing about excellence is that it has nothing to do with the “next guy.” Pursuing excellence is not a destination—it’s a state of mind that helps us focus on the best possibilities for our personal lives, our families, our businesses and churches. While on this journey we can still make mistakes, learn from them, and get back on track.

Perfection

Perfection is an unreachable destination. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines perfection as: being flawless; free from fault or defect. Unfortunately, we humans have lost the race when it comes to perfection. The Bible defines sin as transgression (violation; crime) against the law of God. In archer’s terms, sin is a result of failing to hit the mark of perfection—we’ve missed the bull’s eye! But glory to God, Scripture says: “For just as through the disobedience of the one man [Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus] the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:17-NIV)”

God canceled our sin-debt through the blood of Jesus. Through faith in Christ we no longer have to worry about being perfect: Jesus, the Spotless Lamb, became a perfect sacrifice on our behalf! Perfectionism will always frustrate and disappoint because we will never live up to its demands. When we try to attain perfection in business, as artists, in church, in relationships, etc., we will never be truly content. There will never be perfect symmetry on earth, perfect people, or perfect organizations—and certainly not perfect churches. We need to deal with that fact and get on with life.

Excellence vs. perfection? I choose to travel on the road of excellence. I may hit a bump or two along the way, but I know that if I fix my aim on pleasing God, and offer my very best in every circumstance, I’ll hit the bull’s eye every time.

In a recent NBC interview with Chris Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey spoke of leaving a legacy, and recalled an earlier conversation she had about legacy with her mentor, Maya Angelou. Oprah said:

“I think the work you have done speaks for you. I remember when I opened my school in South Africa. I said, ‘This will be my legacy. This school is going to be my legacy.’ And Maya said, ‘You have no idea what your legacy will be! Your legacy is what you do everyday; it’s every life you’ve touched; it’s every person whose life was either moved or not; it’s every person you harmed or helped—that’s your legacy!’ So I don’t think about it. I just try to live it.”

We may not be able to pick our legacy, but we can choose to live each day with the desire to serve others—to love, to forgive, and encourage as we follow Christ. We can live to glorify God and, in the process, hope to leave a positive impact on the world around us.