**In Motion**

So, yesterday some pretty rough news came out. A pastor/worship leader from New Zealand, who wrote a very beautiful and moving song called Healer came out with the truth behind his story. He claimed to have been diagnosed with cancer, and while processing and dealing with what had just happened to him he wrote this song.

The truth is, that after two years of walking with a limp and carrying around oxygen tanks and such, he has never had cancer. He just wrote the song and created a story to back up the song and create a huge emotional appeal among believers.

He had lied. To his congregation. To his family. To all of us.

When I heard about this, I felt a little betrayed. When I first learned about his story, originally, I was so moved by it. I remember weeping the first time that I watched the video of him performing the song at a Hillsong deal. When I read the article, which you can find here, I felt like someone had pulled the rug out from under one of the more incredible things I had ever seen. It causes my heart to ache with disbelief.

Then I started thinking about it. I had spent most of yesterday feeling betrayed and just pissed at him. How could someone do that? How could someone be so selfish?

This morning, we talked about it in SG. Duane brought up the passage in Joel, and emphasized this phrase:

Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar.

Basically, those of us who are considered to be “Priests” in the context of our modern churches, which includes Worship Leaders, Pastors, Greeters, Small Group leaders and anyone of the like, should worship in our private, intimate moments with God (our altars) like we do in our moments where we are leading or on stage or in front of our group or in front of people (our temple porch).

After mulling this over all day and not being able to stop thinking about it, I have finally stopped being mad and upset with this man. I feel for him. I ache for him. No longer with anger or antimosity, but in sympathy. I ache for Him to know that God loves him and even though what he has done is unexcusable, God is the God of second chances. He is the God of Redemption.

Today, God said that He had had enough of this masquerade. He pulled the sheet off of the whole thing. And now comes the real healing. I have been praying all day that God would heal his heart. Show him what he has been hiding from everyone for so long. I pray for redemption for this man, and that we can all look at this and learn. Our worship has to be the same. Porch or Alter.

I pray that this would encourage worship leaders, young and old alike, that we need to be so incredibly careful with whatever influence we may have over God’s people and that we would take what we do, spiritually, so serious. After hearing from Duane’s heart this morning, I will never lead the same again. We aren’t all so far away from this guy. Maybe we’re not going to go and fake a terminal illness, but what is it in our lives? So, tonight, I pray for my heart, my passion of leading worship, for those worship leaders at Port City, and for those all over the world proclaiming the truth of Christ. Let us be so careful with what God has blessed us with.

I’ll end with something that a buddy of mine, Matt Blair, quotes all the times. I hope this cuts deep and opens your eyes tonight. This quote is from our pastor, Mike Ashcraft, and he said,

“Never let your talent out run your character“

Let that sink in. My heart aches today. It aches for forgiveness and redemption.

One.Love

cd