Importance of Passion

I have to admit that growing up I never really enjoyed country music. I cannot say why at an early age I did not appreciate it, but regardless, while I will not run screaming from a room if it is turned on, it has never been something I really actively sought to listen to. Last night I had the pleasure of going to the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, TN. The Bluebird Cafe started as more of a cafe/restaurant , but has since become a performance venue for aspiring and established country music writers. The basic format is that you enjoy a meal, or drinks, or desserts while listening to four artist perform songs they have written, they each take turns, go in a circle, with the audience watching from their tables on all sides. As the evening progressed I came to better understand why I do not personally care for country music, and at the same time also realized why I was really enjoying the musical performance. Country music is simply too different a culture from who I am, a fact made quite clear during one song which offered tree-huggers as an example of how "the world is going to hell." What made it enjoyable for me, even when I did not care for a individual songs lyrics was the passion which each performer put into their work. These were their songs, that they had written, and these words were ones that spoke deeply to them. I could tell from watching the people around me, that the draw for many of them was in hearing the writers "tell it like it was," that for these people as well, the songs rang true. What made the songs good was not technical perfection, or universal appeal, but that in each one was the heart and the soul of the writer, the passion of the individual. If they were simply doing covers of other people's songs I doubt my experience would have been quite the same. I know that something I struggle with every week as I prepare to lead worship is how to make everything perfect, so that everyone is happy with what happened and no mistakes are made. An important insight I think I gained from my vacation is just the opposite, that what I really need to do is focus on preaching with passion, leading with passion, and if I have that, even when people disagree with my theology, or the musical selection, they will gain a greater appreciation for the passion that they see, and that to me seems more important right now.