visiting this Saturday? We would need to get there around 2:00.”
“Okay,” Lisa agreed. “Who else is going?”
“Not too many,” Mark went on, “I’d like to bring one of the sound guys, maybe Ron. And I’d like Ted and Mary Lynn to go, just because I know they would be interested.”
“You want me to call them?” Lisa offered.
“No, thanks babe, I’ll do it. I’ll talk to you when I get home, love you.” Mark closed.
“Love you.” Lisa finished.
As the phone disconnected and Mark drove the rest of the way back to his office at Renaissance, he couldn’t help but smile. God was doing some amazing things in the life of the church, and Mark was thrilled to be part of it.
VERSE 4
(The Story of Justin Stallard)
“I’m actually kind of glad I’m not on praise team this week,” Justin spoke into the phone while restringing one of his guitars. “I mean, I like praise team and all, but I’m way too busy this week to learn new music, you know?”
A girl’s voice on the other end said, “I don’t know why you even play at church Justin. I mean, it’s not like they pay you or anything.”
“I know,” he replied, “but it’s kind of like my good deed for the week. You gotta do your good deed for the week to make up for all the bad ones, right?”
They both laughed.
“Listen, I gotta go,” Justin began, “I gotta finish stringing my guitar and get ready for the show tonight. Are you coming?”
“I can’t,” the girl’s voice said, “I’ve gotta work until midnight. You wanna come over afterward?”
Justin smiled. “Yeah,” he said, “I guess I could drop by after the show. You in the mood to party?”
“Sure,” came the voice.
“Well alright,” he finished, “I’ll see you after the show.”
Justin said goodbye and hung up the phone. He got up and walked over to his dresser, opening the top drawer where he found a plastic sandwich bag of marijuana with two joints rolled up inside. He took out the joints and put the rest back. Walking back over to his guitar, Justin tossed the joints into the storage area of his guitar case. Then he went back to stringing his guitar.
“Life is good,” he thought. But it wasn’t always that way. Justin grew up in church, but it was never a spiritual experience. The youth camps and lock-ins were social events more than anything. In fact, Justin remembered his first kiss was at church camp when he was thirteen.
Then his parents got divorced and his dad moved away - Justin wasn’t even aware they were having problems. That was hard on Justin, that’s when he started smoking. Smoking led to drinking, drinking led to drugs, drugs led to sex… it was just a natural progression. He never thought it made him a bad person. I mean, the agreement that Pastor Mark makes the team sign every year says that they will adhere to Biblical morals, but they can’t really expect him to do that. Can they?
Truth be told, the drinking and drugs had gotten him into a little trouble in the past. Justin remembered getting in a fight in high school when he went to a party in the next county he had no business going to. Then there was the one-night-stand he had after high school where the girl got pregnant. At least she said it was his, Justin knew she got around, so it was hard to be sure. He wondered whatever happened to her.
But right now life was good. He had a job that paid his bills, he gigged with a band that gave him his ‘fun money’ and he did his good deed on Sundays. Justin just hoped that Mark never found out about his ‘moral issues’. Not that Justin did anything all of his friends didn’t do, and probably half the church too, but Mark wouldn’t understand. Mark probably never drank a day in his life; he probably never had any problems worth drinking over.
Justin finished stringing his guitar, stretched the strings a little then tuned it up. Once he was comfortable with the tuning, he put the guitar back in its case and set it by the door. Then he went to his closet and got his pedal board case and put it by the door beside his guitar.
“Hmmm…” he said aloud. “Amp and cabinet are with the band gear, cables are with the band gear. Guitar… pedals… that should be it.” Justin picked up his guitar and pedal board case and headed to the living room where he saw his roommate on the couch.
“Jake, I’m out.” Justin said to his roommate.
“Have fun, rock the house.” Jake replied. “Oh, you got mail from that Mark guy at your church. It’s on the table.”
Justin walked over to the table and picked up the letter. “Ugh!” he sighed, “I’ll bet it’s that stupid contract we have to sign every year.”
“What contract?” Jake asked.
“Since we’re in a ‘leadership capacity’ by being on the praise team,” Justin answered, “we have to sign a contract every year that says we’re not currently living a life of sin.”
“But, you are living a life of sin…” Jake stated the obvious.
“I’m not killing anybody,” Justin remarked. “I’m basically a good person. I go to church every Sunday don’t I?”
Justin opened the letter. It was the contract, but there was also a cover page hand-written by Mark stating the importance of the contract. It also said that Justin was scheduled to play guitar for the Christmas service and that a song list was available online.
“Hey,” Justin said, “it looks like I’m playing the Christmas service.”
“I guess that means you’re the best guitarist he’s got.” Jake quipped.
“Not necessarily,” Justin commented, “he’s only got one other guitar player, and Ted usually travels with his family for the holidays so I’ll bet he just requested it off again this year.”
“You gonna sign that contract?” Jake plied.
Justin frowned. “I don’t know,” he said. “Yeah, probably. I don’t know. I gotta go to a gig right now, I’ll think about it later.” He grabbed his things and headed out the door, leaving the letter on the table. Justin packed his gear in the trunk of his car and started it up. He paused for a moment as if in thought, then shook his head and put the car in gear. He turned the radio on and heard a Christian song playing. Justin quickly pushed another preset button on the radio and heard a heavy rock song playing. Satisfied, he smiled and turned the radio up, then drove off.
As he drove, Justin kept thinking about the contract. “Seriously,” he thought, “I just play guitar - it’s not like I’m a preacher or anything. And they can’t tell me what to do and what not to do. I’m an adult, I make my own decisions.” He tried not to think about it anymore and just listened to music the rest of the way to the pub.
At the pub, Justin pulled around back to where the load-in area was and parked his car. He grabbed his gear out of the trunk and walked up the steps of the loading dock. When he walked out onto the stage, there were already people in the process of connecting cables and adjusting lights. He saw his amp and cabinet in their normal place, right up front and just to the left of the lead singer. “As it should be,” he thought. “No contract to sign here, just play your music son.” Justin set his pedalboard case down and got his pedalboard out. He got his guitar out and set it on the stand, then started hooking up wires and cables.
“Hey Justin.” said the guy setting up the drums.
“Hey Aaron.” said Justin. “Hey Aaron, do you go to church?”
“Church?” Aaron mocked, “Man, why would I go to church?”
“I dunno.” Justin replied.
“Do you go to church?” Aaron asked.
“Yeah.” said Justin.
“Why?” Aaron quizzed.
“I don’t know, I mean, I love playing guitar and that’s just another opportunity to play. Plus I feel like I’m doing my good deed for the week by going, you know?”
Aaron got a skeptical look and said, “No, I don’t know. Look man, there are two types o
f people in the world: those who like to have fun and those who don’t. Those who like to have fun party with the band, those who don’t like to have fun go to church. Which are you? I’m surprised they let you play, knowing your activity...”
“Yeah, well…” Justin trailed off.
Aaron paused for a moment, then said, “...they don’t know, do they?”
“Man, it doesn’t matter,” Justin started, “I’m not signing the stupid contract.”
“Contract?” Aaron said, “What contract?”
Justin continued, “The worship leader makes us, well, asks us to sign a contract every year stating that we’re not doing stuff that would look bad on the church, like smoking, drinking and having sex with people we’re not married to.”
“You gotta sign a contract to go to church?” Aaron asked incredulously.
“Not to go to church,” Justin replied, “just to be in a position of leadership like praise band or ushers or Bible study leaders.”
“And you signed it?” Aaron asked, even more incredulous.
“They wouldn’t let me play on the praise team if I didn’t.” Justin clarified.
“Man, I love playing drums too,” Aaron said, “but not enough to sign some contract saying I won’t party. It’s kind of hypocritical of you to even go, don’t you think?”
“I’m sorry I brought it up, let’s talk about something else.” Justin said as he tried to change the subject. “Are we playing the new song tonight or not?”
“Um, yeah I think so,” Aaron followed along. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Justin