MIDWEEK - Nothing Wasted
Darin and Aimee meet in California with Mike Myers and Stacey Robbins for a few days of fellowship. The four talk about how easy it is for Free Believers to look at their past life and service in the organized church setting, and feel as though it was all for nothing. Many Free Believers honestly feel their Christian journey did not even begin until they came to the knowledge of the His love and grace. It’s easy to feel like everything in life before this revelation was nothing but a big waste of time because it was based on false information. This can amount to twenty or thirty years for some people. The question of the conversation is whether or not life in the institutional system was a waste of time. Did the real journey begin with the revelation of grace or did it begin at birth? This can be a huge point of frustration for many people because they feel as if a sizable chunk of their life has proven to be useless, worthless, pointless, meaningless and good for nothing.
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Nothing's wasted. I was in "professional ministry" for over 25 years, but got a revelation of God's love and grace last year and it was absolutely like being born again. In looking back and wondering if it was all a waste, a lie, I see that God has been with me and part of me my whole life. All of life has been a journey with "Him"; the journey didn't just begin last year, but in 2009 all things definitely became new... and it is amazing :-) Nothing is wasted...
I agree, nothing is wasted we learn and grow from literally everything in life. I would think about the only real time wasted is any time spent in negativity and hate.
I agree, nothing is wasted we learn and grow from literally everything in life. I would think about the only real time wasted is any time spent in negativity and hate.
I love that nothing is wasted. I know it is because of my "wrong" experience with OC law keeping that I have a much deeper understanding of grace and the NC than I would have otherwise and I wouldn't trade that for anything. It's interesting to hear the perspective of worship leaders. The church I grew up in believed Christians were children of the devil, so I was never allowed to sing Christmas carols, hymns or listen to Christian music, so I like it more than "secular" music now. But, now that I'm detoxing from the mainstream, I have become aware of the manipulation and false gospel in a lot of it, so I'm much more selective and after all these years of listening to nothing but Christian music, I realize it's not good for my kids or me, really. I want my kids to see that God is in the world as a whole, he is not exclusive to the church and I want my kids to find him outside the secular/christian mindset.
Synergy! Each one of you added a valuable piece to this podcast. Thank you for being honest about walking through the difficulties and joy of finding truth.
Great podcast! Thank You! Maybe I'm crazy but as a former worship leader I never cared when people said you are anointed because those same people could say you are not anointed because you didn't play their favorite song. etc etc. I struggled early on when I started playing MY songs -the ones I wrote and played in the world. The biggest thing was the church friends refusing to come to those gigs because I was singing my songs instead of about Jesus. Funny they never bought my worship album though! It toyed with my head for awhile until I saw the change in people who heard my songs in coffeehouses and pubs and would write to me about how they related. I no longer struggle and I still feel I am gifted in music (never did use the word anointed) just as I did since I was 8 years old but it simply is not in church. Thank God I am free
I so loved this podcast! thank you .. I love everything all of you said... I can relate to everything you all said.. being a worship leader in a purty big church. I can sooooooooo relate... God taught me so many things about myself and Himself.. Salvation means "nothing missing, nothing lost".. Mike, I'm feeling the same thing.. my piano seems to only be played by our 14 yr old.. but when I have played like twice... it was just me and God.. no preparation for a set or a retreat that is stressing me out!!!!
Yeah, I'm pretty much with you all...my piano, which used to be played everyday for learning new "worship" songs, now sits and collects dust...serious identity crisis when I started backing away, but now I don't feel a need very often to play. And as far as the christian music goes..LOL just yesterday I was flipping channels and a worship song came on..I had to keep on flippin' the channel...haha yes, I felt guilt at first, but that feeling passed quiet quickly! Loved hearing all my favorite people together in one podcast. Thanks yet again for challenging my thinking.
Aida told me once, church was the foundation. Darin said once it is like school, you graduate and then move into the world. You learned and then grew having had that experience. If I mis-stated correct me please, but that was what finally helped me let go of the thought of all those years of sitting in church like a robot and what I considered wasted experiences. Church taught me some things, and so have thieves. Learn and grow. (and be free). Love dave
OH NO!! God never wastes anything!!!I would have some "do-overs" if I could but for the most part I have many great memeories, freindship, revelations, etc.. IF we believe that God has led us all of our lives, then it all counts. From Glory to glory...It's where I learned and found out that I had so many vain imaginations and ambitions. I still love leading worship for places like retreats in the IC because I do it completely different now. I do everything different. Yeah... the whole anointing thing is so bogus(most of the time) just vanity and vexation of spirit really.. but.. it's how I found out how much ego I had....
Dave, you’ve got a great memory. I don’t remember what I said and I haven’t listened to the podcast so I have no idea what was said but I do believe none of my time previous to coming into this message was wasted. What I learned in the institution has laid the foundation for where I am today and I’m the person I am today because of my previous experiences. Earlier this week I was talking to Heather and I told her that because I was a cell leader as well as having developed a successful woman’s ministry, I learned many things about myself and my capabilities. I’ve found that life goes in seasons but in the institution, we weren’t ever free to follow the changing seasons so we got locked into things which were no longer fruitful but that doesn’t mean they were never fruitful.
I don't believe that anything you learn from is wasted. It's when I have to go through the same thing more than once that I get annoyed with myself! When I was young, I lived my life with the attitude that I didn't want to look back on my life and say, "I had the opportunity to do .... but didn't." Yeah, now I get to look back and say, "I can't believe I did that." And that is both good and bad. But I learned and experienced through every experience. And looking back, I know that God was with me. He had to be or I wouldn't be here today. But I can also unequivically say that the church wasn't with me through most of it. So my lesson learned thus far is that God is there, even when we don't know it and the church is often MIA. Which is more important when the going gets rough? Easy answer! All of that to say, nothing is wasted. And I don't regret much. I cringe sometimes when reminescing, but I don't regret.
I would have to say that my time in the institutional church was a complete waste of time,the only thing it provided me was a comparative platform to completely understand what a control mechanism had been hung around my neck.
DJ, I think that in itself is a valuable lesson. I spent three years in a spiritually abusive church and now I can recognize even the most subtle forms of control and protect myself. The world out there is ready to control and manipulate us at every opportunity so, as someone who was easily controlled in the past, my time there has become in my opinion a gift. Also, now I’m able to help others who are wanting to be free from that control. I wouldn’t have understood if I hadn’t been there.
When it comes to all the emotional energy, striving and fussing I did while not understanding grace, I consider it all a waste! I like the Linkin Park song, "In the end, it didn't really matter..." Sums up my feelings so perfectly. But still there was value in spending time in the dark so that I could really appreciate how bright the light really is! A german saying, "The end is good therefore all is good!"
Faith, I agree! It's all perspective, isn't it? After over 25 yrs. in an abusive church situation, my favorite declaration now is, "Even the valleys are "higher ground." After yrs. of being under someone's control, my life seems easy, free and downright enjoyable!!! There is notjing like "prison" to make you enjoy and revere FREEDOM!!!
Faith, I agree! It's all perspective, isn't it? After over 25 yrs. in an abusive church situation, my favorite declaration now is, "Even the valleys are "higher ground." After yrs. of being under someone's control, my life seems easy, free and downright enjoyable!!! There is notjing like "prison" to make you enjoy and revere FREEDOM!!!
Gosh we sound like a bunch of defeated losers,(kidding). I'm in the same boat, singer, guitarist, and former worship leader.I jumped through too many hoops too many times like many.I feel the reason nothing is wasted even though I stopped is because we are no longer building a system, and I sure used to feel like someone's building block. I still listen to some christian music and secular music even though I don't like either of those terms. I often rip through some cool sounding blues riffs, I think that is full of the life of God and as worshipful as anything.
i'm so glad you talked about "Christian" music! Being a musician, that's the biggest thing I miss; that shared experience of joining with others in song. music is so powerful . . . I still hope that some day I can share in making music again with others. But, yeah, "praise music" mostly just triggers and reminds me of lies and manipulations.
Nice message. I was a teacher in the IC. One of the things I used, was music and dimmed lights to help get the kids in the "mood". I am amazed when I take the time to unpack some of this stuff, what is truly been my relationship with God!
I do still listen to "Christian" music, however, I HEAR it differently now..
OMGosh, I've been enjoying secular music so much more since becoming a freebeliever and enjoying christian music less.(only listened to christian music before)This troubled me, so I would make myself listen to it to stay balanced. Thank you Aimme for what you shared.I've been set free once again! Sometimes I feel things and don't know why or what they mean. Thank you all(Darin,Aimme,Stacey,& Mike) for puting words to my feelings.