By Shaun Junggren
[For the extended, original text of this entry, check out this and other provocative blogs about worship at www.thesundayspark.com]
5. Don’t Give Up on Someone Just Because They Are Annoying
I’m not sure there ever was a more obnoxious character in TV history than Chloe O’Brian. She came in with a bit part as a CTU analyst in Season 3 and man, was she ever obnoxious, childish and seemingly dumber than a box of hair. From her first on-screen moment, I not-so-secretly wished that she would end up as another casualty, amongst the hundreds in Jack Bauer’s war on terror.
However, that was not to be. She went on to appear in 124 more episodes. Second only to our man, Jack. Over the course of the next 5 seasons we all came to love her. She grew in her relationship with Jack and by the Final Season, she was Jack’s most trusted confidant and saved his bacon umpteen times.
This has happened to me countless times in ministry as well. Some of the people that bugged me the most eventually became some of my most faithful and trusted friends/ministry partners.
4. Just Because You Die, Doesn’t Mean Your Dead
Over the course of 7 seasons, Jack died on 2 separate occasions. But both times he came back to save the day (not unlike Jesus--hmmm?). In fact, the show itself died in 2010 but eventually returned as 24: Live Another Day.
The same goes for you.
Sometimes you will fail. Sometimes your amazing ideas will die a horrible death. That doesn’t mean they can’t be rethought, refashioned, repurposed and resurrected. Take a page from Jack Bauer’s playbook: stare into the face of defeat; grab it by the throat and yell, “YOU’RE GOING TO DO EXACTLY WHAT I TELL YOU!”
3. Some Days Are Just Too Crazy To Go To The Bathroom
I’m not sure if this is a nugget of wisdom or just a fun fact: but in 8 seasons--representing 8 full 24 hour days of Jack Bauer’s life--he never eats, sleeps or goes to the bathroom. Not once.
I suppose we can say that the lesson is--when you’re doing life-saving, world-altering, important work--sometimes your personal needs come last. Yeah, that’s the lesson: be sacrificial with your time.
2. The Bomb Is Set To Go Off and You Better Be Ready
Do you ever wonder if Jack gets tired of saving the world over and over again? I mean, it’s pretty stressful, diffusing bomb after bomb knowing that the next one is just around the corner.
Sometimes our work feels a lot like that. As soon as we wrap up the last service on Sunday it’s almost as if someone immediately resets the cosmic clock to 6 days: 23 Hours: 59 Minutes and we hear the ominous tick-tocking of the countdown to the next bomb. That’s why we need to be like Jack and always be prepared and persevere--because the world is in danger and we need to be at our best.
1. Remember That It’s All About The Main Character, Not The Formula
The magic of 24 wasn’t just the formula. Rather, it was the main character, Jack Bauer. He was intriguingly different and that’s why were attracted to the show.
The same is true for our church services. If we are holding onto the “magic formula” of yesteryear, then we probably aren’t taking chances anymore. If our congregation doesn’t NEED to be at church every week to know exactly what’s going to happen, then guess what? Pretty soon they WON’T be there every week to see what happens and our once-thriving church will begin the slow death walk into irrelevance.
On the other hand, if we realize that it’s all about the main character, Jesus--and commit to dramatically presenting him as the only One who can truly “save the day,” then our church can remain vibrant and relevant in our community for a long, long time. But we have to be willing to take the risk.
Remember: the clock is ticking!
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Shaun Junggren has been leading, writing and recording worship music for over 20 years. For the bulk of that time he was honored to serve as the Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts at a Seattle suburban Bible church.
Like so many creative directors, he learned a lot by failing a lot. That's why, together with longtime friend/ministry partner, Kendon Shaw, he recently launched www.thesundayspark.com. "We're all passionate about creating amazing experiences with God and our people. We don't want our lack of training, budgets, facilities or workforce to snuff out that fire. That's what the Sunday Spark community is all about - keeping a fire lit in worship leaders and in worship services through training, inspiration and helpful resources."
Shaun recently escaped the Seattle rain and relocated to Nashville, TN where he eats too much barbecue and loves life with his wife and two kids.