Rev Rock :: AKA :: Dan Lance

I can speak in front of people. I can perform in front of people. I can preach in front of people. Today, at lunch I had many chances to tell my good friend Rev Rock what I love about him and what he means to me. Maybe I choked at the opportunity, maybe I didn't feel eloquent at the time. I do know that I don't regret not saying anything; here is why? I just feel like I will see Dan again someday and it will feel like the same. There are few friends I can say that about. The kind that you can start right where you left off. I think Dan is one of those friends; so I didn't need to make a speech about how much I am going to miss him. If anything, Holly and I have a new vacation spot. Now we have 3; Trav & Annette, Bill & Patty, and now Dan & Alyssa.

Now to make a speech about what Mr. Rock has done for me in front of 30+ people, to me, is not appropriate. But...to post, for all of bloggdom to read...now that's classic!!!

I lead musical worship. I would consider myself a good singer. I would consider myself a good guitar player. I have never had problem leading people through a song whether it was the band I was leading or a group of people singing with me. I was choir president for my high school so I would lead whole choral arrangements whenever the choir director was gone. So needless to say I have no problem with leading music and having people follow me in song. When I started leading music at The Grove I thought that it was an easy job because I can do all that I have mentioned but looking back, I was not enabling people to usher themselves into the presence of God through a common language like music.

Enter Dan Lance from, to me, Redding California. He took over the College group at VCC and brought a certain style of freedom in leading people through musical worship. I didn't like it. To me, whenever he led, his style was distracting. I didn't get why he would move away from the mic and just sing at the top of his lungs to the ceiling. It is unconventional and not conducive to leading people in musical worship. But the more he led in this way the more I understood that he was leading himself in musical worship and not just the audience. Once I understood this my ability to sing, play, and lead all came together for the glory of One. What I am saying is that because of Dan Lance, my style of leading people in music has freed me to be the music leader I am today. When I lead I do care about if people are going to get it but in the end, by the last song in the set, I am only concerned about what I am giving to God. Sure I have made my own style but the foundation I have is because of Dan Lance. The foundation I speak of is just being myself. Backing away from the mic to scream at the top of my lungs is me giving myself and acting undignified.

Dan thank you so much for showing me the truth about being caught between a song and a scream...