I think I'm Done

I’ve always tried to stay at least somewhat involved with music and the support of the artists that I enjoy for most of my life.  Over the years I’ve planned and been a part of my fair share of shows and events. Some good and some not so much but I’ve always gravitated back to wanting to be a part of that community again.

That feeling started creeping in again and I figured I would give another go at it.  I thought I would try and plan another event, keep it simple and try to maximize the impact.  In the past I’ve pulled off similar events with varied success.  This time I contemplated about taking it up a notch and really going after a few artists that I thought would have a strong influence on the local crowd at large.

This is where the story veers off the road and runs into a ditch.  When I was confronted with the cost of booking the two artists I was considering I was seriously taken back.  Now here’s the thing, my issue doesn’t lie in the financial needs of the artists.  They have to answer for the compensation they acquire in this life just as I’m responsible for what I make at my mostly 8 to 5 gig.

The issue is, in this culture of consumerism and entertainment…sometimes over entertainment, I’m not sure it’s a responsible use of resources to ask a group of people (specifically a youth group full of young believers) to pour themselves into raising enough money to have an event that in the end will be very much self-serving.

Before anyone jumps to any conclusions, let me be the first to say that I’m still a supporter of music, artists and concerts.  I’m just starting to think that the mentality I’ve held onto for years about using my local church as a venue for something that in the end can be much more about personal entertainment and much less about the honest sharing of the gospel has been a tad askew.

Do I think our church could raise the money to pull off an event like this right now?  Yeah, I think so.  Do I also think that our church could raise enough funds to retrofit a house for someone that has become permanently disabled and can’t afford the construction costs? Yeah, I think so too.

See the difference?  I do now more than ever.  Music and artists will always have their place and I will always support them in some capacity.  As for teaching the youth that surrounds me what they can do in a spiritual sense, I think I would rather show them how to build a handicap ramp instead of a stage.