As I begin this column today, I am looking down upon one of the most beautiful scenes you could imagine. The snow-capped Rocky Mountains are glittering in the sun, making me wish I had a parachute so I could really enjoy them. Breckenridge ski resort is clearly visible with Winter Park in the distance. I am awestruck as I try to comprehend the might, power and creativity of Almighty God, Who, with but a spoken word, created this marvelous scene.

I am reminded that God’s word tells us that we also are His creation. In fact, in Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works”. Ever stop to think of yourself as Christ’s handiwork?

When people stop to take a good look at you, what do they see?

Some will just see the “sound tech”. You know; the guy or gal who accidentally pushes the microphones a little too hard and makes the room sound “ringy”. (Only once a year, right?)

Being identified by what you do is hard to handle sometimes. I know I’ve monologued with myself from time to time attempting to convince myself that my identity isn’t found in my job description, it’s found in my relationship with Jesus Christ.

However, humanity seems obsessed with the need to label and categorize us by our function, not our relationship with Christ. Occasionally, even church leadership can fail to recognize staff and members as real people with real lives and real problems. It seems the larger a church grows, the more demanding it becomes to plug bodies into positions, perhaps temporarily solving our functional needs, but perhaps ignoring the creation God has placed within our trust. Maybe you feel like you’re one of those people just “plugged in” so your church can function. Well, take heart, because Christ will work in your life in spite of where you are and what you may be doing.

As the Rocky Mountains go behind in the distance, another part of God’s hand is seen to the south called the Grand Canyon. Wow! I’m reminded that God didn’t make the whole earth look like the Rocky Mountains. He’s placed such diversity into this world that rarely do two places look alike. And He’s done the same with our lives. The body of Christ is also diverse. Each person is unique and carries within an imprint of God’s handiwork. Each of us has a different mix of spiritual gifts as well as natural gifts and abilities. And, if we honestly believe Christ is the head of the church, isn’t it logical to think that He expects the church to unleash His created people for the purpose in which He intended?

As all of God’s people say, “Amen”, I’m sure you are thinking of several people in your ministries who seem “out of place”. I’ve discovered over the past twenty years of ministry, there are few churches who have an enabling mentality. It is more likely that church leadership becomes concerned with management and control than with unleashing God’s created people for which the purpose they were designed. If you’re stuck in one of these places, pray hard my friend, for it’s not the will of God that the church should limit people’s roles to man’s vision, but rather to capture God’s vision by letting go of the control so His handiwork can be seen. After all, isn’t God much more capable of knowing what is best for the church than our finite minds could envision?

So I write this as an encouragement to those of you who may be feeling stuck in the mundane routines of technical jargon, amplifiers, wattage and people. Ask God to create something new in your life! He’s pretty great at it, you know.

It’s very easy to get lost in the daily and mundane when our vision is limited to our own little world. But, if we could only see our ministries as God sees them, with all of the potential of His power and grace to reach into lives, well, perhaps our work will become an adventure instead of a routine.