Smartphone Worship

I'd like to thank my good friend Steve Quantick for the following blog. Steve is a worship leader, a musician, a writer and just about one of the most creative and talented people I know and really appreciate him writing for this blog and contributing some excellent poems to the anthology!

Thanks Steve!

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So Dan and I were housemates a while back, and I've been a follower of his poetry and writing for a while. And there are aspects of what he's said about introversion that really resonate with me now in a way perhaps they didn't when I first knew Dan.

Because I'm a bit of an odd one. I always thought I was a full on extrovert, but in the years since living with Dan I've discovered I'm an extrovert with introverted tendencies. I love being around people, but I need my time away from them.

I'm also an odd one in that I love the craft of the creative act and I love the spontaneity.

Which leads me to one of my only worship-poetry experiences.

We had a worship night at church a couple of years back, and the congregation were being encouraged to share what they felt God was saying.

Now I'm a musician and a singer so I could have shared a song.

I'm a confident public speaker so I could have said a prayer.

But I sat in my seat, opened a note on my smartphone and wrote a poem, which I then stood up in front of the church and shared.

I'd never done anything like that before, which leads me to two thoughts about worship poetry;

1. It's the responsibility of the church leadership to be open to and encourage that kind of creativity.

In a big church it's not an open mic. If everyone got a chance to stand on their soapbox we'd never leave.

So when I nudged the person leading the meeting and said "I have a poem", instead of a blank stare they said "Okay", sidled up to the worship leader and quietly let him know that in the next available break in the song I'd be sharing a poem.

It was that simple. The trust and value I felt in that moment was so empowering and gave me the confidence to really go for it with performing the poem.

2. Why doesn't it happen more often?

We have spontaneous songs, spontaneous prayers, why shouldn't people feel empowered to scribble down a poem and share it? Or even a spontaneous spoken word piece?

For me, I've written a lot of poems, almost entirely for my wife, so the overflow of my heart when it comes to translating how I feel into poetry is pretty quick.

So is it, perhaps, the responsibility of the worship-poet to cultivate that speed of overflow?

Because I believe the same God who inspires the creativity we're accustomed to on a Sunday morning is not only interested in different forms.

I believe he champions it.

I believe he celebrates it.

I believe he gives a standing ovation to any child of his that steps out in spontaneous creativity.

No matter what form that takes.

By Steven Quantick