As a pastor I find my self drawn to sit towards the front of every church service I’m in.  In fact, this past Sunday I noticed something rather curious.  Usually, I sit on the 3rd or 4th row with my wife.  I love being able to worship with her and I find that it’s is a valuable part of our relationship together.  The weeks that I preach I am left to attend a service (usually the 2nd) by myself, so I end up on the front row.  These are [supposedly] the best seats in the house, right?

You would think so, but it turns out that the way the speakers are positioned off of the ceiling, the sound waves shoot right past those of us on the front row.  This creates an annoying dead spot making certain parts of the mix (especially the lyrics) almost inaudible until about the fourth row back my normal seats.  Funny huh?  The people who are closest to the action have the hardest time hearing the lyrics.

Those of us who are on the front row of what God is doing (Pastors, Deacons, volunteers, etc) are in the greatest danger of having the sound waves shoot right over our heads.  That is we are so close to the action that we lose a sense of wonder and gratitude.  We see God do remarkable things day in and day out and we no longer hear the rumble and feel the vibrations of the workings of the Spirit.  Church leaders can often find ourselves with the best seats in the house, straining to hear the lyrics, in the dead spot on the front row.  Honestly, I find myself in this position more that I care to admit, straining to hear the Father while sitting closest to the action.  I don’t know the solution but I know that the first step is identifying the problem so I would love your thoughts.