Guitar on the Race… YES!! Bring it!!!

1. The wonder of worship
2. Lessons I have learned
3. Practical tips/recommendations for traveling with your guitar 

 

The entire point of missions is to spread the love and goodness and glory of God to all of the nations, to every single person, so that everyone can know His beauty and love, and desire to worship Him.  The reason that missions needs to happen is because there are billions of people who are not able to worship God because they don’t believe Him in, they don’t know Jesus and have never entered into a relationship with the one, true, living God.  Worship is the ultimate goal of the church, not missions.

And, in and of itself, missions work is also worship.  Just by being me, a follower of Christ, in my community or in different nations, I am a light that brings glory and worship to God.  What is the chief end of man?  To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  My whole reason for existing is to love and worship God.  Worshipping God is the center of my existence/heart/being/soul/spirit, however you want say it.  I get to love Him and be loved by Him, and that is a mystery and wonder that I will never understand.

 

Lessons I have learned

Wow, where do I even begin….I thought about deleting this section, but I don’t know, I think it’s amazing what God has done in my life through this journey with worship on the Race.  I’m sharing in hopes that He will be glorified, and to encourage others to say yes to leading worship.

I feel like I have taken quite the journey out of being a private worshipper into becoming a worship leader in public.  I laugh because a friend of mine once told me that if I kept playing the guitar, God might one day use it to lead others into His presence.  But, I didn’t really believe her, I didn’t think that would happen.

I started playing about 7 years ago.  I’m really not super great haha, but it’s good enough for me.  I have spent a majority of the last 7 years playing and singing to God in my own bedroom.  I have kept my praise to God very, very private.  One of my best friends didn’t even hear me play/sing for the whole 3 1/2 years I knew her, until right before I left for the Race (Jenn! haha).  I lived in a home with people who have become like second parents to me, and I think I played in front of them maybe 10 times, tops.

It has always been my special thing with God, something just between me and Him.  

I guess about 3 years ago, I felt the Lord nudge me to play and sing one song at this open-mic type worship service thing that I had gone to.  I was completely shocked that He would ask me that.  But, I did it, with a huge amount of trepidation.  But once I was singing, I opened my eyes and saw a dozen or so people worshipping the Lord with me.  It was truly amazing that God wanted to use this special thing between me and Him to help create a space for Him to minister to other hearts, and for others to praise God with music.  It was really cool.

There have been a handful of other moments like that through the last 3 years.  I started to have a love for sharing my gift with others, but, I was very, very afraid at the same time. At training camp I led worship a few times, but I don’t know, it just sort of happened spontaneously.  I wasn’t in any kind of “formal” worship leader role.  And there were other musicians on our squad at the time, so it wasn’t just me, so I felt fine leading some spontaneous worship because other people did it too.

It’s difficult to explain.  It’s like, I know I have a gift to offer the body of Christ, so I want to offer it, but for reasons that are very deeply rooted in my life, I wouldn’t have ever, ever, in a million years, ever have wanted to be the only person on my squad willing and able to lead worship with guitar on my squad.  I liked the spontaneous worship times, but to be a person that the whole squad knows they can look to to play guitar and sing at any given moment, I didn’t want that to be just me.

Well, as it turns out, the other two worship-leader-type-people that were on my squad at Training Camp both left by the end of camp!  Yea… so, I was left as the only one on my squad of 24 at that time who played guitar and sang at the same time well enough to lead worship at any given moment.  There are amazing singers on my squad.  And there is a guy who plays guitar better than I can.  But basically, I have memorized TONS of worship songs, and my friend who plays guitar hasn’t, so even though he is better on the guitar, I can sing any number of worship songs at any given moment. 

I have memorized so many songs because playing guitar and singing is my favorite way to worship God, and over the past 7 years I’ve just basically played worship songs.  I could sing them in my sleep.  But I never thought that He would choose to use this love I have of music/praise/worship in this way.  I seriously wish there were even one other worship-leader-type on my squad, who plays and sings at the same time.  If there were, I wouldn’t be the only one. (To put it in perspective, I met another squad with 14 people total, and they had 5 incredibly talented musicians!)

I think that God put me in this unique position on purpose!  Lol.  He is so funny sometimes.  He has used it to grow me a lot.  

I have wanted to share the gift God gave me and my skillset with the squad, with the body of Christ, in order that God would be glorified, and we could worship Jesus together.  But I have had a huge insecurity about my voice for a long time.  

Not just how it sounds, that’s just the surface.  But, my voice represents me.  It’s my thoughts/opinions.  In the past, I have believed lies that my voice is not good, my thoughts are not worth sharing, or that if I do share them, I could in some way be hurt.  It’s hard to explain.  But this was a very huge thing that I struggled with.  

I found it easier and better to be silent, to not share my true thoughts.  I would much rather be unheard, unseen, unknown, in the background, with no attention on me, silent.  If I could just disappear I would have.  That’s how I felt coming onto the Race.

The most important thing that I’ve learned from being a worship leader for my squad is that my voice is good, it is a gift from God, in all its forms.

My singing blesses Him, and it blesses the squad, because literally there is not one other person who can just at any given moment play a worship song, and sometimes the need is very immediate like that.  

Many on my squad have told me that they are so thankful that I’m sharing my gift with them, that they are blessed.  It has seriously very deeply changed how I think about my voice.  Now I see my voice as a gift from God that I don’t want to keep to myself!  I’ve been growing and learning how to share more of my thoughts/opinions with my team and squad too, and just in general. 

I have known for a long time that God uses me to share about Jesus and the Good News, but in general, I think that I was living under this idea that it was best to quiet and unseen/unheard.   Satan wanted me to believe that it was best to be silent, but God designed this unique situation for me on the Race, and now I know more than anything that my voice is a gift and I don’t want to be silent about God or other things that matter.  I don’t want to hide myself, because when I do I hide Christ in me.  I am the salt and light of the world.  God didn’t create me to be hidden!

Lesson 2

I have also learned that you don’t have to do things by yourself.  At one point a few months in, I had pretty much decided that I was going to tell my squad that I didn’t want to step anymore into leading worship…sorry… but I just couldn’t do it anymore.  I was being stretched a lot, I didn’t want to be in any kind of position where I was seen/heard as much as you are when you lead worship.  

A close friend back home told me that I could invite others to join me in leading the squad into worship.  So I asked 3 or 4 people, and at the next debrief, we had worship team practice, and I wasn’t alone!  It was so comforting to have my friends with me.  Another time, someone played guitar and someone else sang, and I didn’t even lead worship at all.  It was great to learn how to work together as a worship team. 

Lesson 3

I also learned that worship can’t be put in a box, and it doesn’t have to be perfect.  One time at a debrief, I felt God nudge me to sing a song after we heard this message.  I definitely felt the tension.  I knew that I could sit in my chair, I didn’t have to follow the nudge.  But I could feel that there was more in that moment for my squad.  And I could say yes, and God would use me to help create something more for my squad.  Or I could say no, and the squad would be fine, but we wouldn’t be able to enter into a new thing together.  I said yes.  But when I got up there and picked up a guitar that was in the room, the guitar actually was tuned in a very weird way that I was not used to, and I also didn’t have a pick, which I always play with a pick.  I started to panic haha, but I don’t know, I just started playing and singing, and then everyone else started singing.  To me, the guitar sounded completely horrible, it was tuned so weirdly, but when I opened my eyes, I saw that many in my squad were singing and worshipping the Lord in their own ways.  It didn’t matter that to me the guitar sounded horrible, and it didn’t matter that I didn’t have a pick.  It didn’t matter that things weren’t PERFECT to me.  The Lord used that moment to bring individuals on my squad closer to His heart.  I offered what I had, and it wasn’t perfect, but the Lord delighted in my offering (I believe) and He turned it into something beautiful.

 

Lesson 4

To say yes.  Throughout this whole Race, every time I have said yes to leading worship in some way, I have grown in some way.  Just a few nights ago I led worship at a church prayer service for a few dozen people.  Wow, I have come SO far from being the private worshipper I once was.  I still love worshipping privately, but I am now finding a true joy in sharing my gift with others.  I find myself volunteering now.  God doesn’t even have to nudge me anymore.  I have learned that when I say yes, it has always turned into some kind of awesome time when people are enjoying the presence of God, and I love that God is using me in this way.  It’s getting more and more deeply ingrained in me now that I should continue to say yes to everything that God asks me!  Because I have seen blessing after blessing when I say yes!  There are definitely difficult times, very hard times, even times when I wanted to quit because the stretching was too much.  But I wouldn’t trade the lessons I’ve learned for anything.  I’m glad I’ve said yes.

 

 

 

Practical tips/recommendations

 

I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU BRING YOUR GUITAR ON THE RACE! 

 

ESPECIALLY if you hate the thought of not playing it for more than a few days, or even a week.

Let’s do a little exercise…. Ok, take a moment, right now, and think about this! How much do you play your guitar every week? Now take a few minutes and imagine going 48 entire weeks without it.

 

****imagine****

 

Are you done imagining that scenario?? I can tell you, I didn’t have my guitar for 2 1/2 weeks in Spain and I was so sad inside. A huge part of me was missing! I love music and playing my guitar for hours on end, and I didn’t have the chance to do something I loved for weeks. Ultimately I was fine in Spain, but I cannot imagine going the whole Race like that.

I know it *seems* like an extra burden, but in fact, it hasn’t been bad at all, and I have been so filled with delight from having my guitar that even if it *were* a burden, I would still bring it.

 

So you are bringing it, right??

**mmhmm, YES DEFINITELY!!!**

 Great!! That resounding YES is what I want to hear 🙂

 

Leaving the United States! This will be you soon!! 🙂

Alright, below are some of my practical tips. But first, future Racers, it’s important for you to remember that your Race will be vastly different from mine. But, you’ll still be taking planes, trains, taxis, buses, etc. It might be helpful for you to know that I am in month 7, I have moved about once or twice a month, and I’ve taken 6 plane rides. I can’t count how many taxis and buses I’ve been in with my guitar. Also there was 1 ferry and a few trains. I do believe that my route, Expedition, moves around a lot more than traditional routes. I have been completely fine carrying my guitar in all of these situations. I think you will be too!  Also, I’ve been traveling through first world countries so far, with basically mild or cold temperatures (one hot country, Morocco, but not super hot or humid).  Basically, if you’re going to Africa or South America, keep in mind, my Race is a lot different than yours with climate/temperatures and I can’t really speak to any of that or how it will affect your guitar.

Another thing to keep in mind as you read my tips is that I’m on a squad of 23 and I currently have the only guitar.

 

My tips/thoughts/recommendations:

 

Leading worship – If you plan to lead worship for your squad at any point in time, I recommend bringing a full-size acoustic (acoustic-electric if possible). 

–>I brought a full-size, acoustic-electric guitar (a Luna) and my squad is 23 people which is pretty small compared to most other squads.  I have found that I’ve preferred the loudness and depth of the sound from my full-size much more than the sound that came from my squad-mates travel-size guitar (before it warped and he sent it home).  In fact, at times I have felt that the loudness of my guitar is barely enough for everyone to hear over all of the singing.  I can’t imagine how it would be if my squad were 40 or 50 people.  

–>I know that it is tempting to bring a travel-size, and honestly, if you’re not planning to lead worship for your whole squad, or if your squad will have more than one guitar, that will probably be fine.

–>I’m definitely biased though.  Before I left, I went to many guitar shops looking for a travel-guitar, and I didn’t even like the sound that came from a Baby Taylor, one of the best on the market.  I like the fullness and depth of my full-size guitar much better!  So I guess it’s up to you and your ear… idk, I just don’t really enjoy the sound from travel-size guitars. I would say if you’re like me in that aspect, DO NOT CAVE and get a travel-guitar because you think it will be easier to transport.  Just bring your full-size, enjoy the beautiful sounds it makes, and you’ll be just fine transporting it.  Trust me, I’ve done it for 7 months now.

–>It was nice to have my acoustic-electric once when I led some Christmas carols at a church in Jordan.  I also had the opportunity to lead worship the other night at a church here in Armenia. We were able to plug my guitar into the sound system in both cases.  You might find yourself in a similar situation, where having a pickup is useful.  That’s why I suggest an acoustic-electric.  You don’t need to bring a cable though.

 

More benefits of guitar on the Race

–> Making new friends – It’s really neat to have your guitar on the Race, not just for your team and squad, but for the people that you will meet.  It has been an awesome conversation starter.  You can take it to a park and start playing and people flock to you.  And then you get to bless them with music and your team mates can talk to them :). I played some worship songs for a group of refugees in Paris once.  I’ve taught many people how to play guitar.  It gives you really cool, special moments with people.  It makes them smile.  That has been my favorite part of having guitar on the Race.

                    

  

                 

 

  

 –> Personal worship – Playing guitar and singing is my favorite way to worship the Lord in my own way, in my private worship.  If you are the same, do not forget that fact as you consider whether to bring it or not.  I mean, you can definitely stretch into new/different ways to worship God, and maybe something else will become your favorite.  But  for me, I know that I would be so sad if I couldn’t worship God in this way for a whole year.  

 

 

Traveling… let’s think about this

Travel days – You really only have to lug your guitar to a new country or location once or twice a month.  Travel days, and/or if your lodging situation changes that month.  For the roughly 330 days you’ll be on the Race, that’s what, like 11 days?  or 22 days tops?  Let’s just say 15 days you’ll have to travel with your guitar.  That’s not too bad, considering the amount of value it brings to your life, and to your team/squad. 

And, on those travel days, it’s honestly not even that bad.  Yes it’s an extra thing to carry, and a tad heavy (I weighed mine in the case before I left and it was 8 or 9 pounds.).  But the weight isn’t bad at all, honestly.  It’s just an awkward shape.  I most often carry it myself, in various different ways (I’ve found the hugging-it-for-dear-life method works really well haha). 

But, several people on my squad view the guitar as a “squad guitar”… they have told me how much they enjoy having it with us, and many people have offered to carry it for me!  It’s humbling.  They have helped me carry it through airports, they watch out for it as we pack it into a bus, one guy even carried it for a mile or so as we crossed a border on foot recently.  My squad has been really helpful to me, and I’m sure it will be the same for you.  It has never been a burden to me.  I have not regretted for one second bringing it.  On the other hand, I have heard other people on my squad say that they wish they brought theirs.   

Daily use – There will be days that you want to bring your guitar with you to a park, or to a church, or something like that.  Usually, I’m getting in a taxi with it to go somewhere, or if I’m walking a short distance, I just carry it in my hands or across my back using my strap.  One of my longest walks with my guitar was 3 miles to a refugee camp in Paris.  In that case, I did really enjoy having my backpack-soft-case… the case I have is great because it has backpack straps, and it doesn’t feel like I’m carrying anything, it’s so light on my back.

It probably would have been miserable to carry my guitar for 3 miles in a hard case, but I bet there will be someone who wouldn’t mind helping you to carry it. That was the longest walk with my guitar that I’ve encountered on the Race (well, except that I had it on the Camino for 3 days, and I hiked like 10-15 miles with it each day)

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A short story… when I took it on the Camino

I thought it would be awesome to have on the Camino (a pilgrimage across the north of Spain).  And it was really awesome to have it.  It was a great conversation starter, and people were drawn to the music.  It opened doors for many conversations.  It helped me to have common ground with some other musicians.  Me playing the guitar led to me being able to share the Gospel with 6 Italians once (see my blog about it here). We hiked for 10-20 miles each day.  Each day was different.  We hiked through mountains, we hiked in the rain, in the heat, in the sun, the dark, the cold…. it was awesome.  I decided to ship my big pack ahead, so I was only carrying my backpack-guitar case.  I packed my clothes and toiletries in the extra spaces and pockets.  It was actually working pretty well.  But, after 3 days, I decided to ship it ahead.  That was a good decision.  It wasn’t too terribly heavy, but, on the Camino you want to go as light as possible, since you’re hiking so, so much every day, through many terrains.  And it rained sometimes, which wasn’t good for my guitar.  Sadly I had to say bye to it for a few weeks.  If you end up going on the Camino, I don’t recommend you bring your guitar.  But, I guess maybe if you are stronger than me, you wouldn’t mind the extra weight.  I vote “no” though.  

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Packing for the Race, with a guitar

Before I left for the Race, I made a pretty strong decision to bring MUCH less stuff in my pack than I wanted to and I didn’t plan to carry a daypack because I knew I’d be carrying this extra 8 pounds in my hands.  Just think about that aspect as you pack.  Don’t overburden yourself.  I don’t ever expect anyone to carry it for me, and I kept that mentality as I packed.  It’s nice when people help, but you’ll probably carry it a lot. 

(Note: I do have a daypack, which I find very useful.  So I would say, yes bring a daypack for sure, BUT, keep the weight on it very, very minimal.  I only use it for days when I need to carry my water bottle, or extra snacks, Bible, raincoat etc.  Otherwise, I use it as a holding place for my Bible, journal, and pens.  I am telling you, DO NOT fill it up, don’t do it!!!!  You will regret it so much if you do.

 

Planes, trains, cars, etc. etc.

–>Buses – When we are riding in a bus, I usually wait with my guitar until all of the bags are loaded, and then I put my guitar on the very top.  I don’t let my guitar leave my sight until I know that it’s packed safely. The last thing I want is for it to be thrown under 23 packs. (Or, I’ve heard that in some other countries it can be put on the top, even while it rains, etc.  I haven’t had that experience though). Sometimes there are even special storage areas the bus driver uses for instruments or other special items.  

–>Cars/taxis – You just lay it across the laps of everyone in the backseat, or you can sit in the front seat with it.

–>Trains/ferries – Just carry it on and put it in an extra seat near you, or in a storage area.

–> Planes – When traveling on a plane, I always untune my guitar to release the tension on the neck.  Altitude changes and different conditions can do weird/bad things to your guitar.  Releasing the tension helps to avoid some of that. I will address more about traveling on planes in the next topic.

 

Hard case vs. soft case

Although I really, really love my backpack-soft-case, If I could go back in time, I would definitely have brought a hard case.  And that is purely and only because of the flights.  In ALL other scenarios I think a soft-case/gig bag is perfect/ideal.  However, the amount of stress/anxiety I have felt about my guitar on flights has made me wish I had brought my hard case instead.  So, I suggest you bring a hard case.

The reason is that I would be able to check it under the plane each time.  I’ve heard of guitars getting ruined when you check it, but I’ve traveled with my guitar in a hard case checked and put under the plane back in the States, and it was never ruined.  (Maybe I just got lucky, I don’t know).  However, when I was thinking about the Race, I knew that I had also traveled on planes with it in my soft case, I thought I could pull it off for the year.  And in fact, it’s worked every time but once.  All of the flights I’ve taken on the Race have let me take my guitar on board in the soft case.  EXCEPT ONE which is why I’m suggesting that you bring a hard case, and why I wish I had brought one, because that was incredibly stressful for me. 

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Here’s the story…