10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
1 Peter 4:10-11 (NLT)
FROM SIDELINES TO BETWEEN THE LINES
My wife, Amy, and I began attending NorthStar Church in March 1997, just three months after we were married and two months after the church’s launch. We officially joined in June of that year, but during our first five years at NorthStar, we knew only a handful of people and weren’t plugged in anywhere.
Sometime around 2002, an announcement was made from the stage one Sunday morning—a moment that would change my life. Someone shared that there would be a meeting later that week for people interested in serving on the Hospitality Team (ushers, greeters, parking lot attendants, etc.). I had been looking for a way to get involved, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
I went to the meeting with one thought: find the lowest-hanging fruit. In other words, look for a role that required the least commitment—maybe serving once or twice a month. I wasn’t planning to go all in; I just wanted to dip my toe in the shallow end. But God had different plans.
That night, I remember hearing from DeWitt James and Brian Dodd, two men I would grow to love and serve alongside in the years to come. Brian shared an illustration that has stuck with me for more than 20 years. It was the week of the Super Bowl, and he talked about the thousands of fans who would fill the stands, paying top dollar to attend.
“But they’re just spectators,” he said. “The ones who reap the rewards are the players on the field—between the lines—in the game.”
Then, almost as if he had read my mind, he added, “Some of you came here tonight planning to do the bare minimum—to serve here and there. But, just like those football players, you’ll only experience the true rewards when you give your all and get in the game.”
That evening changed the trajectory of my life. I started serving as a door greeter at the 9:00 a.m. service, and over the next two years, I missed only two or three Sundays. I loved serving, and I loved getting to know the people on my team. It was a game-changer.
Are you on the fence about serving? Don’t wait. Don’t hesitate. Jump in and see what God has in store for you—and for the people He will place in your path.
C.A. Phillips serves as Communications Pastor and Director of Men’s Groups at NorthStar Church. He is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and he loves the Dawgs and the Atlanta Braves. He has two (grown) boys and lives in Kennesaw with his wife, Amy, and their German Shepherd, Abby.
