leadin'

I've known quite a few musicians over the years. I lived with Dave Wolfenberger the year he learned to play guitar, and lived to tell about it. I've been roommates with several guys that went on to make their living off of music in one way or another.

I've also known quite a few guys that could play guitar. I say they could play guitar because they knew the chords and would strum them...but I'm not sure you'd say that they were musicians. They knew how to play...but I'm not sure that you'd pay to hear them play...and certainly not to sing.

I've had friends that were incredible musicians but horrible at leading crowds. I've had friends that were really good at getting a group to sing together...and yet they weren't very good at the whole singing/playing thing. I think it has something to with confidence. Maybe not, but that's got to play a part.

It's always fun to see someone who is really talented start to get more and more confident and go from being a good singer/musician to someone who can do that and also be a great leader. Now I'm talking within the context of leading a group in the way you lead songs at a church. What I mean is that it's not just a concert or a performance - they're actually LEADING a crowd.
It's been fun to see Zak, a guy at my church, go from being good to great. He was good when I moved here. Now he's great. What's been strange is that it really seems like he's not just better at leading, he someone also sounds better. I'm not just talking about his guitar playing, his voice even sounds better. I didn't know that really happened. I figured you're just kind of stuck with whatever voice you started with.

His was good to start with. Now it's even better. It's been fun to watch.