In response to some recent dramatic happenings in my life, I have been reminded of the importance of the "process" in coming to some level of competence in any area of life. As I pondered my own "process", the words in the title above came to me in a clear way this morning. In my vocation (dental x-ray) I am considered by some to be an innovator. As a musician, I am still very much an imitator and am in the long slow process of assimilating the information and skill that I have been exposed to over these many years.
Recently a close friend introduced me as a "Renaissance Man". I actually had to research what that was to determine if I should accept or decline the title. I determined that in general terms, I guess am something of a Renaissance Man. However, in the purest terms, I am at best a "wannabe" and at worst an imposter. However, I am honored to be seen by some in that light and accept it as a fairly accurate description of me in the most general sense.
As a person who dabbles with some success in both the arts and the sciences, I can clearly see several people in my life who were key in establishing me on these paths. The first was my boss and mentor, Jim Everett. He brought me under his wing, taught me, trained me, nurtured me, and gave me great examples to "imitate" as I was learning and growing in the field of dental radiography. As I moved to the "assimilate" phase, he was always there to direct me, challenge me, catch me, or even let me fall. Without the valuable experience of the many years working as an apprentice under such a master craftsman, it is clear that the labels "Innovator" or "Renaissance Man" would not enter peoples minds as a description of me.
In a similar manner, my main influences in the arts were Walt Harrah and Stan Endicott. Walt was the first real worship pastor that I worked with as I began my journey as a bass player in the early 90's. He, like Jim Everett, gave me much to imitate, and allowed me to learn my craft literally at the expense of himself, the close friends that made up his worship band, and his congregation (who he served so selflessly.) Walt always gave clear instruction and was gentle in his correction. He knew what he wanted and it was always easy to follow him as he led with passion and confidence. He also understood the value of prayer and study, insisting on 30 minutes of spiritual preparation prior to any worship service, even if it meant cutting the rehearsal short. Walt was truly an innovator, as more than once he came up to the stage following a message and passed out a hand written chart that he had quickly created in response to what he had just heard preached. I will remember forever the joy he (and we) experienced in hearing one of his compositions played for the first time by his friends and co-laborers in the worship team. The years I spent as an apprentice working under Walt were invaluable in my pursuit of musical competence.
Stan on the other hand, was very much the opposite of Walt. As an innovator in a completely difference sense, Stan was never one to "play the ink". He was a master at leading the band (and the congregation) from section to section in an almost free form style. More than once he would turn to us with a smile and a "thumb up" indicating he wanted to take the song up a step. On the fly, the team he had assembled would follow his lead, take it up notch, and watch the energy soar to a new level. Knowing that he had that level of confidence in me to follow his lead was an incredible gift he gave me many times. He also had the amazing ability to simply look over at me and communicate with his eyes the words "you're doing great!". I miss working with Stan.
I also miss working with Walt, and with Jim. The 3 of them have left their mark on me in more ways than I can describe on this page. Yet that mark has been critical in helping me move from imitator, to assimilator (is that a word?) and in some respects, innovator (of sorts.) It's humbling to look back at the Hand of God on my life, and it's equally humbling to look forward to how God may want to use what I've imitated, assimilated, and possibly innovated, for His purposes and His glory.
