Last night was a beautiful moment of worship—the kind every worship leader longs for.
No, it wasn’t that the sound was pristine, in-ear mixes were perfect or the band was tight. It wasn’t even that the songs were particularly great. It didn’t even involve a massive crowd.
It all started with screaming children.
Both kids were having a hard time falling asleep. So naturally, I decided we were going to sing. Tyler greeted the idea with an enthusiastic “Yeahhh!” So that’s what we did.
We sang “Cornerstone,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “Christ Be All Around Me,” “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” “Christ Has Come” and more. Tyler was singing with me word for word. Eliana’s worship involved some loud shouting, hand raising and shaking of the hips—probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
Before you think of me more highly than you ought, that’s not how every night goes.
But there was something powerful about just being present with my kids and singing about Jesus. I wasn’t preoccupied with my phone. I wasn’t thinking about this blog post. My mind wasn’t somewhere else. I was there, with them, worshiping Jesus together.
That moment—simple, messy, beautiful—was the best venue for leading worship. Nobody saw it happen, it was far from glamorous, no one was impressed, but it was perfect.
Reminds me of a tweet I read from Kathryn Scott:
Such a beautiful reminder of what matters most, right?
The Atmosphere of Your Home
You would think that a worship leader’s home would be the best atmosphere on the planet. I mean, think about it: Worship 24/7. Beautiful songs always being written and sung. An atmosphere of God’s presence that permeates every room. No time for bickering or fighting because everyone is too busy singing worship songs and lifting holy hands, right?
I wish it were so.
Most of the time when I come home from work (leading worship), I want to retreat. I’ve spent an entire weekend leading—leading my band, leading the congregation, talking to people, being “on.” When I come home, the last thing I want to do is lead something.
But my home is where my leadership really counts. And it’s where my full presence is needed the most.
My wife doesn’t care how well I sing … as long as I’m present in the home—loving, listening, leading.
