This was a grand slam of a night. I still remember what the main auditorium at New Life Church looked and sounded like as thousands of people lifted their hands and voices in praise to God. If you have ever been to a worship recording at New Life, you know how powerful they are. Some people have called it a concert or a fancy light show, but I couldn't disagree more. Nobody cares about the lights, or for that matter, who is even singing. The chief concern for this tribe of people called New Lifers, is honoring the God who has been so amazingly faithful to us. The presence of God was so tangible that night. People worshiped with extra "gusto". People didn't want to leave. Avery didn't want to leave. She danced, clapped, and twirled for well over an hour. My heart was so full of joy. We stayed until the final note sounded, and then she crashed. It was beautiful. God met us there.
Worship didn't come quite as easy today. I embarked on a house project that Ashley had asked me to finish before May. I thought I would score some serious points if I finished the project early. I had my power tool out, paint brush in hand, and quickly began making progress. It got off to a good start...and then headed south. Halfway through the project Ashley stopped by the room to say hi. It was great to see her smiling face. She was obviously impressed that I had taken initiative. In the midst of saying hi she also suggested a different way to do the project. Her suggestion did not rest on welcoming ears. When I am holding a power tool, I am not exactly looking for suggestions from my wife. I am slowly working on growing in this area, but on this particular day, I didn't want to hear it. Her suggestion turned into a full scale "debate" about how to finish the project (her pink lips were saying something completely different than what my blue ears heard-love and respect). In the middle of our disagreement Avery was busy getting into the paint and trying to play with the power tool. We quickly removed the dangerous tool from her surprisingly strong grip, and she loudly voiced her disagreement. She started screaming. I had to discipline her which made her scream turn into a cry. This was not exactly the way I thought this project would unfold. I took a break and walked downstairs to get some water and cool off. The sound of kids worship music greeted my ears the second I got downstairs. "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart..." happened to be playing quite loudly. It wasn't what I wanted to hear. I didn't exactly feel like worshiping God in that moment. The last thing I felt "down in my heart" was joy, joy, and more joy. I was still ticked. Despite how I was feeling I reminded myself that worship is not a choice. Worship is not a matter of feelings. Worship is a response to who God is, and God never changes. I chose to worship in that moment. It was beautiful. God met me there.
Ashley and I have since laughed about our petty disagreement. Looking back, I think she was right about her suggestion. I can admit it now. We both learned some valuable lessons. I learned that I need to be more patient and understanding. She learned that there are a couple of times when you provide input with caution. When a man is behind the wheel or holding power tools, just let him do his thing. He may get lost. He may fill the wall with holes. But he will eventually figure it out.
More importantly, I am learning that how I treat my family is how I ultimately treat God. God recently whispered the following statement to my heart: "How you handle your family is how you handle my heart." That statement arrested my attention. I'm confident I will always remember that simple phrase. As amazing as the big corporate worship experiences are, I think God is more interested in how we worship at home. The better we are at loving our families, the more powerful and rich the corporate worship settings will be.
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