The longest post ever.

I've been leading worship now for a while. Since I was 13, I am 21 now. I've gone through the motions, leading because I have to, abused and used, tired and burnt out. Pumped, excited, emotional, sensitive, insensitive, watered down, selfless and selfish. 

I've worked with many different people, very old & very young, traditional, contemporary.

Different theologies, different methods, different hearts.

People who cared and people who didn't, those who were concerned more about the performance than focusing on God, and those who went overboard with spirituality.

People who think they can worship God with just a happy little grin on their face, raise their hands and inside they are in total rebellion, their lives outside the church don't reflect anything inside.

In all honesty, all those people were me and at times still are.

Yes, I know and have worked with people like the ones I explained above.

Over the past 8 years, I've questioned.

Questioned what is real worship? Real worship to God?

I understand that Bible clearly says we are to be living sacrifices, for Christ, in and through him, we can't even begin to live a life pleasing to Him.

It's not just what we sing, or what we say, but as we get to know the Creator, our hearts change, the Holy Spirit works in and through our lives, 

we hunger for more of Him and less of ourselves.

So we do this on our own with Christ.

But as a body?

Yeah, we serve together, yes we sing songs, we pray together, but their has to be something more. Right?

Why do we just come together to practice worship songs?

I mean yes, it's to make sure we play the songs right, but it's not just that.

It's not just going through the motions every Sunday.

Leading the congregation into songs, where all of us go into auto pilot and we loose the true meaning of why we come in the first place.

This past week during praise and worship practice, we had new worship team members join us.

I have the privilege of worship with middle school students.

Who are new to their musical instruments.

A lot of them still don't know all the notes on their instruments, or chords, and that is okay, I love teaching students how to play music, especially to glorify God.

You see just a year ago we started forming an all student worship team for my church River Valley.

It was hard work, but after six months of practice the kids were good enough to start playing on Sunday mornings. Now that it has been a year, I've almost have been spoiled every week because they are soo good on their own.

So last night I was brought back to their very first time I started working with the students.

Only this time I had help.

The students I worked with for over a year volunteered their time to help me train up the new students last night.

In the midst of all the chaos, the horrible music, I stood back for a moment and watched my last year students go into action.

You see every time I see my students I tell them that worship is the way you live your life.

Simple enough.

I tell them they need to give everything they have to Him! Their imperfections.

Last night I saw my students, give God their best, their imperfections.

I saw the older kids encouraging the new kids, because just one year ago they were in the same place. 

They walked with them, they helped each other out,

and I didn't have to ask them, I didn't have to say anything.

God reminded me of the reason why we come together as a body to worship Him.

Because together we help each other out, we help lead one another, and we don't even have to be singing a song.

We walk together, we encourage, we point things out, we love, we lean on each other.

That's what those kids did last night.

That is what I am learning from them, true worship together.

As a body.