The Sweetest Worship

Sunday at church members of an international group who use our church building for their services, led worship.

It was so powerfully beautiful.

On top of their wonderful voices, they had such passion when they sang.

I honed in on one girl on the stage.

I'm not sure if she was terrified 

or just full-on in her teenagerness, 

but she sang with the stone face 

of no emotion.

I was intrigued.

50% of the people living in my house are teenagers.

I get it.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of her.

A new song started and she was the solo vocalist.

Her voice was gorgeous.

As she sang each word, 

her face softened ever so slightly.

At one point she half-raised one arm and there was the tiniest hint of a smile on her face.

It overwhelmed me practically to tears.

I got it.

God rushes in like that,

even when we're trying super hard to stay right in our bad mood 

or bad attitude, even while singing a Chris Tomlin or Elevation Worship song, 

thank you very much.

God's bigger than our own worst mood.

And it's in that moment of turnaround 

that is the sweetest worship.

He floods us with grace and mercy and unconditional love and we can't help but forget for just a second what we were so honked off about.

And we start meaning the words we are singing.

I have this head planter that I adore that I named Hattie.

I enjoy sticking all kinds of flowers and plants I cut from my yard to give her different hair styles.

Monte did not care for this Hattie look.
He's always been partial to long hair.

When I refresh the water it makes Hattie a bit flushed.

One of my faves.

I had to trim these WAY down as I feared for my eyes as I worked in the kitchen.

I like to think Hattie was praying in this picture.
I will explain these tiny hands in a later post.

So festive.

This morning, I decide to refresh her look.

After a whiff of the nasty old flower water, 

I decided to give the inside of her head a good sudsy wash.

I couldn't help but think I was transforming her by renewing her mind, like in Romans 12:2

Getting out all the old stinking thinking gunk so my Rose of Sharons could stay nice and beautiful in clean fresh water.

In John 15:5 it talks about Jesus being the vine and we are the branches.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, 

you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

We have this great living water source in Jesus that is all we need to sustain us.

When we remain in Christ, 

not even a bad mood

or the stink we keep inside our head,

is too much for God to fix 

and make into beautiful fruit.

And it's in that moment of turnaround that is the sweetest worship.