Musical Thoughts

My whole weekend was filled with music and worship as I sang on Praise Team and then had our last practice for the special a capella choir music this coming Wednesday. I am never more filled than when I am singing to God and just enjoying his presence. It really led me to think about what heaven will be like when we can sing and worship forever and never get tired!

I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of the music ministry at Northridge, what an amazing group of people to sing with and spend time with. Weekends on praise team are long but filled with so much music and goofing and talking and prayer. It is a bunch that I relate to so well.

The choir never ceases to amaze me with their heart and their willingness to do whatever they can to sing and serve, I can't WAIT for this Wednesday to do the wonderful, powerful a capella song that Paul has lined up for us, I think it will be very different but so cool. As tired as I am physically I feel recharged inside, filled up and ready to face the world.

My favorite times of all are when we stand around practicing or just singing silly songs and just slip into harmony. There is something about voices blending together that makes me want to keep singing until I can't anymore! In my perfect life there would be people around a lot of the time who I could sing with in harmony. I remember a weekend I had with my friend Debbie and her mother, we would be doing dishes or fixing dinner and someone would start singing and the rest of us would just jump in with some harmony. I joked with her about how I needed to be a part of her family, and now here at Northridge I am a part of that kind of family! God is so cool.

Music is such an amazing gift and the longer I sing the more I feel like nothing is ever more right about life than when I am singing His praises. Learning to play guitar is adding a whole new dimension to this for me. Even when I am alone I can hear chords and have that background for my voice and praises, it is not quite as good as other voices, but close (well it will be as I get better anyway!). I am finding it is very therapeutic and somewhat addicting. Good thing my fingers get sore after a while so I am forced to put it down and get the rest of my life stuff done.

But the best part of all of this is knowing that I feel this way because God made us to praise and worship him. I love it when what I love to do lines up with what God loves for me to do!! As Mark Young once put it - what an amazing father that we get to do this (singing and worshiping surrounded by other singers and worshipers) he not only loves us but wants us to have fun and we call it serving!

Ps 69:30 I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with Thanksgiving (NIV)