"After years of being orphans, we're finally home."

Be still my heart...



This picture fills my heart with indescribable joy.

Why? you ask...

Because most of those people on that stage right there the Lord has knit into my heart and they will forever be a part of me.

You can read about who they are and why they mean so much to me here.

And so for one blessed evening this past Sunday, I was able to reunite with most of them for a lovely evening of worship. We were missing Bob on bass, and Sarah on keys. (Even though I have taken Sarah's place on keys, she is still IRREPLACEABLE!!)

Here are a few pics from the evening:

Mike, our wonderful leader...



Bill and Ken keeping the beat...



Beautiful sweet Melanie and I. She wasn't singing with us, but at least she was there!!




...and she lent me a blanket to wrap around myself while playing because it was FREEZING!!...




It was BEYOND WONDERFUL to play with everyone again. One of the guys said it best...

"It's like after being orphaned for years, we're finally home!"

And that's exactly how it felt. Although I am well aware that the nature of the Kingdom is change, that doesn't necessarily make change easy.

And since all the changes in the lives of everyone on this particular team, things just haven't quite been the "same". We had such solidity in this particular team - we meshed musically, spiritually and relationally. And a lot of it had to do with the fact that we ALWAYS played TOGETHER. With the exception of needing substitutes here and there, our team was consistently the same.

And like I said, things just haven't been the "same", which is both good and bad.

Bad because of lack of consistency. We play with different people every time.

Good because God is calling people into new roles of worship, including myself.

Although I find myself frustrated at times, I know God is working in me to accomplish the things of His purposes. And I'm continuing to say yes, even in the midst of disappointment.

Don't get me wrong, I consider it a pure PRIVILEGE to serve my church the capacity of worship. This is what God has created me to do, and I LOVE doing it. On Kim Walker's website, (my fav worship leader) she says something that sums up how I feel about serving through worship perfectly:

"At the center of everything we do is our love for Jesus and our love for people. Our love for Jesus is what draws us into worship. Our love for people is what moves our hearts into ministry."

I love Jesus, and so I worship Him. I love my church, and so I serve them in the way God has gifted me. And I will always say yes to Him, even when I don't know what His plans for the future are. Because my plans are not His plans. His ways are higher than my ways!

I'm not gonna lie, I've been struggling through some things in the capacity of serving through worship, many that are a little too personal to put up on my blog. But in the midst of this, I am reminded of these verses:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

:: and ::

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Which then of course reminds me of this worship song, it includes Kim Walker on vocals. :)

"You stay the same through the ages. Your love never changes." Amen to that, yeah?

Anyhow, this post was just supposed to tell about the wonderful worship reunion from last weekend. But it turned into sharing a little more of my heart than I anticipated! But hey, that's what blogs are for, right?!

So I'll leave you with another picture that causes my heart to swell with joy. My beloved worship team Christmas of 2007...



We are gonna make one ROCKIN' worship band in heaven. I can't wait to gather around the throne of our King of Kings and Lord of Lords and worship Him for eternity next to some of my favorite worshipers!!