My husband and I were given a gift of free tickets to see Chris Tomlin and Israel Houghton last night.  We arrived in the middle of torrential rains that turned into six inches of snow by morning.   Three hours of worship music last night somehow made the snow look beautiful this morning.

Ten thousand voices singing praises to God at the Sears Centre outside Chicago was wonderful. Worship with this many friends has a way of lifting a behind out of a seat, starts the toes a tapping, and moves the arms from resting next to the hips to swaying above the head.  Perhaps, it is a small glimpse of what heaven will be like.

We first saw Chris Tomlin eight years ago at the church we attended when The Noise We Make album was released. Growthtrac interviewed him in 2004 right before the Arriving album was released.

http://www.growthtrac.com/artman/publish/a-conversation-with-chris-tomlin-278.php

It has been a journey to watch God use this man and the very special gift he has been given. His energy and love of God is contagious. He has matured in his lyrics, his love of God, his view of the world, and has a few more smile lines around the eyes.

One of the most moving moments is when Chris shared the very recent loss of his grandfather. The funeral is tomorrow.  (Please lift the Tomlin family up in prayer.)  His grandfather loved the song, I Will Rise, and asked Chris to sing it at his funeral.  Last night he sang the song with such passion, that you felt like you were standing there with his grandpa praising God in heaven.  It was a beautiful and striking moment of sorrow and praise wrapped into one.

I don’t know about you, but an hour of worship on Sunday morning isn’t enough to fill my soul for the week - I need more.   Consider the music that fills your home, your car, and your office throughout the week.  Does it pull your heart closer to God in worship, or further away?

Jesus understood it when he said in Matthew 15:8, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”