Thirsty

This morning I was making a cup of coffee from my dwindling supply of REAL coffee and listening to a CD, singing along. It just hit me hard how much I miss worship at church.

The music at our church here is based on volume and not any kind of what we would consider to be quality. The singing at church borders on a painful experience for us. We literally sit as far back in the church and as far away from the speakers as we can. We think the worship leader must have gotten the job based on his enthusiasm and not his vocal ability. What is wonderful, is that it seems to be a truly worshipful experience for the the Filipinos at that church. However, it makes us want to run and hide.

While I was home for the wedding this summer, my parents took me to an evening service with Henry Blackaby (of Experiencing God). The message and the music that night were truly like water to my thirsty soul. It was so wonderful to worship, to sing, and to be in a crowd that didn't seem concerned about performance but about reaching the heart of God. The message didn't have any jokes, no movie clips, no funny stories. It was just a good ol' message delivered straight from the Word. And I still remember it. And it STILL convicting me.

I miss worshiping in the context of my culture. I love to sing, but somehow joining in with a CD just isn't the same as worshiping with other believers in the context of your own culture. And unfortunately singing with a group of out of tune Filipinos singing at the top of their lungs just distracts me from focusing on God. I miss it. I miss home. I miss 'American' worship.