Worship, Not Performance ... Commitment, Not "Going Through The Motions."

There's not a more insulting evaluation that could be made of me than for someone to say, "I think you just love music."  You see...it's so much more than that. (BTW…I forgive those who have spoken about me in this manner.)  It's about loving God and being all that He created me to be...a worshipper of the Most High.  It's about reaching out to others with the idea the common goal of worshipping God to the best of our abilities, no matter what our collective levels are musically. It's about working together as a team to bring glory and honor to the Most High.  And...I don't believe I can find the words to adequately express my feelings about how much I love God and just how important it is to me to bring my best offering.  David said in       2 Samuel 24:24 ... "I will not bring before my God that which cost me nothing."  You see...I learned this a long time ago.  I believe it.  I live it to the best of my ability...not just worship through music, but worship through every aspect of my life.  It's about stewardship and excellence...not perfection.  It's about worship...not performance.  It's about commitment...not "going through the motions."  (One of my favorite sayings is, “Let the worshipper arise and the performer diminish.”)

You see, I wasn’t raised in a Christian home.  I don’t have wonderful stories of how my family has loved God my entire life.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite.  When I realized that I had the talent of music, that’s exactly what I considered it…a talent, not a gift.  I was nearly 30 years old before I understood what an amazing gift it is that God has given me.  Up until that point, I had been a performer.  It was about performance…”Hey look at me…look at what I can do.”  That person doesn’t exist any longer.  That’s the “old woman”… not the Christ Follower, Angie.  You see, I am such a different person. Except for the fact that I still look relatively the same, I am not the same person.  I owe all of that change to Jesus.  He has changed me and will continue to change me for the rest of my life.  I owe Him everything.  So it’s surprising to me when someone would criticize me in this manner without making the decision to understand why I live my life so passionately for Christ…whether as a wife, mother, musically, financially, as a servant to the community, etc.  In all truthfulness, if I didn’t have the ability to live as passionately as I do, I don’t believe I would be where I am right now.  Life. Has. Been. HARD.  Hands down!! But Jesus…  Hallelujah!! 


So…I will continue down this path.  I will live my life passionately for Christ. I don’t believe in “going through the motions,” nor do I believe in “pushing people down to get what I want.”  It’s about living passionately led by the Holy Spirit.  In the times that are upon us, we need more passionate people for Christ…not luke warm Christians.  We need people who WILL speak the truth in love, not cover for someone’s lackadaisical attitude.  That’s what the church in the US has been doing for years, and look at the mess that this country is in simply because the church has not been what it should be.  Those aren’t my words.  Look for yourself at chapters 2 and 3 in Revelation.  Only 2 out of 7 churches were doing what Jesus approved of. 


I won’t apologize for my passion any more than I will apologize for being led to speak truth in love from the Holy Spirit.  We’re not to grieve Him.  When He leads us to speak, we either obey or not.  If I remember correctly, people who spoke the truth of God in difficult situations, they weren’t liked very much.  In fact, John the Baptist was beheaded for doing just that.


It’s about relationship with Jesus…not religion or religious traditions


Love God, love people…live passionately for both. Please God, even if it means not pleasing man.