1/23/2005

Praise and Worship

Why have I been so enthralled with learning more about the process of large format sound systems? Today in church as I was singing praise and worship songs along with the rest of the congregation, I think I stumbled onto something. But first I need to go back [roughly] two days from today.

Thursday night started the annual Navigator Start of Semester Prayer Launch. Twelve hours of one-hour shifts of pure prayer is the format that gets us through. It went from 7pm Thursday night to 7:30am Friday morning. (A brief aside ... I stayed awake all twelve hours fulfilling an agreement I made with Brian, and also to walk the ladies, who had braved the cold, back to their respective dorm/house.) But at 6am Friday morning, those who wanted to, came back and we closed the Prayer Launch out with an hour and a half of pure meditative worship to God.

Friday night (after getting a few hours of sleep), I showed up to Nav Nite and sat up the sound equipment. After successfully sound checking the band, it was time to start. I assumed my now normal position behind the soundboard and proceeded to enjoy the praise and worship, ever-so-often tweaking the knobs as I saw fit.

Finally, today in church, I sat amongst the congregation awaiting the start of church, when I noticed how many musically inclined people Grace Chapel truly has. Abel Sisco, who has been the church music director/lead guitarist, is in his own right a very talented musician. Case Maranville, who's apart of the band Casting Pearls, will soon be taking over for Abel. And two of the four Zach brothers of Remedy were in attendance today.

So what does all of this have to do with my fascination of sound? I finally realized that, for me personally, music that proclaims God as my creator, supplier of life, saviour, and lord over my life ... truly lets me worship and glorify Him. So for me, by learning how to do the sound, will ultimately bring others another form of worshipping and communicating with God. Psalm 69:30 says "I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving." And again Psalm 100:2 says "Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs." God wants us to give Him the glory at all times ... even in song.