And Now Introducing...

I love to worship. We were designed to worship.
 Every single one of us.

We don’t always think of it that way, but it’s obvious that we are compelled to be part of something bigger than ourselves, something beautiful and something powerful by the way we join in cheering for our favorite team, by the way we feel such energy at a concert and by the way we get swept away by emotions as a relationship begins. (Happy Valentine’s Day, by the way!)

I am always excited about Monday and Friday mornings, our designated “worship times”, and about Sunday evenings, our designated “community nights” here. (Sunday night being dubbed Taco Night also adds to my excitement.) I love these times because they are infused with such creativity and openness to ways to worship. Our leader, Rich, said today, “We need to be concentrating on the wine, not the wine skins we’re used to.”

One of my very first blogs when I got here, “God Loves to Play”, was about looking at the relational aspect of worship. Through our times of community worship, as we’ve gotten to know one another, we’ve been progressing to “touch” or intimacy with God, first by playing, then by remembering, discussing His character…

Today we watched a video clip of Steve Harvey performing in a comedy venue. Instead of comedy, however, he used his time to share with a huge audience how he would introduce Jesus. It only took 3 minutes, but the audience simply could not stay in their seats. They immediately jumped to their feet in worship.

When you introduce a person, you typically give more information than their name – who they are, what they do, or how they’ve impacted your life. God created us to worship – His only need is to be needed by us. He is so delighted in our praise. Think about how you smile or puff up your chest a little when you get introduced as “my best friend”, “the best player on the team”, or “the love of my life”. It makes you feel good. It makes you say, “Yeah! That’s who I am.”

God does the same thing. He Is Who He says He Is. He already knows it and doesn’t need us to tell Him. But He wants us to. And he must be bowing out His chest and rejoicing, “YEAH! THAT’S WHO I AM!” when we call out to Him in worship.

Our lives are to designed to be worship. Not just Monday and Friday mornings for me and Sunday mornings for you. Even the times when I’m eating pap and beans, haven’t had a moment to myself in weeks and have been sweating for the last 18 hours straight (that is actually true). When you’re running late for work, when you don’t know what to do with your life, or when you are completely exhausted from the meetings and appointments…. It’s all designed to be worship.

Our lives are designed to introduce Jesus.


This means that your life is more sacred and unordinary than you’ve ever realized.

Here’s Steve Harvey’s introduction:





Today we were asked to write our own introduction for Jesus.

Here’s the introduction I wrote:

It is an undeserved thrill to introduce the Son of Man, the King of Kings, the Alpha and the Omega…
The One who moves mountains, walks on water, raises from the dead…
The One who can speak in the gentlest breeze or in the raging blaze of a fire.
The One who IS Home…
The One who is making a place for you and every widow and every orphan…
The One who died so that you could have life.
The One who KNOWS you and LOVES you.
Who wouldn’t fall before the Son of God, the Prince of Peace?
Who wouldn’t dance before the One who dwells in every open heart?
Who wouldn’t want to know and love our Jesus?

As we took turns reading our introductions, I was completely overwhelmed by the power and love of Christ. I was compelled to worship. I had no choice but to worship.

God spoke to me in that moment:

SAY My Name. LIVE My Name, but SAY My Name.

Our lives are designed to be an introduction to Jesus. Say His Name.

I encourage you to practice this type of worship. You will be amazed as you read your introductions with power that you can’t help but worship. Try it in life groups, in 8:59, at community dinner or with your families at home. And then let me know how it was for you!