He > I.

Last summer I had the opportunity to play lead electric guitar at student leadership/worship conference for students all around the country. I still remember how excited my friends and I were as we loaded up the truck with all of our equipment; amps, guitars, pedal boards, keyboards, symbols, and some essentials- changes of clothes and pillows. I had lead worship with these guys at Saddleback Church throughout high school, and it was all coming to a close. No one addressed it, but everyone’s face displayed a sense of the nostalgia. The car ride was leisurely and lighthearted. I was the recipient of most pinches, slaps, etc. as usually. I never mind. That’s probably why I get made fun of the most. What would a car ride with our band be without such shenanigans?

The mood drastically changed once we arrived at Azusa Pacific University. We needed to hurry, because we had sound-check and rehearsal in just a little over an hour. Thus began every aspiring musician’s favorite aspect of being on the road, setting up your equipment. We were creative, stacking one amp on top of another with wheels, and then stacking two pedal boards on top of that. Extremely dangerous considering that was close to ten thousand dollars of equipment. I like to live on the edge. About thirty minutes later, all the equipment was in the room, all we had to do was wait for the current seminar to finish.

The room emptied, and we quickly began sound-checking. Sound check is perhaps one of the most stressful times for a guitarist. First, you need to find your tone (how your guitar sounds) through the amp, and test your various pedals to make sure every sound you’ll use for the songs sound good. Then, you need to tweak to make sure your guitar still sounds the same way through the PA system (It’s amazing how different a microphone can make your guitar sound). Once the sound guy said we were all good, practice began, and it was grueling. Taffy, our Worship Pastor, pushed us hard to make each of our twenty songs as perfect, and our transitions between songs as seamless as possible. Four hours later, we finished practice and got ready for the night of worship to begin.

In the midst of a crowded room, a bright light brought life to the stage ushering a deadening silence upon the audience. I looked on the crowd to discover at least five hundred people, excitedly anticipating the start of the set. The song began and I waited as the measures appeared to race by. My entrance rapidly approached, yet I was filled with an incredible calm. The music consumed me and I roared in with a searing electric guitar lead. The congregation called back, shouting the lyrics of the song “Dry Bones” as we worshiped the Lord together. I felt as though I’ve found a sense of identity as my love for creativity is expressed in musical form.

The end of the song brought upon Taffy’s introduction, I was unbelievably excited. I looked to my left and saw Spencer our percussionist, and Nick our drummer, smiling and fidgeting as well. We all couldn’t wait to begin the first chunk of the set. Before I knew it, we were into our next song, “Forever Reign.” A sea of voices shouting back to us overwhelmed me. I’d never witnessed a congregation respond in such a way. Even with a cranked up stage monitor in front of me, I struggled to hear my guitar.

God was moving in a big way. The people were all pressed up against the stage so tight it appeared they were stacked on top of each other. Some had their eyes closed, some open, several hands in the air. All appeared completely consumed by this time of worship. I had seen things like this in Hillsong and Jesus Culture videos, but never suspected myself to be leading one of these moments.

It was more clear at then than any of the other time I lead worship that this was in no way about me. It wasn’t about how great my guitar sounded, how well Nick played drums, or how well Kyle sang. It was all about bringing glory to God. I felt so humbled that God would use me in such a powerful way. A little over an hour and half later, the night came to a close. We played so hard, the power actually gave out in the building. People were shouting “we love Jesus” and dancing around. My friends and I were hugging each other, still in shock by how God worked through us that night. That was true worship.