Worship from the Back Row

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Psalm 48:9 — O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple.

This is so different than what I am used to.

Picture me last night at church—diaper bag at my feet, stroller close by, sitting on the back row. Mickey Mouse is playing on my phone with the sound turned off, and I’m pull out toys, snacks, and anything else that might keep my son Lennox occupied.

I am used to being the one on stage leading worship or sharing the message. Now, I am up and down, slipping in and out of the baby cry room between songs.

And you know what? That’s okay.

I will not pretend that it is easy. I am tired in ways I did not know before. In this season of my life there late nights, early mornings, and constant demands of a baby who needs me. There are moments when I miss serving like I used to. I miss the rhythm, teamwork, and energy of ministry.

But when I look down at the little boy in my arms and breathe, I just feel gratitude. Because he lifts his chin up and gives me that toothy grin, and I know I wouldn’t trade this for the world.

I think about how long I prayed for this and the years of infertility. I think about how faithful God has been to get me here. Every cry, every diaper, every late night—it is an answer to prayer. God did not miss a moment, and I believe He will not waste this one either.

So wherever you are today—rocking a baby, caring for a loved one — just know that it matters and keep going. Because worship isn’t limited to a song or a stage. It’s found in in loving well and showing up where God has placed us.

Seasons come and go, and one day I may lead from the stage again. But right now, I am content to worship from the back row. This is what I am called to do in this season. Even the quiet sacrifices that no one else sees—heaven does.

And I’m thankful for that. Just like the psalmist said, it is so good to “meditate on (God’s) unfailing love as we worship in (His) Temple.” After all, if worship is about giving God our all, then maybe I have never been closer to the front than I am right now.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What season are you in right now, and how might God be inviting you to worship within it rather than in spite of it?
  • Where do you feel unnoticed or unseen, and how does remembering God’s unfailing love shift your perspective?
  • What ordinary, quiet acts in your life could become acts of worship if you invited God into them?
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Love In the Breakroom

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Luke 6:27-28 — But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

It started with a phone call. My sister’s voice cracked as she said, “I think my coworker just doesn’t like me.”

She’d only been at this new job a few weeks, and she was doing everything she could to make a good impression. But something was off.

So, she kept her head down, focused on her computer, and tried to stay out of the way. Still, she could feel the tension every time she walked into the room.

She’d come home tight and quiet, replaying conversations in her head, wondering what she had done wrong.

That night on the phone, I just listened. She didn’t need advice as much as she needed a safe place to land. And somewhere between her tears and my silence, a verse came to mind—the one about loving your enemies, doing good to those who treat you poorly, and praying for them.

That night on the phone, I just listened. She didn’t need advice as much as she needed a safe place to land. And somewhere between her tears and my silence, a verse came to mind—Jesus’ words in Luke 6:27–28:

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

I hesitated to say it out loud, but before I could finish, she nodded.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “That’s what God’s been saying to my heart too.”

So we prayed. We asked God for peace, for wisdom, and maybe even for a small miracle in the breakroom.

The next week, she decided to live it out. She prayed for her coworker every morning before clocking in. She greeted her with kindness, even when it wasn’t returned. She offered help without being asked.

And while nothing about her coworker seemed to change, something in her did. The stress in her voice disappeared. The tension in her shoulders eased. She was lighter, freer—like she’d been unburdened.

Looking back, that coworker may or may not have had a grudge, but my sister definitely felt the “not-love” in the air. Still, God kept showing her: love your enemies, even when you don’t know where they stand.

And that’s what’s powerful about her choice. Because when we choose to love anyway—even when it costs us comfort or pride—we get to take part in the healing God is already doing in the world.

Who knows? Maybe the hardest person to love today is exactly the one who needs it most.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Who is the “difficult person” in your life right now, and what small step of love or kindness could you offer them today?
  • How have you seen God transform your own heart when you chose to love someone who was hard to love?
  • What might you need to release—pride, fear, assumptions—in order to pray sincerely for someone who has hurt you?
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Hope Working Behind The Scenes

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1 Thessalonians 1:3 — As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You ever have those days when what you do just feels unnoticed? You keep showing up and serving faithfully, but you wonder if anyone would even notice if you stopped.

I thought about that the other day because of my friend Kaylee.

She just had her baby—who is just over a month old—and for now, she is home, trying to be careful.

But she loves her church and loves serving. It’s part of who she is, so staying home right now has been harder than she expected.

One Sunday, she sat in her living room, with her little one wrapped snuggly in her arms, and turned on the church livestream and enjoyed the service.

Later she told me, “I just felt so thankful for the sound guy.”

Then she grinned and said, “But not the one you normally think about. I mean the guy who runs sound for the online service.”

She said she pictured him sitting there, maybe tired, sliding those dials up and down, keeping everything running.

“He probably has no idea,” she said, “but what he is doing matters so much to me right now.”

And honestly, I love that story. Because that’s probably one of the most thankless jobs on the planet. But here’s the thing: Kaylee is our pastor’s daughter, and she’d been having a tough time. That sound guy (whoever he is) was the reason she could worship at home with her newborn.

It reminds me that nothing we do for the Lord is ever wasted.

Maybe that’s what Paul was talking about in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 when he wrote about our work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in Jesus. He knew the small, faithful things done quietly and consistently are what hold the family of faith together.

So, if what you’re doing feels small or unnoticed, remember Kaylee’s sound guy. He was just doing his job, but that ordinary act reached right into her living room and reminded her she still belonged to the body of Christ.

If you are faithfully serving in the shadows, wondering if it makes a difference, just know this. You don’t know when the little things you do are actually a lifeline for someone you’re serving. It matters, and you are making an eternal impact.

Someone, somewhere, might be thanking God for what you do.

And that is anything but small.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When have you felt unseen or unnoticed in your service to others? How might God be working through you even when no one else sees?
  • Who has quietly impacted your life in a meaningful way? How can you thank or encourage them this week?
  • What “small” act of faithfulness can you offer God today, trusting that He can use it in ways you may never know?
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Gratitude Grounds the Soul

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Psalm 100:4 — Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.

I woke up this morning before the sun. I sat at the kitchen table with my coffee and just listened—to the hum of the refrigerator, the wind brushing the trees outside, and the slow ticking of the clock.

And I realized how easy it is to forget that life is full of small, wonderful, everyday gifts.

Gratitude hit me then. I try to take deep breaths and practice this every day because I know gratitude is not just a nice idea. It is a lifeline.

It’s not just for Thanksgiving or when everything finally falls into place. Gratitude is how you hold steady when life is messy. When bills are overdue. When relationships are strained. When your energy is gone and your prayers feel like whispers into the wind.

Even then, God hasn’t left.

He has been faithful all along, and that’s a promise you can rely on.

I thought about Psalm 100:4: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name.”

The verse is a way I protect my heart. It keeps my spirit grounded and steadies me when my world feels crazy. Every sunrise, every warm cup of coffee, every answered prayer—even the small ones—is proof that His goodness never stops.

That’s why gratitude is one of my favorite spiritual weapons that God gives.

Some days, it’s hard to remember. I don’t always start off this well, but I know I can start any place and any time. Right here. Right now.

I can choose to focus on all the good things I see around me, even the ones wrapped in the hard parts of life. Because staying grateful isn’t ignoring the struggle; it’s trusting God with it.

So today, I want you to try it too. Look around. Name one small blessing, then another. Let gratitude remind you that God is still good, still present, still faithful. Let it steady your heart. Let it anchor your spirit.

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll notice that the same God who has never left you is making miracles out of the ordinary, and giving you a reason to keep moving forward with hope.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What are some small blessings around you right now that you may have overlooked lately?
  • How can gratitude shift your focus when life feels uncertain or overwhelming?
  • In what ways has God shown His faithfulness to you recently, even in the hard seasons?
  • How might practicing daily gratitude deepen your connection with God and others?
  • What does “entering His gates with thanksgiving” look like in your life today?

Lyrics:

All my words fall short
I got nothing new
How could I express
All my gratitude?

I could sing these songs
As I often do
But every song must end
And You never do

So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah
Hallelujah

And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah
Hallelujah

I’ve got one response
I’ve got just one move
With my arm stretched wide
I will worship You

So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah
Hallelujah

And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah
Hallelujah

So come on, my soul
Oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song
‘Cause you’ve got a lion inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord

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Transforming Heartbreak Into Worship

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Psalm 34:1 — I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.

The studio was quiet that morning. It was not the peaceful kind of quiet. This was the heavy kind that hangs in the air when no one quite knows what to say. Tasha Layton sat with her co-writers, the weight of yesterday still settling in.

Their friend Jonathan had just been diagnosed with cancer. The shock had not yet worn off.

She stared at the blank page before her, praying words would come. Music had always been a way she talked to God, but this time, she did not know where to begin.

The ache was too real, the hope too fragile. Someone suggested they just write from where they were—from the hurt, the hope, the uncertainty.

So they began. Slowly at first. A few chords. A few tears. The song that formed was not a declaration of victory but a cry of surrender. “We were holding the weight of grief,” she later said, “but still believing in a miracle-working God.”

When they finished, they sent the song to Jonathan. He listened from his hospital bed, and though his body weakened in the months that followed, his faith remained strong.

In the end, the miracle came—but not the one they had expected. Jonathan’s healing did not happen on this side of heaven.

Yet somehow, the song did not lose its purpose.

It deepened. It became less about outcomes and more about presence. It was less about God’s many miracles, and more about who He is. For Tasha, it became an anthem for those who stand in the middle of pain and still lift their hands anyway.

She often thinks of the words from Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” They remind her that worship is not reserved for the mountaintop moments but for every season, even the ones that break your heart.

Now, when she sings “Worship Through It,” it is not a performance—it is a prayer. A reminder that real faith often sounds like gratitude whispered through tears. And perhaps the truest kind of transformation is found there—in the valley, where thankfulness still rises.

This Thanksgiving, maybe that is where we begin too. Not by waiting for everything to be right, but by choosing to bless the Lord right where we are—and letting that gratitude change us from within.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When has worship felt the hardest for you, and how did God meet you in that moment?
  • What does it mean to “bless the Lord at all times,” even in seasons of loss or uncertainty?
  • How can gratitude and praise become an act of surrender when you don’t understand what God is doing?
  • Think of someone you know who is walking through pain—how could your encouragement help them “worship through it”?
  • What might change in your heart if you chose to worship through the struggle instead of waiting until it’s over?

L Y R I C S

This looks impossible
But You’re the God of impossible
And I’ve seen your faithfulness all over my life
I need a miracle
And You’re the God of miracles
Some way, somehow You come through every time

Chorus
I know my God can do it
So, I’m gonna worship through it
Before I see my breakthrough
I’m gonna choose to praise You

I will sing hallelujah to the one
Who can do what the world says can’t be done
I know my God can do it
So, I’m gonna worship through it

In the middle of my no way out
In the middle of my don’t know how
I hear You whisper to me “peace be still”
This is why I believe
You will deliver me
You always have and you always will
You always have and you always will

I won’t wait ‘til the rocks cry out
I’m gonna praise You
I won’t wait till the walls come down
I’m gonna praise You
(Gonna) Lift my hands right here, right now
I’m gonna praise You
Oh God I praise You!

Written by Tasha Layton, Keith Everette Smith, Matthew West, AJ Pruis

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Thankful For Sandpaper People

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Colossians 3:13 — Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

I stir the pasta sauce on the stove and glance out the kitchen window, letting the quiet of the evening settle around me. The day had been full of people—some kind, some careless, and a few who seemed determined to push every one of my buttons.

I shake my head and laugh at myself, because I have a name for these types in my prayers. I call them sandpaper people. They scratch, they irritate, they rub you wrong without even trying, and somehow, God always seems to place them right in my path.

I breathe in slowly, the aroma of garlic and tomato mingling with the evening air, and let the tension go.

Sandpaper, I remind myself, smooths rough edges. And I have plenty. I have places I do not even see—spots where I can be abrasive, impatient, judgmental. And maybe, without meaning to, I am a sandpaper person to someone else today. It is in the friction of our interactions, the bumps and irritations of ordinary life, that God works on us.

I think that’s why scripture says, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

That’s the kind of grace I want, so shouldn’t I also make room in my heart for others even when they are aggravating.

I taste the sauce, still too hot, and smile. I lift my heart in a quiet “thank you” for those people who tested my patience today. I whisper a prayer for them, too. Because God does not just ask us to endure. God asks us to love. Even the ones who are hardest to love. Even the ones who make us want to roll our eyes or bite our tongues.

They are refining us. And sometimes, they are mirrors, showing us the rough spots in ourselves that only He can smooth.

So I stir the pot again and watch the steam rise. And I wonder, if we looked at the people who irritate us with a little more gratitude, would we see them differently?

Could we see them as part of the plan, helping shape the patience and kindness we could not develop on our own? Tonight, I am thankful. For the sandpaper people, for the growth they inspire, and for a God who never wastes the little irritations of a day.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Who are the “sandpaper people” in your life right now—and how might God be using them to shape your character?
  • When has someone shown you grace when you didn’t deserve it? How did that affect you?
  • How can you practice “making allowance” for someone’s faults this week in a practical way?
  • What happens to your heart when you shift from irritation to gratitude toward the people who test your patience?
  • How does remembering God’s forgiveness toward you change the way you respond to others?
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Let Him Do the Work

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Psalm 51:10 — Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Weekends in our house are usually reserved for three things: resting, catching up with friends, and cleaning. I’ll be honest—cleaning isn’t my favorite part. But there’s nothing better than that feeling when the house smells fresh and everything’s in its place.

My stepdaughter actually loves to clean. Her favorite thing is mopping. She’ll boil water, pick out the best-smelling detergent she can find, and go to town on those floors. Sometimes I’ll walk in and the whole house smells amazing—like lemons and lavender had a baby. But when I ask her if she swept first, she’ll grin and say, “Oh… I forgot. I just wanted it to smell good.”

And I get that. I love a good-smelling house too. But if you don’t sweep first, all you’re really doing is spreading that nice smell over a layer of dirt.

The more I thought about it, the more it hit me—that’s how a lot of us live our lives. We want to jump straight to the part that looks and smells good. We want people to see our “fresh” side, the part that feels put together. But underneath it all, there might still be dust and crumbs we’ve ignored.

It’s not the fun part, but the real work—the sweeping, the scrubbing, the part no one sees—has to happen first. That’s the part Jesus helps with.

That’s why I love the prayer found in the book of Psalm that says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

We can bring our mess to God. He’s patient with us, right there in the middle of it. He knows about the disappointment that sticks, the guilt that clings, the places we keep trying to cover up.

And here’s the best part: He doesn’t mind rolling up His sleeves. He meets us in it. He helps clean out what we didn’t even know was there.

So this weekend, while we’re boiling water and mopping floors, maybe let Him in to do the same in your heart. Once He does that foundational work, everything else changes. You start to shine—not because you’re pretending to be perfect, but because He’s been there, cleaning you from the inside out.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What “surface-level” habits or attitudes might you be using to cover up something God wants to clean deeper in your heart?
  • Why is it sometimes easier to “smell good” spiritually than to let God sweep away the mess underneath?
  • How does it make you feel to know that God meets you in the mess rather than waiting for you to fix it first?
  • What would it look like this week to invite God to “renew a right spirit” in you — in your home, work, or relationships?
  • Who might need encouragement today to know that God is patient in their process of being renewed?
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Life Is Better Together

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Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 – Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

When I was twenty-two, I packed up my life and moved to Alabama for Bible school. I pictured calm mornings reading my Bible, a bit of solitude, and space to figure out my life.

Instead, I got fifteen roommates.

You see, one of the dorms across campus was still under construction so they packed all of us under one roof. I don’t know if you can picture that many men in a six bedroom house, but it was wild.

The walls were thin so there was always noise— laughter, footsteps, someone playing music way too loud. There was no real privacy, no way to escape the chaos, and I just had to keep reminding myself this was temporary.

At first, I was frustrated. I couldn’t retreat into myself like I was accustomed to. But little by little, that crowded house started to change me.

Our resident advisor, Dougie, led weekly Bible studies that became the heartbeat of our little house. We prayed together, wrestled with truth, joked through exhaustion, and reminded each other to keep showing up.

In between the noise and the shared meals and the endless laundry, something steady was forming — a kind of community I had never known before.

I could not isolate myself when I wanted to, but I actually found that was a good thing. Other people were always there for me — just like Scripture teaches, ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.’” Instead of retreating, God had put people in my life I could talk to when I felt insecure, aggravated, or ashamed. And it made all the difference.

Two months later, when most of the guys moved out, I felt something I did not expect — grief. I had come to love that loud, messy, inconvenient community. It had shaped me. It sharpened me. And it taught me that life is not meant to be navigated alone.

It also reminds me of how the first followers of Jesus lived — the way they shared everything, broke bread together, prayed side by side, and carried each other’s burdens. There was beauty in the simplicity of it, in how natural it was to belong to one another.

That picture from Acts has always stayed with me. They were people doing life together too. They were finding joy in the mess of faith and friendship.

Looking back now, I wonder: when was the last time I truly leaned into the discomfort of biblical community and let it shape me? And maybe the better question is: what might happen if I did it again? And I hope you will ask yourself that too.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When has God used community to encourage or challenge you in a season when you wanted to be alone?
  • Who in your life lifts you up when you fall — and how might you do the same for them this week?
  • Are there areas where you’ve been trying to handle life on your own that God might be calling you to share with someone?
  • What makes true biblical community both messy and beautiful?
  • How can you be more intentional about leaning into the kind of connection that shapes your faith?
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How God Uses Broken Things

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1 Corinthians 1:27 – But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

Chris bought Kevin’s old van mostly because it was cheap. Kevin had warned him about the radio. “It’s stuck on the Christian station,” he said, handing over the keys. Chris just laughed. He was not looking for inspiration—he was looking for transportation.

When he turned the dial that first time, the radio worked perfectly. The speakers crackled to life with a familiar guitar riff. Zeppelin. Chris grinned and rolled down the window. The wind rushed in, the road stretched ahead, and for a moment, everything felt right.

A week later, bills caught up with him. He had to sell the van back to his friend.

The next day, Chris got a phone call. It was from Kevin.

“You won’t believe this, but it’s stuck on that same station again.”

They both agreed it was hilarious and odd. “What a coincidence” Chris thought. But what happened next was impossible to shrug off.

His friend with the radio began to change. Slowly at first, but he stopped drinking so much. He started showing up to his kid’s baseball games. He became calmer, and his voice started to carry something new— hope, maybe.

Chris began to wonder if that stubborn radio had been tuned by more than human hands. Maybe it was no accident at all. Maybe that old van had been waiting for Kevin all along.

He could not shake the thought. Because the same man who once cursed at traffic was now humming along to worship songs in a rusty van. He could see now that God uses even broken things to reach people who are running out of road.

Maybe that is the miracle we often miss. God still moves through the most ordinary parts of our lives. The conversation you almost skipped, the interruption you found inconvenient, the thing that did not go your way. Each might be God’s gentle way of drawing you closer.

So don’t dismiss anything He’s doing. As 1 Corinthians 1:27 reminds us, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”

Perhaps today is worth slowing down and asking, “How is God trying to get my attention? What might He be trying to reach me through?”

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When has God used something unexpected—or even inconvenient—to get your attention?
  • Is there a situation in your life right now that feels small, foolish, or broken, yet might be exactly where God is working?
  • How does this story remind you that God’s power doesn’t depend on perfection or strength?
  • Who in your life might need encouragement to see that God can work through ordinary or imperfect things?
  • What would change if you started looking for God in the interruptions instead of trying to avoid them?
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Lessons From the Grocery Store

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1 Corinthians 15:10 — But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me — and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by His grace.

The smell of warm bread and cleaning supplies still takes me back. Not to a bakery or my grandmother’s kitchen, but to the grocery store where I had my first job.

I was sixteen, awkward, and half-asleep most mornings. It wasn’t glamorous work. I stocked shelves, bagged groceries, and spent more time wrestling shopping carts than I care to admit.

I remember thinking, “This is just a paycheck.” But over time, that little grocery store became something else entirely.

There was the older cashier, who called everyone “Honey” and could calm the crankiest customer with a wink. There was also the manager who never raised his voice but somehow made you want to do better. And there were the regulars — the ones who showed up every Thursday for bread and milk, or just to talk to someone who’d listen.

I started to notice things I’d never paid attention to before. The tired dad who worked night shifts still finding a smile for his kids. The widow who counted out change in nickels and dimes but left the last cookie sample for someone else.

That store taught me more than I ever imagined. About patience. About showing up when I didn’t feel like it. About giving my best, even when nobody noticed.

It reminds me of what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:10: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain.” I can see now that every small task, every moment of showing up, was God’s grace quietly shaping me from the inside out.

Funny thing — I thought I was earning money, but I was really learning character. The kind that gets built one small choice at a time, in ordinary places with sticky floors and fluorescent lights.

Sometimes I wonder if that’s where God does His best work — right there in the middle of the everyday, quietly shaping us while we think we’re just bagging groceries.

Maybe the same is true for you. Maybe the thing that feels small or unseen is the very thing God is using to grow you. The ordinary work. The thankless task. The daily faithfulness that nobody applauds. He is in all of it—teaching, refining, and shaping you in ways that only become clear later.

So wherever you find yourself today—keep showing up. Keep doing the next right thing. Because even in the most ordinary corners of life, God is writing something extraordinary.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Think back to your first job or a season that felt ordinary. How did God use that time to shape your character?
  • How does it change your perspective to realize that grace can be at work in small, everyday moments—not just big, spiritual ones?
  • What part of your daily routine might God be using to teach you patience, humility, or compassion?
  • Paul said God’s grace toward him “was not in vain.” How can you live today in a way that lets His grace bear fruit in you?
  • What’s one “ordinary” task this week you can approach as worship—doing it with gratitude, knowing God is in it?
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