What is worship to you

There have been a lot of conversations in our house through the years about worship.  Lately, we've talked more about it than not since we are looking at a new service, lots of things have been written about worship and many of course like different "styles" whatever that means.  John says worship God in spirit and in truth period.  He doesn't really talk "style".  I grew up in a very large but traditional church and loved it.  I felt like I was offered everything possible in terms of church.  I grew up listening to my grandmother sing hymns as she cooked dinner and find myself doing the same thing so often.  I love a choir.  I love a band.  I love contemporary music that I can dance and praise to but it's not all about music.    I know many people mean different things when they say I'm going to worship.  Here's what I mean...

Worship to me isn't just music.  When I invite someone to our church to worship, I'm not asking them to come hear the music or sing the music.  I'm asking them to come and hear Jesus proclaimed.  That comes through music.  It comes through hugs of fellowship.  It comes through the preaching of God's Word.  I don't feel like I'm worshiping any more during the music than I am when my husband is preaching and I'm engaging in what God's Word says.  So, when I say "great worship" or "going to worship", I mean the whole piece of pie.  When I tell my husband that I heard a message online or went to another church and the pastor rocked the message, he doesn't take that as a slap against him.  It's not necessarily "yay" for that person, it's "yay" God did a work there through them.  I'm thrilled to the bone to see God work through others.  I'm not a "fan" of Beth Moore, I praise God for the ministry she has without seeing it as a knock against Priscilla Shirer's ministry.  I'm not a "fan"   of Mark Batterson, but I love his writing and it speaks to me like none other.  That's not a knock against Steve Groeschell whom I love as well.    Are we not supposed to cheer one another on?  Are we not to be thankful and praise God for doing great things in other places?  How is that a knock against us?  We are all on the same team!  My daughter mentioned this morning being aggravated that churches compete with one another.  I share that frustration.  How can you compete against your own team?  Satan's greatest weapon is lying and dividing.  I honestly think he has more fun and success within the church doing this than on the outside of the church.  The message I heard Father's Day by Brad Cooper was on the glory of God and how we are so busy giving glory to everything and everyone down here that is not worthy of it.  Let's keep our glory pointers pointed upward where they belong and stop pointing it other places and at ourselves because like Brad said most of us want the glory pointed right back at us.  A gentle reminder, God WILL NOT share His glory!!

This may not be what you think of worship at all.  I would LOVE to hear what you think of when you hear that word or what you mean when you invite someone to worship with you. 

A side note as a pastor's wife...I love going somewhere to worship every now and again where I'm not the pastor's wife there.  I'm just one of everybody else.  My kids aren't the pastor's kids there for one Sunday.  Maybe we are the only ones who feel that way but I don't think so...