Worship. Please, just worship.

I think you think you get it. I think you think that you understand exactly what I'm talking about when I say worship. I think you think, "oh. Isn't that that time after dodgeball during wednesday night church when we all line up and mumble the words to those songs no one actually cares about?"
I think you just don't get it. I think you will never get it until you ALLOW yourself to understand and grasp just how stinking important worship is.
GUYS. LET ME MAKE THIS VERY CLEAR. WHEN WE PRAISE, WE DON'T DO IT FOR EACH OTHER. WE DO IT FOR THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE THAT SAVED US FROM A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH. A FATE THAT WOULD MAKE DEATH LOOK LIKE A PIECE OF CAKE. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND JUST HOW MUCH OF A BIG DEAL THIS IS.
Oh my goodness. Like, seriously I can't even begin to describe to you what it's like when you really, truly, deeply, let go and just praise. JUST PRAISE. Praise him for your family. praise him for being forgiven. praise him for never letting go. praise him for the hard times. praise him for the good times. just praise him.

But Jo, that kind of praise just doesn't exist. maybe it does in some other universe, but not here. not in this world. not in this country. not in Arkansas. not in OZARK of all places. No Jo, that kind of praise doesn't happen here.

BUT IT CAN!!!!!!!!! IT CAN! I'VE SEEN IT. Guys, I've seen that praise. I've grown up with that praise. I know that praise. I've lived through that praise. I WANT THAT PRAISE! And it can happen. I believe that. We just have to stop looking around at the kid next to us hoping they don't hear the quiet whispered lyrics coming through those lips. We live in a world that says "Be unique!" "Stand out!", and standing out seems great at first. Yeah, I get to be different and have attention. But when we come into that youth building suddenly we don't want to be unique. Suddenly we freeze and say, wait. I have to be like everyone else and not sing. I have to wait for someone else to stand up and sing.
But if you're waiting for someone else, just count on waiting for a long time. because at least in my youth group not a whole lot of people care too much for singing. I want us to praise Him though. Because even though we may have the most horrible voices or whatever, God deserves at least our praise.
Doesn't he?

As I write this I am literally on the verge of sobbing. You may think that you understand just what praise is. You may think you understand what I'm talking about. But until you give all of that self-conscience-ness about standing out or whatever the problem is to God? You will never understand. And you HAVE to just figure it out. Because once you understand, it is unlike almost anything else. Anything.
And if you have figured it out?
Praise Jesus, because maybe I'm not crazy when I say all this. Maybe there is more to praise than standing awkwardly waiting to sit down because your feet hurt so much. Maybe there's more. There has to be more. There is more.