Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Psalm 33:1

My son, Trevor, me and Chris Tomlin

Music has always been a huge part of life for me and my family. It seems like we always have music playing and we’re singing. I’ve been a music nut for as long as I can remember. But the past six months or so have been truly transformational in the music department! For the past few years, the music at our church has been slowly filtering into our everyday listening. First, we added KLOVE to our presets, and then The Message became a staple on my satellite radio top 5. And, the music of artists such as Chris Tomlin, Third Day, Tree63, the Newsboys and Mercy Me found its way into my cd collection and onto my iPod.

I’ve written about how this past January, I was blessed to win two tickets to see a Chris Tomlin concert in Denver. We were also lucky enough to meet him and other band members, along with Israel Houghton, who was touring with him. They were all so amazingly gracious and humble. I’ve been able to meet many “famous” people over the years in one capacity or another. Gracious and humble are not usually the words that come to mind when describing those encounters. But Chris, Israel and others were different. As great as it was to meet them and see that they were truly special, it was the amazing worship of that night that really opened up my eyes. I’ve never felt that way before. Sure, numerous times during church services, I am moved to tears – almost every week, actually. But that night took it to a much higher level. I didn’t want that feeling to end ever! That had to be a taste of what it will be like in Heaven one day when we’re all praising Him around the throne!

So, from then on, the joyful noise in my life has almost exclusively become worship and praise music. I can’t think of better ways to start and end my days – I have noticed my temperament has softened and I am less stressed. Even with things in life that are pretty trying, the music and praise that has become a staple of every day keeps my focus in check. And the best part is the impact it is having on my children. They both love to sing and we’re always singing when we’re together, especially in the car. To hear my son sing like Chris Tomlin or my daughter tackle a Francesca Battistelli song brings the biggest smile to my lips. I am joyful, thankful and humbled by how God uses such gifted people to spread His message. And I am so thankful that He opened up our hearts to receive that message.

I just put the kids to bed before writing this. Each one has their own special cd of their favorite Christian music. And, for months now, they each ask for it to play as they’re falling asleep. A I left Trevor’s room, he was listening to this: “Sing, sing, sing. And make music with the heavens, we will sing, sing, sing. Grateful that you hear us, when we shout your praise, lift high the name of Jesus.” What a wonderful way to head into slumber and what a great way to wrap up the gift of another day.

Do not put your trust...in mortal men, who cannot save…But happy are those . . . whose hope is in the LORD their God. Psalms 146: 3, 5 NLT

Those who know me pretty well know what a big fan of Jimmy Buffett I am. Music, books, an unbelievably successful brand and an all-around lifestyle – laid back and beach-ready. All pretty great stuff and I’ve been a Parrothead for over 20 years. I was in Phoenix at one of my company’s corporate offices. I also happened to have a ticket to Jimmy Buffett’s concert while I was there. The day of the show, as a co-worker and I were leaving a restaurant, we literally ran right into Jimmy! I was pretty shocked, to say the least. Embarrassingly, I stumbled, didn’t say a lot but did manage to ask him if he had a moment for a picture. He has a pretty solid reputation for being humble and gracious, so I really didn’t think it was asking a lot. However, to my surprise, he refused. I was completely deflated. I went on that day, went to the concert that night and had a great time, but something kept nagging at me – I kept coming back to the thought that I need to be careful about placing too much faith in anyone but God.

Then, in His perfectly accurate timing, God delivered the hammer of a reminder in the form of a daily devotional. The day after this encounter, this verse from the Psalms arrived in my inbox! And there it was, the Biblical reference point to drive home what the Holy Spirit was working on in me. I prayed and prayed – please Lord, work on my heart in this area because I know I have a tendency to put too much faith in everyday people. Help keep my focus on you because only you will never leave me nor will you ever deflate my perception of you.

I still love Jimmy, his music and his brand – I just know that he’s merely another flawed human being just like me. He needs the same grace and mercy that I do on a daily basis. So, rather than carry anger or resent the act, I pray that my God will look out for him and continue blessing him so that people can continue to find a little bit of earthly happiness in Margaritaville.