I’ve come to a realization in my everyday life that I believe a part of my role is to add value to everyone around me. So I often ask God to help me see this person who is sitting right in front of me the way you see them. Help me to call out the gold you’ve deposited in them and it’s a small way of saying, you belong and I want you to feel deeply cared for. I want you to know you have immense value in the family of God.

Today as we reflect on a place of belonging, consider the opportunities you have to embrace your place of belonging and also help to create a place for others.

I am honored to pastor our Lincoln Theatre Campus. Lean in as I read A Kids Book About Belonging by Kevin Carroll.

Part of belonging in the Father’s house is belonging in community. We need each other. As the children of God we need each other on this journey. I need you and you need me. I need someone to tell me about what they experienced when they made that wrong turn. I need someone who will testify when they trusted God. I need someone to warn me about the hard times, be with me in the painful moments, and celebrate with me in the moments of triumph. I need someone who is seeking God with me.

Belonging is our primary human need. Beyond food and shelter, nothing promotes human flourishing like having a people and place of belonging. Research confirms that income level, marriage and children, and perceived security all pale in comparison to belonging in promoting sustained happiness. We long to belong.

Some of the most beautiful moments of worship come in the ordinary, mundane moments of life. And yet, there is something powerful, spiritual, and undeniably right when we worship together. Simply put, worship is better together!

Throughout my life, I have tried my best to lean into God specifically when things don't go my way. Whenever I'm upset, anxious, afraid, or nervous, I find that praising and worshipping God really drowns out all my other emotions and fills me with joy. The joy of the Lord is more powerful than any emotion you can conceive with your own body.

As a worship leader, I’ve spent years participating in and helping to create powerful Sunday-morning worship experiences. However, embracing the mundane has not come naturally to me. It’s taken time and practice to realize the necessity of both environments and to understand that the mundane is not at odds with the powerful experiences of God’s presence we can have at church.