I am at the National Worship Leader Conference with about a billion other people (yes, that is an exaggeration!).  I am sitting in the lobby of the host church (lobby makes it sound very small!  It is not!  I love to watch people, so that is what i am doing as we wait to go eat and then catch the evening events.  As I look around it is cool to see people reconnecting with friends, laughing, sharing stories and just having a good time. It is so cool to see!  There are many churches represented.  Many different beliefs held, and yet, we are all getting along.  That is so refreshing!

I grew up in a system that said if you do not believe just like me, I cannot have anything to do with you.  And, you must be ungodly and a heretic.  We did not say it in so many words, but that was our practice.  Once I got into college and realized how many differences there could be I was amazed at how little tolerance was shown for things that make no difference at all, and this was among “believers.”  Over the last several years, I have listened to people criticize other people, who they don’t even know,  just because they usually criticized people who were making huge impact for the Kingdom or were doing things different.  Quite honestly, I am tired of the egos, tired of the fussing and tired of small people trying to make themselves big all in the name of Jesus.

We will worship together tonight… several thousand of us.  It will be a taste of heaven I am sure.  I am sure there are some there are some that would criticize us and how we worship here tonight.  They probably won’t like heaven either…