In the Presence of the Lord

One of my lifelong dreams has come to fruition: I'm a backup singer in a band.

Yes, I've always dreamed of being a backup singer. And yes, I'm aware that it's not a normal reach-for-the-stars kind of dream, but it's my dream.

Singing backup is an amalgamation of my talent for finding harmonies and my desire to be part of something cool without completely putting myself out there. It lets me add something to a song without drawing too much attention to my voice (which is a good voice, but not great by any means).

And I completely dig it. (Yeah, I can say "dig it" now. I'm in a band.)

It's a church band, which probably brings the coolness level down a few notches in some people's eyes, but those people have never heard our church band.

The lead singer has a bluesy, perfect pitched, smokey toned voice that blows me away. And she plays piano the same way - she's absolutely amazing. Seriously. And the guys who play guitars and drums (and sometimes sax) are all amazing musicians too. They are no joke. They know and play real music. Not just churchy stuff, which sometimes seems dumbed-down for the masses.

For instance, this Sunday they played Blind Faith's "In the Presence of the Lord" (click the blue words to hear the original). That's Clapton and Winwood. And they did it justice - the singing, the guitar solo...it was incredible. And moving. Just like good music should be.

These people are funny, down to earth, eclectic, intelligent, gifted people who have faith and guts and passion and talent. They play because they love it and are good at it and want to share it. Not for money or fame, although some of them are of that caliber. They have heard God's call to preach his word in the best way they know how - through music. They are inspiring.

I have never in my life so enjoyed serving God.

Ever.

Each time I sing with this group, they truly bring me into the presence of the Lord. Which helps me reach out to the congregation so they can feel it too. I'm so grateful for and blessed by each of them and everything they've taught me musically and spiritually in the couple of months I've been with them.

Yeah, I'm a backup singer in a church band. And it's the coolest thing I've ever done!