so i went to church today. There's a church here in Ashland called Simple Faith. I went there last year and i haven't been to church here since last year so i thought i'd go...

i never really realized how spoiled i was at morning star. Usually i'm pretty good with new things and new churches since i stopped going to MS a while ago. But there are little things that good ole' Morning Star pays attention to that other churches don't. For example, i am convinced through out my high school career at RIOT, there was some of the best worship i've ever experienced. Aside from song sets, how many songs, how long they went on and yadda yadda,it was the way they presented it all...All singers blended, all instruments blended, and Rocky knew when to belt the song out to the heavens and when to just let the congregations voices rule the auditorium. It could be considered some what of a a performance...but i believe it was davine intervention.

Simple Faith,(a really good church with a good message and comfortable atmosphere) doesn't really pay attention to those little details, like blending mikes, and instruments. I would have never thought that this would bother me or keep me from being able to worship, but, man...it was the most distracting thing in the world! The lead singers natural singing voice was very soft but clear. He didn't have vibrato he just sang, which i love. (the whole less is more saying.) Then there is the other guitar/singer who you can't even hear, then the female vocal that is completely over powering the singers and their instruments! Don't get me wrong, she had a beautiful voice, but it was too much.

All the while, i'm sitting there wanting to worship through song because thats when i feel closest to God, and i find myself thinking..."who's running the sound here? why doesn't he lower the volume of her mike, and up the volume of his? there's a mandolin player? what? you can't even hear it! gosh...man i miss rocky. He should come down here and show these guys how to do it." Finally i tried to snap out of it and not let it affect me. I tried to focus on the words of the song and pray them because i wasn't able to sing them. It was hard. I didn't want to. I wanted to sing. And i couldn't.

All that to say. For as much stuff that i always hated at Morning Star, and as critical as i was of my home church. No church is perfect(a cliche if i've ever heard one) and Morning star is blessed with amazing musicians ranging from adults to youth. I know, that i could be gone for 10 years, but i can always come back to Morning Star and sing along to amazing songs, led by an amazing worship team.