A Hoarse Life

I love my church, The Austin Stone Community Church. Love them (and yes, it’s a ‘them,’ not an ‘it’ =). One of my favorite things about The Stone is the worship, which is powerful, Spirit-driven, and just gets downright rowdy. It is both theologically rich and abundantly joyful. I can honestly say that I have never experienced anything like it anywhere else. There is an exuberant delight in the Lord that pervades the worship services, accompanied by a humility of heart. The combination results in Spirit-filled, God-glorifying worship that echoes the joy I associate with the first century churches. It is loud and raucous, and I often come away literally hoarse from shouting praise to the Lord.

We have been going through a three week series on the DNA of the church, and tonight’s emphasis was on being “For the City.” Words cannot describe how much I love the missional heart of this church. The greatest desire of my heart is to exalt Christ in everything and to serve His kingdom. It still amazes me that this is the greatest desire of the Austin Stone as well. I have attended dozens of churches in my nomadic life, but I have never seen a church that so effectively practices what it preaches. Even the least involved attenders contribute in sacrificial ways, and the entire culture of the church is one of action and authenticity. Yet with all of the social justice work the church undertakes, they never lose sight of the importance of elevating the Gospel—communicating it clearly and constantly both within the congregation and the community.

It is not the skill or talent of the leadership or the congregation that makes this possible. We are all just as broken and wicked as every human. When I brag about my church, I am not bragging about what we do, but about who empowers us to do it. Not one thing that I love about the church would be there without the unfailing power of the Holy Spirit.

“I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection.”
--Stuart Townend

Tonight’s sermon was a reiteration of the reasons we hold so fiercely to the biblical command “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (James 1:22) It was brilliant, and you should listen to the podcast. After the sermon, we sang one of my favorite songs, “With Everything,” by Hillsong United. The chorus runs,

“With everything, with everything,
we will shout for Your glory
With everything, with everything,
we will shout forth Your praise.”

And tonight a high school gym full of people shouted this song at the top of their lungs. Many of us, myself included, came away with hoarse voices and sore throats—our praise had been so earnest and exuberant that it literally affected us physically. It would be obvious to anyone that my voice was hoarse. And if I had been asked, “what happened to your voice?” I would have answered, “I wore it out praising my Great God and Savior.”

I want my life to be hoarse. I want to live with exuberant joy, self-sacrificing love, and a Christ-centered heart to such an extreme that it is obvious to everyone. I want people to see the way I live, the person that I am, and ask, “what happened to your life?” And I want to answer, “I wore it out, praising my Great God and Savior.”