A remarkable ride home from school with Noah and Brooks

I picked up Noah and Brooks after my work day was done, and was driving home with them from their school. I have a few of my favorite CDs in my 6-CD changer in my van, and rarely change them . . .

The song "Come Before the Lord" off of the album "No Greater Love" by Glenn Kaiser and Friends came on the CD player, and I had the honor of hearing a full rendition from the back seat by my seven-year-old Brooksie and my nine-year-old-in-two-weeks Noah . . . and they knew every word! I had chills run up and down my spine and relished the four-and-a-half minutes in which they gave this song their all. It was a snapshot of the best parts of raising a family, and I am and was very grateful!

I have always said that it was music and not sermons or books that gave me the passion for our Triune God that I possess, and that it was music that really taught my heart the TRUTHS that work when I live them out. Something about music goes right past my overly-analytic mind and writes beautiful things in the deepest places of my being.

Today the teaching came from two little boys, and said "the things that really matter also really satisfy!" and "God is teaching Noah and Brooks all they need to know, and is helping you do an adequate job of being His tool in that!" Both of those messages are precious to me today, and were very much needed.

Charlie Peacock, the Resurrection Band, Larry Norman, Glenn Kaiser, and Rich Mullins have been my best teachers over the years . . . and early on I would have included John Fisher and Chuck Girard in that. These days I also include Hillsong United, Third Day, Matthew West, Kutless and many others. They have been the best teachers of theology to me!

I love that 22-year-old Josh has a Rich Mullins ring tone on his phone . . . and love that he sits and listens to my music as I work sometimes. I love that he and my 23-year-old Mike really do love God and are following Him. And I wonder if their mom's love for music that preaches a God that loves them and is worth following had more of an impact on that than any of my words?

I was looking for a clip of the song the boys were singing today, and couldn't find it . . . but I found this video of another of my Glenn Kaiser favorites, and thought I'd post it here for anyone interested. It gets to the heart of what drives me, and what I hope drives my boys. I need God's love more than I need anything else, and so do they. May they know the reality of that in their very core!