Last night Starfield did an amazing job of leading worship on stage at Dallas Baptist University. This first solo performance in the metroplex was an incredible success. The concert began with Starfield's original song, "Something to Say" and included others such as, "Unashamed," "Hosanna," "Reign in Us," and "Saving One." Although the songs were superb, the vocals were great, the drums rocked, and the lights were impressive, I was most impressed by lead singer Tim Neufeld's skills as a worship pastor.
A short time into the set list, Tim sensed the Spirit moving and allowed his agenda to be flexible. In between Starfield's normal concert fare we sang "Amazing Grace", "Awesome God", and "How Great is Our God", to name a few. The acoustics in Pilgrim's chapel were incredible, allowing Tim and his brother Jon to step away from the microphones and join with the audience in worship. I have many times experienced God's tangible presence in worship, but last night was unique in the effect on the audience.
College students around me were weeping, kneeling, praying together, jumping with joy, shouting with praise, as well as sitting quietly in prayer. What I saw last night was the body of Christ moving under conviction from being in God's presence. It was a beautiful sight. I think we might have turned just a little Pentecostal at one point for Tim's Mennonite upbringing, but I appreciated the opportunity he extended for us to voice prayers together corporately. Too often the only person to pray in a worship gathering is the pastor or the worship leader. It was refreshing to allow the audience to shout out their own prayers, to voice their own praise to the Father.
I enjoyed the night with my 12 year old daughter. Grace is a percussionist, which makes worshiping with her fun and unique. When she is gently moved in worship, she responds like many by raising hands and singing loud. However, when she is overcome with God's presence in music, she turns into a drummin' fool. I looked over at her in the middle of "Awesome God" to see her drumming up and down the back of the seat, while stomping a foot to create a funky groove to express her praise.
At the end of the concert, I was surprised. I honestly thought we had been in worship for just a few minutes, only to look at my phone to see that over an hour had passed. Somehow in the midst of chasing after God in that place, time seemed to stand still. Coming back to reality was challenging. Although impossible to describe with words, it was an incredible night, one in which Starfield did an excellent job of fulfilling their musical mission, "to lift up Jesus so he is impossible to ignore."
