One more of those weird little things that I notice at a church service that I didn't expect ... In this case, it was a great performance by Stephen Crawford leading praise & worship on a Wednesday night. Ever since Steve and Da'Dra came on board, there's been a frequent disconnect between the obvious level of talent they have and the comfort level they sometimes exhibit on the Lakewood stage. Over the past week or so, I've noticed that that's not true anymore.

Last night, Stephen Crawford was clearly in command of the stage and put on a clinic for how to lead praise & worship. It was a thrill to watch. In Da'Dra, I've noticed moments previously where the same is true. I think it's safe to say that both of them now look, feel, and sound a lot more at home singing from the stage than at most points prior.

On the downside for the night, I stroll into church a little early expecting to pick up Marcos' book and wanting to flip through a chapter or two before things get going. One problem ... the book isn't in stock at the bookstore yet. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. Particularly after having passed up a copy at the bookstore yesterday. But it looks like they just want to roll out the release with Marcos preaching this weekend. So I wait.

... and I pick up another book: "The Air We Breathe" by Louie Giglio. I figured I'd be done with it in short order and it looks like I'll put it to rest sometime tonight. It's a great read and I highly recommend putting on Chris Tomlin's "See the Morning" as you read it. Not surprisingly, they go very well together. As it stands, I'm about to blow a minor fortune on Amazon.com for what may well represent a new shelf full of books in the library. With a little luck, reviews should be forthcoming over the course of the next month.

I also noticed that Fiona Mellett had a CD for sale at the counter, a 2004 release entitled "Water in the Wilderness." Easy call in picking that one up while I was at it. Michael Hodge does electric guitars on the recording. The guitars are rather sparse, but the songs are great. I'll have to ask around to see if it's ok to put up some sample clips of tunes sometime soon.

Oh, and Lisa Comes just about rocked the house with her sermon. It's a good sign when the sermon begins with a Bible passage I've already highlighted the heck out of in my Bible (Hebrews 10:35-39). Perhaps it was no surprise that, with this passage being the key, Stephen Crawford's own confidence level was on proud display. Would that we all display that level of confidence every day.