Compliance or Connection

What’s driving your worship?

There’s a kind of worship that’s compliant.
It shows up on time.
It sings the right words.
It follows the setlist & stale arrangement.

And then there’s a kind of worship that’s connected.
It overflows from intimacy.
It sings because it knows—because it’s seen, and heard, and been held by God.

An experiential knowledge.

As worship leaders, it’s easy to slip into performance mode.
To mindlessly lead songs we’ve sung a hundred times.
To serve out of duty.
To rehearse, prepare, execute—and never stop to ask:

Am I leading out of compliance… or connection?

Compliance says:
“I’m doing the right thing. I am doing this FOR Him”
Connection asks:
“Am I doing it WITH Him?”

Here’s the hard part:
Connection won’t always look as clean.
It’s not always polished.
But it’s alive.
It’s honest.
It comes back to Jesus—not because it has to, but because it wants to.

Now—I get it.
It’s easy to write this from a quiet room with a journal and a pour-over coffee.
But what about Sunday morning?
When your heart feels numb, your team is late, and you’re carrying more than anyone knows?

Even then… prize connection.
Even then… pause.
Even then… whisper His name before you step onto that stage.

Don’t lead from empty habit.
Lead from the movement of Him in your heart.

Because connection with God isn’t just the goal—it’s the source.

And this isn’t just about worship.
It applies to parenting.
It applies to marriage.
It applies to friendship.
It applies to life.

And most of all, it applies to your relationship with God.

It’s one thing to hear, “I love you.”
It’s another thing when someone says, “I feel so connected to You.”

Hard to fake that.

Let that be the measure.