I Sang With Andy Stanley Last Night

Last night, we had a special service at our church for the giving campaign we are starting and Andy Stanley came to speak live. We hear him every week, but he's on video, so we were all really excited to finally "meet" him.

I honestly didn't know what to expect. My hope was that he would be really accessible and personal and want to talk to every person in the room, but reality told me that he would probably be surrounded by security guards and bodyguards and that he would be locked up backstage in some swanky green room filled with Evian water, Starbucks coffee, green M & M's, and fancy pastries. He would come out, recite his "go get 'em" speech, and be whisked away to his getaway car before anyone could get a good look at him.

John got there early to save seats for our small group. Never one to be subtle, he saved us seats on the second row! I got there about 15 minutes before the service started and took my seat on the end of the aisle closest to the middle section. After catching up with my small group and talking with John about my day, I looked across the aisle to find a very tall, thin, casually dressed Andy Stanley standing right next to me. Now, I know he is just a man and God doesn't look at him any differently than he looks at me, but this is a guy whose books I have read, whose teachings have inspired change in my life, and whose philosophy on church has shaped much of my belief system about how a church should function. Let's just say that I was a little excited to see him standing there.

I was absolutely amazed by his lack of pretense and his abundance of humility and "normal-ness." There weren't any security guards, bodyguards, butt kissers, or groupies hanging around. He didn't even have a bottle of water with him, much less the coffee and banquet that I had expected. He was talking with the people sitting behind him and even got up to walk into the Foyer to see who all was hanging out there. The more amazing thing was that no one was really freaking out over him. I think everyone there had the same feeling I did - he's a great teacher, a godly man, an incredible visionary--but he's just a guy and if he doesn't feel the need to put himself up on a pedestal, then neither do we.

When the service started, I realized that the only thing separating my seat from his seat was about 18 inches of aisle. When the music started, I closed my eyes and sang my little heart out, so grateful to God to be in a healthy church and to have the privilege to hear this amazing teacher every week. I soon forgot that Andy Stanley was just a few inches away and started focusing on the fact that God knows my weaknesses, knows my needs, and knows exactly what I need and loves to give it all to me.

So, in a way, you could say that I sang with Andy Stanley last night - I mean, we were right next to each other singing the same songs :)