I didn't mean to stay home and watch the Whitney Houston funeral. I actually had considered going to church myself. Once I had decided to stay home, the plan was to rest for a little while until I felt like doing something less lazy. I really had no intention of watching the Whitney Houston funeral. I mean, I like her music, but I didn't think I would care about the memorial service. But then one of my Facebook friends posted something about BeBe and CeCe Winans, and I thought, "Wow, I wonder what great music I'm missing by not watching that funeral!" So I turned on the TV and tuned in. And I'm glad I did.


The tributes to Whitney Houston were touching and heartfelt. The music was INCREDIBLE! I especially loved hearing CeCe Winans, as well as her brothers Marvin and Carvin. Sure, there were headliners, such as Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder, but, personally, I preferred the gospel singers, who are well-known in their own right, of course.

I soon realized that though I was not sitting in a church, I was experiencing an amazing worship service. Sure, people were there to honor the life of a performer, but they were also there to uplift God's name and to praise God for God's gifts. It was truly beautiful and a testament to the faith of this woman who grew up in the Lord.

It made me kind-of sad that we didn't hear about this more. I mean, most of us knew that Whitney Houston had roots in the church, but we heard so little about her faith. My favorite Whitney Houston movie (and subsequent soundtrack) is "The Preacher's Wife," in which she starred with Denzel Washington and Courtney Vance. The most popular song from the soundtrack is "I Believe in You and Me," but my favorite song is "Who Would Imagine a King?" It's a lullaby for the baby Jesus, and it is quite beautiful. It's quite a contrast to the power ballads and pop hits and even the gospel songs that Ms. Houston is known for. Instead, it highlights her gorgeous voice and her control of her instrument. The album itself contains some very nice gospel-type music that is not often heard on mainstream movie soundtracks.



But back to my observation. Although I knew about Whitney Houston's gospel background, I really never heard the media talk about her faith. We heard a lot about her talent and then later her marital problems and addiction issues, but we rarely heard about her first love--Jesus Christ.


So this made me think. If I were to die, would people speak of my love for Jesus at my funeral? And would some people be shocked to hear about it? Is the life I'm living a reflection of the God I live for? Am I pointing people toward the Kingdom of God? This funeral actually left me with a lot to think about.

So I may have skipped services at my home church yesterday, but in an unexpected way, I was able to worship God and to hear God's voice. Pretty cool, right?