What is Worship… Really?
“Worship” can feel hard to define, but that’s also what makes it so freeing! Let’s walk through how worship is woven into everything we do—through music, prayer, service, or even a mindful walk outside. The heart of worship is honoring God in spirit and truth, letting Him shape every part of our lives.
Hear my real-life story of turning messy moments into opportunities for worship, explore what Scripture says about honoring God, and learn why worship is more than just music—it’s an everyday invitation to get close to God as a family. Whether you’re new to family worship or looking for practical ways to deepen your current habits, this episode will equip and inspire you to start (or reimagine) worship right where you are.
✨ In this episode:
- What worship really means for families—beyond Sunday songs
- The “faith growth cycle” and how to start a worship habit at home
- Creative, bite-sized worship ideas for busy family routines
📚 FOLLOW-UP RESOURCES:
- Worship Styles quiz for kids
- Little Habits, Big Faith: find the right habits for this moment in your family life, habits that will help root your family into “waking up to God and to the purposes of God in the world, and then living lives that actually show it.” The Dangerous Act of Worship P13
Subscribe on your favorite listening platform for practical tips, real parent interviews, and encouragement as we become faith gardeners together!
📝TRANSCRIPT
Many years ago, I had a not-so-delightful worship experience. One minute I was reading a book about worshipping through acts of compassion, and then next minute I was cleaning poop out of the bathtub after one of my little guys had, yet again, done his business in the warm water instead of in his diaper. In that moment I had a choice…I could grumble and complain, which I surely did at first, or I could turn it into an act of worship, choosing to give glory to God as I gagged and scrubbed.
This month, we’re talking about a habit that seems like it just relates to Sunday mornings, but is actually something that weaves through our whole lives, including cleaning the bathtub: worship. I’ve actually been struggling with what to share here, because worship can seem so small, like the music portion of a Sunday morning worship service, but it’s also incredibly all-compassing.
What is Worship?
At its most basic, worship means to show honor to something, to give worth to it, which we do all the time in so many different ways.
So how do we show honor and give worth to God? We do that through the ways we think about God, how we talk to and about him, the personal and communal acts that we do that connect us to our Holy God.
In the Old Testament, community worship was centered on the ritual sacrifices in the temple. There was also music and places for prayer. The priests and the Levites mediated worship, priests by doing the sacrifices and Levites by doing things like singing in choirs and playing instruments. Israelites also worshipped God outside the temple by obeying God’s laws for purification, food, tithes, and observing the Sabbath. I don’t know about you, but I’m not getting a really specific definition of worship, which is both unhelpful, but also really freeing. There are so many aspects to worshipping God that you can really start anywhere.
You might worship through music, through other creative outlets, through deep Bible study, through liturgies, or serving others…like cleaning up bathrooms like I did in that long-ago moment, or through taking a walk and simply enjoying being with God. In fact, in his book, Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas describes 9 different worship styles that you might not have even realized were worship. He talks about the intellectual, activist, sensory worshipper, traditional and exuberant worshippers, those who worship best when out in nature or those who prefer a quiet, undecorated room while they’re worshipping God.
The Faith Growth Cycle: Worship Edition
In my book, Little Habits, Big Faith: How Simple Practices Help Your Family Grow in Jesus, I teach the Faith Growth Cycle. Today, we’ll use this cycle to walk through the process of starting a worship habit with your family.
1. The Seed Stage
The Seed stage begins with asking WHY we do something. Why does God want us to worship?
Jesus told a Samaritan woman that true worshipers worship God in Spirit and in truth
Psalm 99:5 tells us to “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.” ESV
We worship God in Spirit and in truth because He is the only One who is holy, fully worthy. God is not an ego-maniac demanding our worship. God created the world, loves us faithfully through all generations and rescues us from our sins. He truly is worthy of all the honor we can give Him.
In addition to knowing why God wants us to worship him, we can ask: are some specifics laid out in Scripture that we feel God is calling us to practice? We talked about worship in the Old Testament, but we live in the new covenant, so what does that mean for our worship? We read that worship for the believers in the New Testament was much more than just attending a meeting or singing songs. It encompassed a lifestyle of love, gratitude, and service to God, expressed through community and individually. It involves recognizing God’s worth, offering their entire selves to God, and sharing His love with others.
However, even though worship is far bigger than singing songs, music can be a great place to start slowly shifting your family into a more worshipful lifestyle. So let’s ask what God wants specifically for your family.
Let’s pray!
God, You are holy and wonderful and faithful and absolutely amazing. Help me to teach my family how to worship You, both through example and through helping them learn to worship on their own. Help me overcome distractions and excuses, and show me simple ways to turn our hearts toward You every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
2. The Sprout Stage
The Sprout stage is where we take small, manageable steps to turn worship into a habit, a way of living that slowly shapes us into people who worship God with our whole lives.
1) First, let’s choose a time of day when we’re with our kids, a time when we could invite God into what we’re already doing. Could a new worship habit work on your way to school? At the dinner table? Before your kids walk out the door? At bedtime or bath time? Invite God to give you inspiration here by asking, “how we can practice worship in what we’re already doing?”
2) Then, you’re going to pick a tiny habit. It needs to be tiny, for multiple reasons. If it’s tiny, it’s more likely to actually get done regularly. If it’s tiny, your kids won’t mind if it’s a bit uncomfortable at the beginning. And if it’s tiny, you’ll keep their attention.
Let’s talk through some ideas to get your creativity flowing!
If you want to invite God into your morning routine, you could:
- Sing a short worship song together while getting ready.
- Play worship music during breakfast or while driving to school.
- Say one thing you’re grateful to God for each morning at the table or in the car.
Or how about later in the day?
- Jesus story prompt — ask, “Where did you see Jesus at work today?”
- Sing a worship song or hymn together as a lullaby.
- Light a candle and say a one-line evening prayer (e.g., “Jesus, thank You for today”).
- Name one way you saw God’s love today.
Some ideas for any time of day:
- Create a family worship playlist — play it during chores, car rides, or wind-down times.
- Dance party worship — turn up the praise music and dance with joy!
- Sing the same worship song all week to build familiarity and deeper meaning.
Or specific ideas to help your family worship more fully at church:
- Pray together before church — “Help us hear Your voice today, God.”
- Ask one worship reflection question after church: “What did you learn about God?”
3) Once you’ve picked a tiny habit and attached it to something you’re already doing, try it out! Every time you remember to do it, add an instant celebration – high five your kids, pat yourself on the back for remembering, or just give your child a smile and say, “thanks for doing that with me”.
4) Set yourself up for success: What one-time actions do you need to take before you can start this habit? For example, it’s going to be tough incorporate music if you don’t know any good worship songs. Do you need to focus on worship for yourself for a few weeks before including your children? Or perhaps you keep wanting to turn on worship music, but you don’t have an easy playlist. Do you need to spend some time putting together a Spotify or YouTube playlist, or at least finding one you like?
Let’s review this 4-step process –
Step 1: choose a time when you can invite God into what you’re already doing
Step 2: choose a tiny habit that fits well into that time
Step 3: try it out, remembering to celebrate every time you remember to do it
Step 4: Set yourself up for success
Whether you thought of something right now, while listening, or whether you need to let these ideas percolate a bit, I’m confident that starting something little will help you and your family move into a deeper place of worship.
3. The Root Stage
If you already haveThe final stage in the Faith Growth Cycle (after Seed and Sprout) is the Root stage.If you already have a worship habit, consider how God might be calling you to go deeper:
- Make it longer: Sing two songs instead of one, longer dance party
- Make it more complex or creative: Invite your child to make their own songs!
- Add a new habit: Add prayer to your worship habit, or find Scripture songs to add to your favorite song list.
- Make it more independent: Encourage your kids to pick a worship habit of their own. Will they listen to worship music as they fall asleep? Will they pay more attention during church? What is one way to help your child move through their current stage of worship into a deeper stage?
On an even deeper level, consider this quote from “The Dangerous Act of Worship”:
Worship can name a Sunday gathering of God’s people, but it also includes how we treat those around us, how we spend our money, and how we care for the lost and the oppressed. Worship can encompass every dimension of our lives…Worship turns out to be the dangerous act of waking up to God and to the purposes of God in the world, and then living lives that actually show it. (P13)
How do our current acts of worship cause us to wake up to God’s purposes in this world? In the root stage, we ask ourselves how God wants to take us deeper so our acts of worship aren’t just focused on who God is, but how He wants us to live in the world?
Practical Tools for Worship
- Worship Styles quiz for kids
- Little Habits, Big Faith: find the right habits for this moment in your family life, habits that will help root your family into “waking up to God and to the purposes of God in the world, and then living lives that actually show it.” The Dangerous Act of Worship P13
Coming Up Next
In the next episode, I get to introduce you to my lovely friend Dorina, who embodies a life of worship in beautiful ways.
Closing Blessing
Let me pray a blessing over you. If you’re able, hold out your hands to receive it:
May your family discover how to center yourselves on God, then learn to live lives focused on all the things that matter most to God. May you learn to worship in Spirit and in truth, and may God change your lives in the process. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Thanks for joining me here at Little Shoots, Deep Roots. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a rating, comment, or review!
Growing with you,
Christie
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