Concentrating on Worship, Thinking about Marriage

Hosted at 9:30 service today. When I first did this, I thought my worship experience would somehow be diminished by viewing the singing and the sermon from the "wings" of the platform instead of standing or sitting with my wife in the congregation.
I still miss sitting with Evelyn, especially on a day like today when the sermon was about marriage.
But it seems to me that I am more alert and listening better when I'm participating from backstage than out front. I think this is true for a couple of reasons:

1) I've spent more time preparing for the worship service. I've looked at the line-up of songs, and I've thought deliberately about how my little bits on the platform can help connect the other elements of the service into a more meaningful whole. I've thought particularly about the Communion hymn and prepared Scriptures and thoughts to enrich the Communion experience for the other worshipers. And I've sat with the various worship teams for a tech run-through, which isn't all that inspiring, but it contributes to the whole experience of anticipating the worship service. And that anticipation makes me more attuned to what's happening when the worship service actually happens.
2) Backstage during the singing and sermon, I must work at paying attention. Sitting or standing in the congregation, I can easily assume the mentality of a concert-goer; I can engage with the words of the songs or not. I can be distracted by the people around me. I can read the worship folder or think about the afternoon, all while no one around me knows I'm thinking more about myself than God.
Of course, there are even more opportunities to ignore the worship leaders when I'm backstage. But I work harder at paying attention when I'm backstage sitting on a little bench, peering at the tiny TV monitor in the corner, straining to hear what the minister is saying.
My bottom line: it's my energy, my effort that is making the difference, and it could make the same difference whether I was helping to lead or not. I think there's a lesson in this for everyone, and maybe I'll write about this someday somewhere besides here.

Trevor's sermon was the second in his series called "Revolutionary Relationships," and as I said, the message was all about marriage.
Things to remember for me: Joy is the primary key to unity and longevity in marriage. So we should pursue joy and be our spouse's primary joy giver. After all, being joyful is not just a nice goal, but a biblical command: "Always be full of joy" (Philippians 4:4).
Best laugh in the sermon: Among a list of things kids said when asked about falling in love, was this gem from a little girl grade schooler:

"Beauty is only skin deep, but being rich can last a long time."

Thought I'd like to think about, and maybe write about, some more:
"Create a culture of two." That is, work on building the special world that's just for you and your spouse. In a day when so many families are led by self-centetered or career-centered parents, in a time when so many parents are child-centered rather than God-centered, in a culture when too many spouses concentrate on so many goals before their relationship with each other, this seems like a challenge that needs to be in neon lights beside the Interstate.