How can you NOT like Todd Agnew?!? Let me count the ways.

So recently a friend asked me to do some music in his wedding, which happened last weekend. When I signed up for the gig (that’s how those of us in the music industry refer to venues where our musical genius is often underappreciated by drunken hordes of young professionals excited to have a valid id and enough cash to make use of it) the groom mentioned that I would be playing, “a couple Chris Tomlin songs, and maybe a Todd Agnew song.”

At this statement, my head began to spin. Over the past year or two, I’ve become annoyed, intolerant even, of the musical style of the tortured male singer expressing his angst by not clearing is throat to show how sensitive yet angry he can be. Which brings me back to the spinning head. So I say to the groom, “sure, of course I’d do it!” all the while thinking, *I’ll sing Todd Agnew, as long as it’s not ‘grace like rain’*. (As a side note, I have yet to share these feelings with the happy couple, so if you’re reading this guys, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to tell you before your wedding. Love you. Mean it.) I don’t know what it is about that song. the lyrics are great, sure, but all that is wrong about the “I’ve got a bit of a sore throat and mom left all my Ricola in Kansas” music genre that Mr. Agnew heads up to me is exemplified in this one song. I think I may actually damage my car radio one day from changing the station too violently. I just want to hear as little of that song as is humanly possible.

So, as luck would have it, 6 weeks later the bride sends me the sheet music, with grace like rain placed at the top of the suite, taking the place of honor, causing my excitement to wane. And wane it did. I practiced the other two songs. Had them nailed down pat, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go through grace like rain. Toddy boy ruined it for me.

Fast forward to the wedding day. Upon arrival I learned that the ceremony would be held in the great outdoors, underneath the big sky that I was raised under. Which would’ve been grand had it not been raining. Not enough rain to move indoors mind you, just enough to let us think that it might clear up by the time the vows rolled around. anyway, my moment of glory rolls around where all eyes are on me, where people reluctantly take their attention from the bride and place all of it directly on my shoulders, where finally I am recognized and the brilliant, breathtaking, and ridiculously good looking man God has raised me to be. I get up to lead worship. In the rain. If you skipped directly to this portion of the entry, I’ll remind you that I’m singing grace like rain.

Naturally the irony of the situation brought a smile to my face. actually a little bit later I let a giggle out while singing (I’m not sure if anybody heard it, but it sounded more like dolly parton’s vibrato than anything, which again, made me laugh a bit more). Luckily I didn’t allow myself to be caught up in laughing fits, and made it through.

So after everything, one woman approached me and said, “I just love how you smile when you lead worship.”

I smiled again.