Church this morning went well despite the fact that I was really nervous about filling in for our music director. I had a funny moment before church where I thought, Huh, no one's set up the music stands yet--and then I realized that I had to do that today. For all the congregational songs, I was playing piano, and despite the fact that I started piano lessons in kindergarten, I'm always extremely nervous on that instrument. Fortunately, Art, one of the HCUMC parishioners, played drums, and he's an excellent drummer, which really helped me to relax into the songs.
My major flub of the day was when the Doxology popped up on the screen and I realized that it hadn't even crossed my mind to practice it. I frantically flipped my hymnal open to somewhere in the 90s, found a "Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow," and dove in. I wondered why no one was really singing until I took a second look at the screen and realized I was playing the
wrong version--wrong tune, wrong words, AND I played it poorly. Oops. :) But worship was good this morning, Val preached about baptism and inclusiveness a la Casting Crowns' "If We Are the Body" (which I played during the offertory), and we had a baptism of the happiest baby ever!After church, I jumped in the car and drove down to Charlotte to meet my family for Father's Day lunch. My dad is the jam! We went to this French restaurant called Cafe Monte--it was awesome. I had delicious eggs Benedict, and my sister and I split an order of chocolate crepes. YUM. After lunch, we gave Dad his Father's Day presents, then he ran out the door to drive my little brother to Camp Tekoa, in the mountains. Mom and I did a little shopping, then I came back to Denver.
Tonight was the second installment of the evening worship service I've been helping to lead with one of HCUMC's college students and his girlfriend (with whose sister I actually went to middle school and high school, as it turns out). It was just Jon and me this week, and the theme was grace. We had met last week to pick and practice music; we sang "Your Grace Is Enough," "Amazing Love," Needtobreathe's funky/soulful "Washed By the Water," "Grace Like Rain," "Heavyhearted" by The Glorious Unseen, and Tenth Avenue North's "By Your Side." The song selections worked really well--it's been great working with Jon because we have different repertoires, so we end up with a cool blend of stuff when we put our heads together. The service went really well. We had 4 people show up, and it was great. We sang; Jon and I shared Scripture and quotes about grace; I played my original song "No Part of You"; and we just talked and shared among ourselves about the gift and challenge that is God's grace. I hadn't done worship in that small, intimate kind of setting in a long time, and it was really refreshing.
Now it's almost 9:30 and I am seriously ready for bed. So tired. :)
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