God is still speaking....

Happy New Year, everyone! Yeah, so I'm almost a month late in getting my 2013  blog off to a rousing start. Yet I am glad that I am at least in a positive mood about how the remaining 300-something days will turn out for me. The reason I entitled this blog "God is still speaking..." because I know He is telling me something, even if it's the motto of my church, Spring Creek United Church of Christ. I feel like I am in the right direction.

Prior to my last post I did participate in my church's Christmas Cantata, which was held just two days before Christmas. Who knew I would have fun ringing some bells and singing unfamiliar Christian songs with the choir? I get along with everybody there, even our newly-elected pastor, Rev Ivan Schoen. He's a good guy ( as long as we don't bump heads about my Brewers and his beloved Cardinals!). To think I only started attending the church since last April on a whim to get out of the house on Sunday mornings. These days I actually enjoy getting up on Sundays just to attend church, mingle with the congregation...then go back home and get some sleep!!!

Last Sunday's (January 20) service was commemorative to remembering the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One month earlier, I asked Janel, who directs both the bell and sanctuary choirs, to do a song for that weekend. I wasn't sure the song I chose would be the one for the moment. The only song that immediately popped into my head was Lift Ev'ry Voice (and Sing),  a song also known as the Black National Anthem. ( How intriguing was it to do this song in front of a mostly Caucasian audience. Oh well.) Janel told me that it would be a great selection to do. So I went ahead and performed it. (Want to see this?  Just click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDPC-Z1a4E0.)  I have been getting a lot of positive comments on my singing.  Keep in mind I also sung it in a baritone voice, which is still a new experience for me.  I had always sung in a tenor voice when in college and at the C.O.G.I.C. church, which I'm leaving nameless. 

Yes I got to rehearse the song a few times to make sure I had the lungs to sing this special song. Singing Louis Armstrong's classic What A Wonderful World  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5CvM5zqev4) was nothing in comparison to this. I had my bottle of coconut-flavored sparkling water by my side, which I was none too happy to take repeated sips of after going over it a few times after normal choir rehearsal concluded.  janel, along with her associate Ron, who not only sings with the tenors but also plays guitar, were playing Lift Ev'ry Voice in too fast of a pace for me to sing. They eventually did slow the tempo down to a reasonable mode. Meanwhile, I normally am a bit shy in doing public speaking, despite taking a college course (twice) in the subject. So on the day before and the morning of the event, I spent some time trying to find a way of singing it the way I would like. You would not believe how differently this song can be sung! But the butterflies that may have surrounded my stomach were quickly 86'ed after the morning's go-over. Janel was impressed! So was the congregation after giving it my might. To make it more memorable, I used my actual copy of my commencement program from Dillard Univeristy, which did have the whole song printed in the back. I did discover later that the song was actually in the hymnal books under the chairs! Eh, so be it! 

I had my dear friend Michelle record this using my digital camera. This went off effortlessly. It took me 5 damn hours due to the faint wi-fi signal in my building to finally post this on YouTube! Know what's odd about this? The next day I posted a chronological history (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJeX7AbehAI) of my life leading up to the present. It took me about 20 minutes to make with the help of Windows Movie Maker ...and 10 minutes to post on YouTube! Go figure!!!

So God is still  'speaking ' to me. He just has His own way of doing it. Remember what Elwood Blues once said:  "The Lord works in mysterious ways..."  That I can happily say is true!!!!