Re: Thoughts by Mary Lynn
Music is my life and I want to sing it,
Music is my life and I want to bring it,
Music is my life and I want to share it,
Music makes my life worthwile.
Music, Music - Beautiful music
I love Mu-u-sic, Music is my life
Trumpets, banjos, singing, playing,
there are many ways of making music
clarinet, voices, tubas too, MU-U-SIC.
That is a song clear back when I was in the 3rd grade. I got to sing in a special citywide kids concert at vets. That was the song. But what made such a huge impact on me was the parts of the voices in the entire auditorium. Can you imagine thousands of kids singing the same song in parts. That is what really started my interest in music. I always loved singing since I was really little. My grandpa would always comment because I could mimic and do the voice fluctuations even when I was 3 and 4 years old. He always wanted me to sing him "Delta Dawn". That probably shows my age there.
Anyway, I loved the harmonizing. That is what I love to do. In choir, chamber chorale, swing choir, music theory in college, singing hymns at church. I have said in prior posts, I don't know what I would do without music. If I could do anything all day long with a passion, it would be to sing..... all day. When my voice died out I would just listen. Now saying that I like to sing, does not mean I am that good at it. Sometimes it sounds good, sometimes it doesn't. Any singer knows when they are having an off day... well at least I hope they would. : )
That said, I have come to the topic of worship. I have been singing in church for many years now. First just in the congregation, then was asked to do solo stuff with tracks, then I was asked to join a group of gals that travelled around to different churches ministering, then I was the choir director at another church for a couple of years, then sang on the worship team in a multicultural church (if you know what I mean), then did nothing for a while and now am on a worship team again.
I have learned a lot in that time of serving in different positions.
In the congregation, sometimes it is difficult to enter into worship. People have to be able to let go of their messes and enter in to God's presence and worship. As a young (baby sucking on milk) christian you try to put the blame on the worship team sometimes because you cannot enter in on your own; it's much easier to say, the song was off beat, piano player or organist wasn't doing a good job, the music was boring, I don't like contemporary, I don't like hymns, blah blah blah. When people do that - I just consider them baby christians. They need to grow up.
As a soloist, I had sung solo and duet in Swing Choir and made it through that peer pressure. I figured, if the people at church didn't love me who would. But then again after having thoughts as I mentioned above about the songs or singing, I would be nervous singing anyway. I still get nervous. I don't want to but I do. I want it to sound just right and am very critical of myself. It gets less and less as the years go by, because I have matured in that area. You start worrying more about what God thinks instead of what people think.
Then travelling around and ministering in song to different churches was a totally different experience. It was awesome. A couple of the other gals did most of the talking but I loved doing the singing part and praying with the people that came up for prayer. I loved it when certain songs would touch people and God used us.
When I moved to a different part of town my car died and I couldn't get to my regular church. I was so far away from it, I didn't feel it was right to ask for rides sometimes. So I moped around until I figured out I could walk a 1/2 block to a church on my street. I lived right across the street from the pastor. The people there were awesome and loving. I had done a couple of solo things there and then was approached about giving voice lessons to one of the gals which lead to being asked to lead the choir there. Talk about a learning experience. You learn to love each person as an individual and help them to become what God is trying to make them. I quickly got over "off key notes" and old ladies with warbly voices, and we made a joyful noise unto the Lord.
Then, I got married and got pregnant. I couldn't breathe, therefore, I couldn't sing. After Ethan was born I didn't feel like I could go back to the committment. We attended another church which was required for Edgey's job at the time. That is when I was fed by TBN. We church hopped after he changed jobs. Then got hooked up with an inner city church. That is when I started to sing again. I was asked to sing on their worship team. That was totally exciting.... singin' with a bunch of sista's. There were only a couple of people standin around in that church. The presence of God was there every service and it was passionate and uninhibited. That is where I learned that it is important to back up the man of God that is preaching. Whatever he said during the worship & praise time, we echoed in some form or another. There is something about the worship team backing up the pastor and his anointing and I believe it makes that anointing stronger.
Then more pregnancies..... more changes, hurts and healing and now we are where we are. We have an awesome worship team. I am thankful to be part of it.
What is difficult is that we are worship leaders - a team - but also leaders. Therefore, people are going to look up to us as an example. That is why it is so important for us to just be there to please God and do our best at what we do. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses and we need to be aware of those. I don't want to look out and see people not worshipping. That is why many times, I have my eyes closed. If people think its stupid, I don't care. I am trying to worship, I want God to try my heart, not them. I have been in that place where I don't want to be a hindrance to God, where I don't want people looking at me instead of Jesus. I don't want it to be a show. I have been there - Swing Choir was ALL show. Just like american idol. Put on a big smile and entertain. But you know what? God positions us where he wants us... if he wants us to lead he puts us there and HE anoints us. He calls us, He leads us or drags us in some cases... It's all about him. When people learn that, church will be a better place.
The only time I feel successful in praise and worship is when I can sense God's presence. When the music is good, I like it, but when the presence is there, I love it.
Music is my life and I want to bring it,
Music is my life and I want to share it,
Music makes my life worthwile.
Music, Music - Beautiful music
I love Mu-u-sic, Music is my life
Trumpets, banjos, singing, playing,
there are many ways of making music
clarinet, voices, tubas too, MU-U-SIC.
That is a song clear back when I was in the 3rd grade. I got to sing in a special citywide kids concert at vets. That was the song. But what made such a huge impact on me was the parts of the voices in the entire auditorium. Can you imagine thousands of kids singing the same song in parts. That is what really started my interest in music. I always loved singing since I was really little. My grandpa would always comment because I could mimic and do the voice fluctuations even when I was 3 and 4 years old. He always wanted me to sing him "Delta Dawn". That probably shows my age there.
Anyway, I loved the harmonizing. That is what I love to do. In choir, chamber chorale, swing choir, music theory in college, singing hymns at church. I have said in prior posts, I don't know what I would do without music. If I could do anything all day long with a passion, it would be to sing..... all day. When my voice died out I would just listen. Now saying that I like to sing, does not mean I am that good at it. Sometimes it sounds good, sometimes it doesn't. Any singer knows when they are having an off day... well at least I hope they would. : )
That said, I have come to the topic of worship. I have been singing in church for many years now. First just in the congregation, then was asked to do solo stuff with tracks, then I was asked to join a group of gals that travelled around to different churches ministering, then I was the choir director at another church for a couple of years, then sang on the worship team in a multicultural church (if you know what I mean), then did nothing for a while and now am on a worship team again.
I have learned a lot in that time of serving in different positions.
In the congregation, sometimes it is difficult to enter into worship. People have to be able to let go of their messes and enter in to God's presence and worship. As a young (baby sucking on milk) christian you try to put the blame on the worship team sometimes because you cannot enter in on your own; it's much easier to say, the song was off beat, piano player or organist wasn't doing a good job, the music was boring, I don't like contemporary, I don't like hymns, blah blah blah. When people do that - I just consider them baby christians. They need to grow up.
As a soloist, I had sung solo and duet in Swing Choir and made it through that peer pressure. I figured, if the people at church didn't love me who would. But then again after having thoughts as I mentioned above about the songs or singing, I would be nervous singing anyway. I still get nervous. I don't want to but I do. I want it to sound just right and am very critical of myself. It gets less and less as the years go by, because I have matured in that area. You start worrying more about what God thinks instead of what people think.
Then travelling around and ministering in song to different churches was a totally different experience. It was awesome. A couple of the other gals did most of the talking but I loved doing the singing part and praying with the people that came up for prayer. I loved it when certain songs would touch people and God used us.
When I moved to a different part of town my car died and I couldn't get to my regular church. I was so far away from it, I didn't feel it was right to ask for rides sometimes. So I moped around until I figured out I could walk a 1/2 block to a church on my street. I lived right across the street from the pastor. The people there were awesome and loving. I had done a couple of solo things there and then was approached about giving voice lessons to one of the gals which lead to being asked to lead the choir there. Talk about a learning experience. You learn to love each person as an individual and help them to become what God is trying to make them. I quickly got over "off key notes" and old ladies with warbly voices, and we made a joyful noise unto the Lord.
Then, I got married and got pregnant. I couldn't breathe, therefore, I couldn't sing. After Ethan was born I didn't feel like I could go back to the committment. We attended another church which was required for Edgey's job at the time. That is when I was fed by TBN. We church hopped after he changed jobs. Then got hooked up with an inner city church. That is when I started to sing again. I was asked to sing on their worship team. That was totally exciting.... singin' with a bunch of sista's. There were only a couple of people standin around in that church. The presence of God was there every service and it was passionate and uninhibited. That is where I learned that it is important to back up the man of God that is preaching. Whatever he said during the worship & praise time, we echoed in some form or another. There is something about the worship team backing up the pastor and his anointing and I believe it makes that anointing stronger.
Then more pregnancies..... more changes, hurts and healing and now we are where we are. We have an awesome worship team. I am thankful to be part of it.
What is difficult is that we are worship leaders - a team - but also leaders. Therefore, people are going to look up to us as an example. That is why it is so important for us to just be there to please God and do our best at what we do. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses and we need to be aware of those. I don't want to look out and see people not worshipping. That is why many times, I have my eyes closed. If people think its stupid, I don't care. I am trying to worship, I want God to try my heart, not them. I have been in that place where I don't want to be a hindrance to God, where I don't want people looking at me instead of Jesus. I don't want it to be a show. I have been there - Swing Choir was ALL show. Just like american idol. Put on a big smile and entertain. But you know what? God positions us where he wants us... if he wants us to lead he puts us there and HE anoints us. He calls us, He leads us or drags us in some cases... It's all about him. When people learn that, church will be a better place.
The only time I feel successful in praise and worship is when I can sense God's presence. When the music is good, I like it, but when the presence is there, I love it.
posted by Mrs Edgey at 3/12/2006 11:07:00 PM
1 Comments:
Thank you so much for sharing that.
I love hearing the perspectives of others.
It helps me to grow and change and figure out this thing called life.
I like music too, and I agree with you: when God is present, I love it.
I really hope we can meet one of these days!
:-)
Post a Comment
<< Home