Friday, September 03, 2004

Sigh....

Busy week, so let's recap.

Tuesday: went down to the Union Gospel Mission, as I stated in the previous entry. What a blessing. This is my 3rd or 4th time going with our team, and the folks down remember us, and gave us a nice welcome. I sang my songs, Troy preached his message, and we had about 4 people come forward for counseling or prayer. Each person saved/touched/helped makes it worth it.

Wednesday: Down to dad's for breakfast. I mentioned earlier about 'saying the things I want to say' to him, and this week was no different. He's so appreciative of the breakfast trips, and the talks we have. He and I really have a kindred spirit. I'm more like my dad than I realize. Wednesday night church and choir practice. We starting on our Christmas program, which will be performed sometime in early December.

Thursday: Work, etc. Went over to my brother's house and visited with him and his fiance for a bit. He just switched to dayshift today, after many years of working graves (just like I did), and he was feeling celebratory. For several reason, really, but more on that later.

Lindsey had dress-rehearsal last night for the church's youth musical. Performances are Fri/Sat/Sun. She's understandably nervous. She has a nice solo toward the end of the show, and I've helped her practice a few times at home. She is so talented, and has such a big, lovely voice, but she doesn't think so. I'm looking forward to the show, because it will do so much to help boost her confidence.

I'm at work now, bored out of my skull. Looking forward to the play tonight. If I think of something actually exciting, I'll post it.

Monday, August 30, 2004

As I've said here, I'm a horrible procrastinator.

Tomorrow night, Tuesday, I'm going with some men from my church, again, to the Union Gospel Mission in downtown Sacramento to present the evening service. There's 3 or 4 of us that have kind of become a team that goes every 3 months or so. I do "special music" as they call it. My friend Troy D. preaches, and he usually has a song in mind he'd really like me to sing before preaches, to kind of set the mood.

Well, I've known about this for a couple of weeks now, and I've known he wanted If We Are The Body by Casting Crowns. It's a song I know well, since I have their CD and play it all the time. But the background track is a separate CD I have to go buy at a local Christian bookstore. I waited until today, and was kind of nervous because the first two stores I went to didn't have it. I finally found several copies at Bereans Christian Bookstore over on Alta Arden. I think they will be my first stop from now on. They have tons and tons of music.

So Troy calls me last night and asks if I can have another song prepped, because he's not sure how long he's gonna preach. He wants me to be able to fill a couple minutes if he goes short. The Union Gospel staff likes the service to be about an hour. I told him no problem, which it really isn't because I have a whole box of songs I can pick from and prep quickly. But while I was at the bookstore I found a song I'd been wanting to sing for a long time. Strong Enough by Stacie Orrico. Yeah, yeah, it's a chick singing on the CD, but the song is just right for a place like the Union Gospel Mission.

Will my weakness for an hour
Make me suffer for a lifetime
Is there anyway to be made whole again
If I'm healed, renewed, and find forgiveness
Find the strength I've never had
Will my scars ruin all God's plans

He took my life into his hands
And turned it all around
In my most desperate circumstances
It's there I finally found

That He is strong enough
That He is pure enough
To break me, pour me out, and start again
That He is brave enough
To take this chance on me
Thank You for the chance to start again

The lyrics are right on the mark for the folks down at the Mission. Most of them are alcoholics or drug abusers, and most of them are trying to change their lives for the better. Christ offers them that chance, and this song just goes to the heart of the issue.

Christ is strong enough, pure enough, and brave enough to take a chance on each and every one of us. We might not be alcoholics or drug addicts, or homeless, but we've all sinned. All of us have things in our lives we wish we'd never done. Things for which we wish we could find forgiveness. That's' what this song is about, and what Christ is ALL about.

I really thank God for guiding me to the song, and for finding it at this moment. I pray it will be useful to someone in the service tomorrow night.