Make a joyful noise...

The past three weeks I have been singing in the chior at church. It has been a long time since I have been involved in a group. Honestly, for many years, I thought that my job was more important than anything else and frequently worked overtime thinking that was the key to getting ahead. Of course, this also led me to miss church a lot on Wednesdays and consequently, I quit singing in chior. I have since discovered that all that work got me to the exact same place that I would have ended up if I had just done my job to the best of my ability. I figure that God has a reason for me working where I do and when He is ready for me to work somewhere else, HE will let me know.

Anyway, I really like music and many people don't know that I was involved in several choral groups when i was in high school and college. I really enjoy music of all types and I have made several attempts to learn to play a musical instrument. I have had an on again, off again relationship with the guitar and piano and I even considered the banjo or the mandolin. The whole practice thing is where I tend to go wrong. Yeah,I know, you're supposed to practice! My problem is I'm too easily persuaded. For instance...If someone calls me and I have anything that resembles a choice between practicing or going to do something else, I always take the not practicing route. I'm trying to work on that...I have bought a couple books so that I can brush up on my music theory and last weekend I got the portable piano out and set it up.

So, I encourage you to "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord" when you are at church. Music is another form of worship and can often help to emphasize the message or sermon. Music can also invoke emotion and stir a spirit within people. I encourage you to do more than just "Go through the motions" next time you are in Church, listen to the words to the songs, think of the music as more than just "Filler" while they take up the offering or background noise while people greet one another. I promise that it will enhance your worship experience and you may find that God uses the lyrics of a song to speak to your heart.

Hope everyone had a great week!

Mike