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Different Pond, but God NEVER lets you feel like a fish out of water. 11JUN

Well, Wow! A friend invited me to sing WITH their church’s praise band!!!! And YES, the director invited me too – they found room for me!

WOW!!!! Sure it was boldness of my willingness to try but it was His timing for sure – blessed how the Holy Spirit does that!! On Pentecost too…

This is an email recount of my singing, I have to say something or I would explode in retro excitement.

I understand how this is HUGE to me, but just another mini adjustment movement for our all-knowing Lord… He knows to use our weaknesses AND our strengths for His purposes…

Seeing the Lord overlap old situations with new situations – it’s a case study of myself being hopefully led, not simply me wandering. It is knowing where and how I am best to be fed not just from my human wants but from craving spiritual milk… I am ok realizing that it might be both – I ask the Lord to use me either way… I THANK THE LORD… I KNOW that I need focus, guidance and strength… I know that He will provide…

Wow, so on this particular Pentecost Sunday I was actually too busy to stop to say big wows – I was too busy trying to keep up with the Holy Spirit who was running the show… In actuality, so many of the people in the world don’t comprehend how Earth-shattering it is to watch the Holy Spirit move… when I wonder if I am moving with the Spirit flowing or only due to my human eagerness of the world,  I try to ask the Lord to show me His fruit gained by the situation  – He has not disappointed me so far!

SO on this morning, I left really early 7 am to get there at 8 am in time for practice – JUST IN CASE there was the possibility to sing… and if not, I would just get the chance to hear the amazing band…  I just felt so peace-filled driving there, that already told me something…. I went inside, and the band director said: “there’s a microphone with your name on it”, like he has been saying to me every time he has seen me… Well, yes, turns out someone was missing and really there WAS an extra microphone! So, I sang, I praised with the sweetest of folks, shoulder to shoulder… it was good to give support as a substitute singer and a full praiser… I knew one song, never heard the 2 others songs, the director said “we have 20 minutes”,  LOL…. and yeah, I learned them real quick!!!! And wouldn’t you know that previously on Holy Thursday, when I had the opportunity to serve communion at that church, that I looked at that music stand and realized it would feel normal to sing standing at it…. Yes, 3 months later how amazing this easy assimilation was!!!  I slipped right in and never felt out of place, it felt like the most natural thing ever. I got to sing and sway… our blended end notes sounded great… I got to watch the guest sermonist walk the sanctuary, praying… and visually pray for him as he walked…

As practices go, I had a few off notes, the band had a few tweaks, so we hashed them out because I know the deep reasoning for us to play well is for wanting to serve the Lord with excellence… I enjoyed every minute of singing AND meeting the band and internally watching how the day went down – how God got me there… I was WIDE awake and registering it all… there was little time to chat in the moment, but after I chatted with band and the sound techs and thanked them… I felt so blessed to sing…

So, yeah… cool…

Amazing sermon, a tremendous meaty sermon, about the Holy Spirit being a person and being God… a great message for me and for everyone… Yes, a great church… a great day… and it was only noon, haha… Sure, the realities of busy life invaded the rest of the day, but I remembered that singing was my oasis of praise – a spiritual springboard into the week…

I’m grateful that a nice lady said, as I excitedly told her I was going to sing: “Just let me pray for your feet to stay on the ground” – of course, I must have exuded the joy… I got hugs from three women whom I’ve met a few times, it was both so welcoming and a relief to share my joy…

The freaky thing was that it was NOT freaky at all…. it felt SO NATURAL… that’s SO amazing… now that’s the Holy Spirit moving you and you being OK with it…

I really do thank the Holy Spirit for being such the strong beam of LIGHT in the dark, attracting my moth-ness… I thank God for feeling the REAL THING – real light and the truth of healing… I thank God for putting me in His sights and knowing where to place me when he needs me someplace…. God speeds up or slows down the system when it’s clicking into proper place…

Singing was so awesome for me that nobody could understand that level of joy except the Holy Spirit Himself… AND I GOT TO DANCE MY PRAISE…

I realize only He, our Lord, understands the high inner zeal volumes, just as much as He understands our low whispers for help….  I am appreciative if/when He regulates me at HIS sound board so that I blend with the zeal of all His creation.

Being a praise band groupie that I am, LOL, I am appreciative that this is a BIG band – I appreciate that even if I was placed in a new pond, I never ever felt like I was a fish out of water…

I can’t wait to sing again, but in His time,  not mine… (I am on the schedule for this Sunday but it does not mean there will be room for me but regardless, I will get to practice the songs and praise in the service.

Between services my friend, who originally invited me, slid into the pew next to me and was happy to see me happy – to see how I finally accepted the offer to sing… and to me it is feeling both the PUSH of the Holy Spirit that drives me and feeling my human joy to be included, it’s all mixed in. Honestly, I was just going with the flow – the Spirit doesn’t care if you are ready to move or not – the Spirit can take over… Surely my boldness is not all me… I’m still learning this new me… I appreciated such peace knowing that I was in the right place today –  I tried really hard to keep up with how the Spirit was moving – WHEW!

Like I said, this was completely a new different pond, but I NEVER felt like a fish out of water…

Blessed…

Blessed…

Blessed…

Holy Smokes Holy Spirit…

Blessed!!!