Not My Cup Of Tea

Yesterday was a full day, church morning and night and in between our daughter and her husband, Lauri and Elton came to visit. It was an unusual visit because they were alone. They left the kids home under the care of their eldest and we had some moments alone. While we love the kids company, there was a sweetness to being in complete adult company, too. The guys watched the Sox and Cubs play, (Cubs swept the series, just thought you should know.) and Lauri and I played Scrabble, one of our favorite games.

After church last evening Ken reminded me that Mark Harris, one of the members of the group 4Hymn was at a neighboring church. I thought it could be good so agreed that we should go. Once there, I knew I was in for an endurance test. My first impression was, "this guy has a beautiful voice". However, it wasn't long before the intensity of the loud music got to me. One heard guitar and drums but not the voice. Air conditioning was pouring out of the vents and both of us were freezing cold which added to our discomfort. None of the songs he sang were familiar to either of us. I decided that one must have to be a follower of this guy to know his music because he wrote it all himself and didn't sing other's stuff. I sat pondering over what would be the Christ like thing to do in this situation. The longer this went on the more I contemplated my escape. I invisioned walking in the door of our home and finding a warm throw, wrapping myself in it and sitting in my comfortable chair with a hot cup of tea. We were sitting close to the back of the church so I considered the possibility of getting up and nonchalantly slipping out. Two adults don't just nonchalantly slip out of anywhere. Okay, if I couldn't remove myself bodily, perhaps I should just zone off somewhere in my mind and pass the time in another mental place until we were dismissed? Well, actually, Mark was talking about Biblical truths and singing about them as well. I couldn't disrespect that. I concluded in my thoughts that God was being honored, just not in a way that I enjoyed or that spoke to me. I came to this conclusion, I would try to glean as much as I could from the concert.

One of the songs Mark wrote and sang was called, The Line Between The Two. In introducing the song, he said that if one visits a cemetery, one reads the birth and death dates on the headstones. Those dates tell very little about a person's life but it is the line between that tells the story. If only we could read those lines between, we may learn some very good lessons and hear some awesome stories.


The Line Between the Two

Lyrics:
A beginning and an ending, dates upon a stone
But the moment in the middle is how we will be known
Cause what defines us can be found within a line
Finding reason for our time
chorus:
And the years go by, how they seem to fly
They'll all be over soon
When our life is done, did we live and love
The way we wanted to
Cause everyday that we leave behind
Goes on to tell the truth
Of how we lived in the line between the two
The line between the two
Will I walk straight,
will I be true
Will I finish strong
Will I stand up for the moment
When I could right a wrong
Because the legacy we have will never change
It's how we spend our days
chorus
I could live a life for just myself
Or I could live a life for someone else
But I'll live and die just to hear You say
Well done my son come and be with Me

I found in that song a truth I wanted to take home. It isn't when one is born or one dies, it is how we live the time between. I'm not proud of the thoughts I had sitting there listening to what wasn't my cup of tea, but I am at least grateful that I came home with something of eternal value to practice in my daily life.

This experience made me aware of the struggle I experience when I am on the other side of things. Choosing songs for worship services is like walking onto a battleground. I am responsible for that once a month. Yesterday was that Sunday. There have been many times I have threatened to quit. Congregants all have their own opinions about what is meaningful or appropriate. As any church member knows, today people war over music. Should it be new or old, loud or soft, organ or other musical instruments. All of us seem more opinionated today than twenty years ago. Perhaps it is that we are more free to give our opinions. I think the way of the world has rubbed off too much on God's people. Ken's question to me after church was very telling. He asked, "Well, did you make any enemies today?" I laughed and told him, "I think maybe today, we hit the balance that is so tenuous".

May God grant to each of us a willingness to look for Him as we worship Him, be it at a concert that isn't our cup of tea or at a worship service where the song isn't our favorite. He'll be there.