When You Sing You Begin With Do, Re, Mi

Some of my earliest memories of being in church with my family are of my sisters and I singing on stage with my dad. He would play his guitar, or a cheesy 80s tape of keyboard background music to an Amy Grant song would play, and we would sing along, staring at the microphone so we wouldn't have to make eye contact with anyone. That was the beginning. And for two decades, church choir was a part of my weekly routine.

But in college, I never found a church to plug into. I was one of those kids who grew up in church, going with my family every week, and when it came time for me to go on my own, to find a church that fit me, I didn't really know how. My freshman year, I went to a couple of different churches, but by sophomore year, I gave up. Now, as an adult who attends a church with a healthy, thriving college ministry, I realize how much I missed out on. But alas...

So for those four years, church choir was not in my life. But as soon as I graduated and went back to my home church, choir was a given. I LOVE the choir at my home church. Attendance at that particular church has dwindled quite a bit over the last decade, but the choir is still going strong.

When Brett and I got married and ended up joining a new church, we took a break from serving. We wanted the first six months to be about becoming the Bacons - learning to serve each other, before we learned to serve a new church body. But when six months was over, it just so happened to be time for the church choir to start rehearsing Christmas music.

I was in =-)

I wish that I could say it was just like old times. And parts of it were... same comfy choir chairs, same stiff choir folders, and even some of the same songs. But when I found myself in a choir full of people that I did not know, and didn't immediately connect with, it broke my heart. I was hoping to make friends, and I sort of made a couple, but they were girls who started at the same time as I did and didn't plan to stick around after Christmas. So when the opportunity came to sing with the praise team, rather than the choir, I was thankful to make the switch.

This particular praise team had several musicians, a few singers, and then a rotating group of back up singers called the "mic team". I was a mic teamer. But when summer came, and the college students went home, the mic team was put on hold, and never really recommenced.

So for the past few years, I have not been singing. I have thought several times about going back to choir, but I couldn't face that loneliness again. Choir was supposed to be a place to fellowship - it was a place for friends. And I just didn't have any there. So I told myself that I needed to make some friends, and then we could all go to choir together.

Guess what all of my current church friends do? That's right! Our ABF class is a musical one! So it's time. Tomorrow night I'm going back to choir. I've been thinking about it for a few months, and have had two things keeping me from it, but one of them is no longer an issue and the other one, I'm getting over. Mostly because Rebecca is in choir, and an alto, like myself. So going back to choir means one night a week where we can definitely hang out. Yay!

I hope it goes well!

In other news - Brett said the neatest thing about one of his professors today. His Exposition class (I don't actually know the name of this class, because he calls it something different every time he talks about it... but it's a Bible class, duh) happens to be taught by the president of the school. He said watching him teach is like watching a kid talk about his favorite toy - let me show it to you and show you what it can do. I wish I could have recorded Brett saying it - he was so genuine and so genuinely touched. We feel so blessed that Brett is able to sit under such an amazing man and scholar his first semester!

Now, to check the laundry.

Two nights in a row! Are you impressed?