“Empty hands held high, such small sacrifice; if not joined with my life, I sing in vain tonight.
May the words I say and the things I do make my lifesong sing, bring a smile to You…
I want to sign Your name to the end of my day, knowing that my heart was true.
Let my lifesong sing to You.”

Last night was Sunday night.  End of a day spent mostly in “church”.  By the quotes, I just meant the day was spent in the church building. Sunday school, singing, teaching, listening, etc. But I actually experienced church at the very end of the day more than I had all day long.  Not blaming anyone.  It’s usually my own fault when I spend Sunday feeling blue.  Brent’s message was really good yesterday morning. This James series is, for lack of a better way to put it, kicking my tail! So if I am to really worship on Sunday, I must take to heart the message taught from God’s true and life-changin Word. Pray about it … confess the sin in my life … begin the change. That how my lifesong sings on a daily basis. Sometimes it’s easier than others. 

So I admit that I left the service yesterday morning feeling overwhelmed with the “tasks” of being a better Christ follower.  For one thing, I was trying to listen to the message for everyone in the service.  We ALL needed that message.  So are we ALL gonna do something about it? Not my job to change everyone else.  Bummer.  That means that I have to process the message for ME only.  What am I to change? What am I to start doing? Got it. Well, getting it would be more honest.  Sunday lunch at home, afternoon nap, choir practice, and evening service.

Fast forward.  The four of us – that’s our family now and it’s very weird – went to eat after the service last night.  Josh reminded Brent to ask the waitress if we could pray for her during our blessing.  When he asked her, she seemed a little caught off guard and a little nervous.  She said there was nothing really – then she added that we could pray that her night would get done quickly.  I didn’t blame her for THAT request!  During the blessing, we prayed for her and then began chatting and eating. 

A lady in the booth behind us tapped Brent on the shoulder.  “I heard you ask the waitress if you could pray for her.  I am a Christian and I have a request.  Will you pray for me?”  She began to cry and could not get her request out at first. Then she did.  She is very lonely.  Her husband lost his business and has to work out of the state now to keep them afloat financially, her kids are grown, and she hurts.  She had just gone to a church service but said she felt invisible.  It wasn’t really that church’s fault, right? She might have had the same experience at our church.  I hope not, but maybe. 
Under the shadow of our steeple, with all the lost and lonely people searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me, does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?

So, as a family, we bowed our heads and prayed for her.  I told her I would meet her next week for church and we could sit together.  She also wanted to get coffee sometime.  I will call her and hopefully we will do that.  We exchanged names and phone numbers (her name is Melody – seriously). 
There were some things about yesterday that made me sad.  It didn’t feel like church Sunday morning. Last night we studied the book of Ecclesiastes.  Depressing book, in my opinion. Not much application.  I was complaining in my heart to God a little when I left church last night.  Then Melody showed up in our lives unexpectedly (to us, not to God).  It was so awesome.  My kids were blessed.  I was too.  I had actually had church right then and there in that restaurant. 

My lifesong …. the most important song.  By the end of my day, I recognized God working on my heart to make it true.  It wasn’t how I hoped when I got up yesterday morning, but it was so evident.  My reminder to: Be still and know that I am God.  I could sign His name to my evening and say “Amen.”

Now … it’s MONDAY.  And here I go again.
And now I sing a new, new song – Amazing Grace (all day long), Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay. That’s the only way to make my lifesong sing to Him – sing and preach the gospel to myself everyday I live.