Sunday was a unique experience of worship for me as I led worship in my home church of Hollis, Oklahoma. It was a full circle worship experience in following the calling of God. I told the congregation that almost 50 years ago I was playing the invitation on the piano as church pianist and got up off the piano bench during the invitation, leaving the organist to play alone. I walked across the front of that very room to share with my pastor that God was calling me to full time music ministry.
In the congregation there sat my former Sunday school teachers, church training union leaders and adult choir members. There were adults who had been in my 40-voice junior choir that I directed my junior and senior years in high school. The lady on the organ Sunday morning was my accompanist for the junior choir. The acoustic guitar player is a junior in high school and is the drum major of the Hollis Tiger Band (which I was also my sophomore, junior, and senior years). I knew his grandfather.
It was a great experience singing of the greatness and faithfulness of God with that particular congregation...at this particular time of following the Lord's plan for my life. God has been so good and so faithful. We look forward to knowing what He has in store for part-time ministry opportunities in the future.
Someone asked me yesterday how retirement has been. I'm not sure. I've been with grandchildren, as of Friday, for 28 straight days. I have been squeezing in time to work on orchestra scores for our Sept. 5th Rockwall Philharmonic Concert at the Harbor, played/sang for a funeral, a wedding, taught some piano and voice lessons, and led worship at my home church. And, on top of that, Fran had a great mission trip to Zimbabwe where the Lord blessed abundantly.
It has been wonderful to stop and see what the Lord has done and to contemplate His continuing to lead us in His plan for us. We just continue worshipping Him!
