Yet Another Moment

Checking in with all of you for a little story time...

I would reckon that all of you know a pastor's wife. Perhaps she is quiet, reserved, and gentle-spirited. Perhaps she loves Point of Grace and Betty Robison. She always has everyone over for Sunday dinner and it never burns despite the fact her husband preaches thirty minutes longer than normal. She might like to dance only when no one is around and she plays a killer piano piece or two.




I am not That Pastor's Wife.


Sometimes I wish I was. My life would be a lot simpler if I was sometimes. But as you all have learned by now, I am not. As hard as I may try sometimes, I will probably never be known as a quiet and gentle spirit, as a great cook, or as a fantastic piano player.


But Alas, I am That Girl.


Today's worship experience was another reminder of that. You see, every week we rotate who is in charge of leading musical worship and that person is in charge of introducing songs, welcoming people, announcing transititions in the service-such as introducing the offering time and having everyone be seated before Seth preaches, and today I was the worship leader. It had been an eventful Sunday morning even before I showed up, as our sound system wigged out during our first service and Seth found himself crawling in a cubbie to get it back on--wherein his allergies flared up and I heard he sneezed his way through the message as he got what I playfully call "Allergy Face."


You who suffer with allergies and those that love you know of what I speak.


Anywho, Seth didn't feel good. But everyone was excited as we had four baptisms to do during second service, and there was celebration in the air. So we sang a few songs, but the normal order of worship was changed because of the baptisms at the beginnning.


Who knew that this would throw a Type B like me off my game?


Shoulda known. Shoulda known.


We normally sing three songs at the beginning and then after scripture reading and offering we do two more. I forgot that things were upside down and as soon as we ended with a beautiful acapella last-time-through chorus of "Mighty to Save," I asked everyone to please be seated and invited the children to head through this door to the right, ages 3 through the 2nd grade. I smiled and as everyone was seated, I got up to walk off the platform, Seth shook his head and said, "We have one more! One More!"

You ever wish the altar would open and swallow you whole?


As if I should be so lucky. Instead, I shook my head and said my classic line: "Just Kidding!"

Unfortunately, the damage was already done. It was like PT Barnum introduced the next act. The kids had no idea what to do and the adults were laughingso hard they couldn't sing. Except for the visitors, who had that look of confusion mixed with awkwardness.

grrreeeaaatt.

It's a good thing this next song just happened to be "Your Grace is Enough." As I stood there tryingg to laugh it off, my heart was embarrassed and all I wanted to do was go sit down in the pew.

You have felt that way at some time too, I'm sure.

But this part of the verse changed my mind:

You use the weak to lead the strong


Maybe that's why I am the pastor's wife. Not because I am a great piano player, or a quiet and gentle spirit, but because He uses the weak to lead the strong. If that's the case, I am willing.





But you won't find me sitting on the piano bench. As you might have guessed, I don't have a lot of coordination.