Before you get any ideas, I am not referencing a rodent-induced revival as you'll see hilariously portrayed in this old Ray Stevens video. If you have never seen this, click play if you need a good laugh. I used to watch this on CMT at my Granny's house and we'd just laugh and laugh...good times.
Most of you know us well enough to know that we spend a good amount of time at our church. Though I have been on the musician team there for about 7 years now, in July of this year I took over as the full-time pianist for 2-3 services every Sunday and a rehearsal on Wednesday evening. We spend a lot of time at church each week, and more minutes than I'd like to admit in the car driving across town to get there and back in a timely manner.
Obviously this means that Turner spends a lot of time at church too. She's formed a special relationship with several of our senior adult members (many of them charter members of the church). She is quick to tell you that "Martha Nell is my friend" and has even been known to sit with them on occasion during the early Sunday service. One of our dear senior friends (a former high school basketball coach) told me one Sunday that Turner is what he would call a "church rat" - you know like a "gym rat"? I thought it was pretty accurate...but lately Turner has been proving over and over again just how comfortable she is in our church.
For example...several months ago she really started to look forward to and enjoy the "meet and greet" time during the service. She walks around, shaking hands, and asking people "How are you doing?" and saying, "Nice to meet you." One particular Sunday, I happened to look up from my music to see Turner walking up on the stage. Mark is nowhere in sight. And she starts walking down the front row of the choir, shaking everyone's hand and saying, "How are you doing? Nice to meet you!" To everyone on the front row of the choir! The music minister is looking at me...I keep playing...I am looking for Mark...I'm still playing...finally he sees her up there and runs to get her.
Well, today we had another experience that let us know just how comfortable she is in our church environment. Our senior pastor woke up sick, so our music minister was feverishly preparing his thoughts and message as we were scheduled to have communion during both morning services today. He was visibly overwhelmed and unusually stressed (even for a musician - we are always unusually stressed but this was different). He even asked me to continue to play more songs than normal for the prelude so that he could gather his thoughts just a moment more before we began. And this is when it happened.
Turner (unbeknownst to me) has made her way about 3/4 of the way down the center aisle of our church. Bro. Terry is at the pulpit making some notes and it's strangely quiet in the sanctuary as I am transitioning between songs. Suddenly, I hear this little voice shout, "Bro. Terry! HOOK EM HORNS!" Eyes all across the church focused in on my sweet daughter, standing all alone in that church aisle with her little hand forming the longhorn symbol. She was grinning from ear to ear. And the entire church got totally hysterical. Thankfully, Terry didn't miss a beat and gave her a big "Hook Em Horns" in the microphone. It was the perfect way to get Terry's nerves calmed down and to make everyone laugh a little in what can sometimes become an unnecessarily stuffy and ritualistic procedure of "doing church".
It was pretty priceless at the moment. A church rat she is!
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2 comments:
First of all, that video was so fun! Secondly, this post made me laugh! What a darlin', going around shaking hands and socializing!!! That moment must have been hilarious! God knows what Joshua may have shouted out, he just comes up with the darnedest things and sometimes, they aren't very fitting for the moment. :) Yes, your little church rat. As our pastor said about Christina, when I was there many hours a week singing with the choir, "she cut her teeth on the church pews".
Precious.
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