Brand New Jones

Last night, I was talking to my new work buddy Secret Stripper (This name will probably be temporary until I know her better). Anyway, we got onto talking about how great it is to wear special clothes, but how few the opportunities are to appropriately don them. She is getting to wear something for her birthday celebration this weekend but there were at least two other items she wanted a chance to wear, including a black cocktail dress.

I say this because my aunt's text messsage has disrupted my sefl-centered plans. She invited me to church and something about a family invitation to church is something I could not deny. Not only do I feel like it would be bad spiritual karma, but also the questions from the fam would escalate to serious levels of suspicion. Best to avoid the headache. I immediately had a crisis cause all my dress clothes are in New York. Then I remembered I did have some khakis and a pair of brown dress shoes I never wear.

Then fashion man went into overdrive. First I was trying to figure out the perfect shirt since I don't like wearing ties without blazers. I had settled on a striped one to offer some summer color. Then I remembered I had a seersucker blazer I had been dying to wear since last year. And now I am going crazy cause I think I found the perfect tie to go with it all.

What is it about the "outfit" that makes every one feel so great? Is it just that the clothes are new or special? Or is it the fact that we know we have spent the time to look our best and feel that way? It's definitely a spirit lifter. Now to see if the outfit actually makes sense.

Chuuuch

That's the only way to describe the religious experience I had today. I totally forgot that it was Youth Week of Prayer (which is why my parents were somewhat miffed when I returned home last night). I already was going to church with something extra to praise God for but the environment heightened the experience exponentially.

For one we had a crazy band to accompany our praise team. This included my former music teacher who eventually became a musical director for gospel artists so you know it was on point. They even sang my current favorite gospel song which I had played all this morning (Hezekiah Walker - Faithful Is Our God). The youth choir was on point too.

But it was the sermon. The highly regarded son-in-law of our senior pastor was up to the plate and boy he delivered. My thumbs were never motionless because I was typing so many notes in my cell phone. Working out of Acts 12, this is the main stuff I took.

1) When your faith is awake, you can go to sleep. Me and mom looked at each other on that one. That is some power right there.

2) When God calls, you have to "arise quickly" so the chains will come off. Too often, stuff is leading us in a certain direction and we dawdle and miss out on things that were supposed to be ours. So when the spirit is moving, you have to get up. It's what Peter did in Acts 12 when the angel came to free him from prison.

It was truly a fulfilling service. I haven't been so juiced leaving church in a while.

The Breeze Is Blowing

ever flowing. Okay I'll stop rhyming.

It is a beautiful Sabbath day. I am blogging live from Hanson Place, though I am in Fitchburg. Thank You Lord for internet and streaming media. My former teacher and I thought future mother in law just sang during the service. Took me back. Feels good.

Before that and now again, I am playing my music over the more tedious parts of the service, though I want to take part in the hymns. But the announcements about the basketball team I could skip.

Oh she's singing again. "The Holy City" What a difficult song. Sometimes she overextends herself. She makes up for it in passion and sincerity though. And isn't that all that God asks? Passion, sincerity in our love for Him. It's all pretty simple.

Now back to your Sabbath rituals. And get off MySpace for goodness sakes.