Ahhhhhh.....home

Wow - church today was awesome! I'm so sad I haven't been to the music service in ages. It was really good today. I walked in and saw a guy with a guitar (my heart sank). But this dude really understood how to play for our context. It didn't feel happy-clappy at all - but it was very joyful. What a treat to have something different. He's going to be around all of July, so that will be nice. I volunteered to sing with him.

Then in August our new music director will come, fresh from Yale. My experience with Yalies (sp?) is really great. The Dean of my school (Annenberg, not Fuller) is from Yale, and one of my favorite liturgists/priests went there (Carol Wade, now at the National Cathedral making up services for them - dream job!!), and my last choir director Dale Adelmann who I love and who taught me so much went there. I myself checked out the Institute when I was looking for an MDiv program (went to Fuller because Brehm is more diversified in artistic forms). So I have high hopes for this newbie. I may even placate my surrounding parishoners and join the choir (I am frequently asked to do so by those sitting near me).

Anyway, the music was great, and Rev. Anne Tumilty preached a wonderful sermon on the parable of the sower and the terrorist attacks in London and the Christian response. I was enraptured.

Plus there were people there from Fuller and from USC. All my little worlds converging. The only person not there was J, who had gone without waking me to the 8:00 service. But he says he'll be coming along to the 10:00 for the rest of the summer, since I gave the music such high praise. Thank God! I was just yesterday lamenting the loss of music in my life and contemplating the very difficult, exhausting idea of going back to sing at All Saints. Perhaps I will be able to fill that need 3 blocks away instead.

Blessings to you - I pray that your church experience today, if you have one, is all the more joyful and Spirit-filled!