being a member of a rather large church...it is easy to sometimes get lost in the masses...the key...is to lock into smaller groups...
one of the smaller groups that i was a part of..was the choir and music department...i decided to take some time off from it...a few months...which now have turned into a few years...how did that happen?
there are those that want me back in...mostly my mom...she is always asking me when i will be back in choir...now she asks me which year i am planning to go back (talk about unnecessary pressure)...there are my close friends that are always calling and asking...and then there is pastor jon...the music pastor...
i have to admit...i do miss choir...the music department...all my friends there...but mostly...pastor jon...the music pastor...
being in this large church...pastor jon has always been the one i would go to...if i needed to talk to a pastor...in all the years that i have known him...he has always checked in with me...whether or not i was in choir...there is such an incredible feeling of belonging...when someone has thought of you...and is checking in...
yesterday...i received an email titled "my prayer" from pastor jon...
here are the contents of that email...be it short and sweet...
“O Lord, please being Elena back into her rightful place of choral ministry. Help her to understand there are souls in the balance (and that I miss her and would like to look her in the eye instead of having to see her through eyes in the back of my head). She is a good girl and needs to come back into the fold. In the meantime, bless all of her efforts. (Although You can bless them a little more if she comes back to choir.)Amen-- JL"
can there be anything sweeter? the reference to the eyes in the back of the head...is a joke between the two of us...where i sit...warming up the pew every sunday...is to pastor jon's back as he leads the church in song...he is always telling me i need to sit somewhere else so he can have a better view of me...and know that i am there...every sunday...
i replied to his email stating that this was quite the powerful prayer...and that i might need to post it on my blog...to which pastor jon replied...
(Follow Up Prayer)"O Lord, I am exceedingly grateful for my sister Elena’s response to my initial prayer and ask that as she comes back to choir (I speak this in faith) you will allow her to sell more trunks than ever before.This is my plea – let it be done.Amen"
these tiny moments...where out of a very busy schedule...time is made for a little connection...well they mean the world to me...pastor jon makes time for people...and it almost makes me want to go back to choir this week...but my schedule does not allow it at this time...and he realizes that...and respects it...but he still lets me know...that when the time is right...i am welcome...
follow-up...since blog was first posted...received response from pastor jon in regards to this post...
My Sister
Holy Cow! You weren’t kidding about putting that on your blog! Wow – I need to be careful what I write!
Thank you for your kind words – they humble me.
To put it in perspective, if I could boil my philosophy down to one sentence, it would be this:
“It needs to matter to someone if you don’t show up.
Elena, when you don’t show up, it matters to me."
no wonder i have so much respect for pastor jon! he is a true pastor...watching over his flock...
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