Maybe Some of Us DO Have Trumpets
I think I have mentioned before that I can't sing. Now, my family is fairly musical, many of us play instruments and some of them can sing. But my grandmother will be the first to tell you, I need singing lessons. I do play several instruments and I write songs, but singing....not so much. The really funny thing is that I sing really loudly. I always have, I can remember as a kid in church my dad looking at me with that face like "if you do not turn it down you are going to get a talking too when this is over with." Know that face? I got that a lot, especially in church!
Anyway I come by this loud singing honestly, and this morning in church I was reminded of this. My grandfather was a lay speaker with the Methodist Church. What does this mean? Well he would go to rural churches on Sundays and actually preach. I don't really remember him, just vaguely actually. All I can really remember is the two of us sitting on the steps outside eating Circus Peanuts, and I would say "time me while I run." I was obsessed with being timed as a kid, yes strange.
He is the grandfather that said "you only go around once, and this isn't the dressing room," he had lots of little sayings like this. Granny recently gave me this little book of prepared sermons that the two of them used to help when preparing for Sunday School or when he was going to preach. I love going through and seeing what he underlined, just to know what was important to him. Granny really wanted me to go to seminary and I think she still has this hope. In fact last spring I was in a competition and one of the judges said "if lawyering doesn't work out for you, you should become a politician or a preacher." This has revived her hope! I am not sure about that, but I do love reading this book.
Sometimes when my grandfather would go and preach he would take my Aunt P. along to play the piano. Well one Sunday she was playing The Old Rugged Cross, and he, like me, sang really loudly. So when they got to the chorus the first time around he said "So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, TILL MY TRUMPETS AT LAST I LAY DOWN" (the real lyrics are when my trophies at last I lay down). Aunt P was a little embarrassed and she thought, well obviously he heard that he got the words wrong and will change, but when they came around to the chorus again he was still "laying his trumpets down!" I can't hear this song without belly laughing!
In fact there are several songs that I can't hear without laughing. One of those is Holy, Holy, Holy. Some of the worst trouble I got into as a child was the day my cousin and I decided Granny would love it if we kind of "jazzed up the song." We practiced for hours. And finally we went in to perform for her, she didn't think it was "cool" when about half way through we said "Break it down" and started rapping the rest of the song. We were so disappointed. But it didn't discourage either one of us from continuing these kinds of ventures.
After thinking about this all morning, I have decided, maybe my grandfather was inadvertently right. Some people have trophies, but some of us have TRUMPETS. I don't think that is such a bad thing. The important thing is to remember that we all have gifts, and we have to figure out how to use them. So whether you have lots of trophies or one big trumpet, just use it. You never know who might actually hear it!
Anyway I come by this loud singing honestly, and this morning in church I was reminded of this. My grandfather was a lay speaker with the Methodist Church. What does this mean? Well he would go to rural churches on Sundays and actually preach. I don't really remember him, just vaguely actually. All I can really remember is the two of us sitting on the steps outside eating Circus Peanuts, and I would say "time me while I run." I was obsessed with being timed as a kid, yes strange.
He is the grandfather that said "you only go around once, and this isn't the dressing room," he had lots of little sayings like this. Granny recently gave me this little book of prepared sermons that the two of them used to help when preparing for Sunday School or when he was going to preach. I love going through and seeing what he underlined, just to know what was important to him. Granny really wanted me to go to seminary and I think she still has this hope. In fact last spring I was in a competition and one of the judges said "if lawyering doesn't work out for you, you should become a politician or a preacher." This has revived her hope! I am not sure about that, but I do love reading this book.
Sometimes when my grandfather would go and preach he would take my Aunt P. along to play the piano. Well one Sunday she was playing The Old Rugged Cross, and he, like me, sang really loudly. So when they got to the chorus the first time around he said "So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, TILL MY TRUMPETS AT LAST I LAY DOWN" (the real lyrics are when my trophies at last I lay down). Aunt P was a little embarrassed and she thought, well obviously he heard that he got the words wrong and will change, but when they came around to the chorus again he was still "laying his trumpets down!" I can't hear this song without belly laughing!
In fact there are several songs that I can't hear without laughing. One of those is Holy, Holy, Holy. Some of the worst trouble I got into as a child was the day my cousin and I decided Granny would love it if we kind of "jazzed up the song." We practiced for hours. And finally we went in to perform for her, she didn't think it was "cool" when about half way through we said "Break it down" and started rapping the rest of the song. We were so disappointed. But it didn't discourage either one of us from continuing these kinds of ventures.
After thinking about this all morning, I have decided, maybe my grandfather was inadvertently right. Some people have trophies, but some of us have TRUMPETS. I don't think that is such a bad thing. The important thing is to remember that we all have gifts, and we have to figure out how to use them. So whether you have lots of trophies or one big trumpet, just use it. You never know who might actually hear it!
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