God Bless. . . America the Beautiful

Yesterday, Sunday the First of July in the Year of Our Lord 2007, featured a rather different Sunday worship for me.

For one, due to working later at Fiesta Texas on Saturday than scheduled, I decided to return into the Park after "clocking out" as a Guest and enjoy a couple of shows, a couple of rides and the "Lone Star Spectacular" multimedia (fireworks, laser images and rays, recorded music and narration) celebration of Texas heritage and of Americana. The latter is done toward the end of the half-hour show, and concludes with "God Bless America". Then the whole show concludes with "Deep in the Heart of Texas" while the fireworks and laser rays go crazy! So crazy that we viewers are left breathless at the final note of "Deep in the Heart" and concluding sky burst of sparks! As always, when I left the Park after the L.S.S. I felt proud to be an American, proud to be a Texan and proud to be a San Antonian working at this theme park with its award-winning multimedia show!

Now, on Sunday I was to lead singing at Alamo Heights Christian Church (Disciples). The choir director, Janis Erwin, is to be absent much of June and July and had called on volunteers to lead singing and pick out the songs for their Sunday to lead. I'd picked out mostly patriotic hymns and songs to sing, such as "America the Beautiful" -- which I firmly believe should STILL be our National Anthem rather than the limited-reference and difficult-to-sing "Star-Spangled Banner" -- and "God Bless America." (I made these selections before I even tho't I'd be at the L.S.S. the nite before!) Also, Pastor Bruce Williamson had encouraged me to sing a special song or anthem; I'd picked "Shine, Jesus, Shine" for that.

But after I got to church (where worship is an hour earlier during these summer months and during July and August is in the large foyer to the sanctuary) and had tuned my guitar, I went to play a couple of songs to warm up. And I found that my singing voice was gone! Truly I sounded to my own ears like a frog or a hinge!

And then, not only was my voice missing but also I started out not very well at leading congregational singing. An older choir member told me after the first two songs (during the greeting and sign-of-peace time) that I needed to LEAD the singing with not just voice projection but also hand gestures. Well, I tried it, and altho' I'm not the professional that Sister Janis is, I suppose I did all right. Better yet, when it was time to do "Shine, Jesus, Shine" I invited -- no, urged -- the congregation to join me in singing the chorus (the highest and most difficult notes for me to sing). Several did, and by the second time of the chorus I could tell my singing voice was returning. Thank God!

After worship several of us went to EZ's, a rather classy (and sort of pricey, too, in my book) burger, et cetera, cafe just a block away. Without my asking or hinting someone offered to cover my order. So I ordered the Alamo Bowl, which is a rather involved take-off on nachos grande or supreme. It was delicious! And the conversation was delightful, too.

Thank God for loving brothers and sisters in Christ, who bear each other up in adversity (e.g., my initial lack of singing voice) and celebrate as one the blessings of life on God's green Earth!