I’m adding a #JusJoJan post today because Linda’s prompt made me think about an old post of mine that was about the power of singing. Well, singing and supporting each other. Since you didn’t take the first choice, ignore this post all together, you now have three choices:
1) Read the quote/Jot and skip everything else.
Once in a while from out of nowhere
Paul Simon – Gone at Last
When you don’t expect it, and you’re unprepared
Somebody will come and lift you higher
And your burdens will be shared
2) Revisit one of my favorite posts from 2014.
3) Listen to the song by Paul Simon and Phoebe Snow.
Primitive Methodist Church – Carnegie, PA
Primitive Methodist Church, Carnegie, PA. I spent 18 years here. My mother was a member for 75 years!
St George Orthodox Church. My grandfather helped build this church, My grandmother attended as long as she lived.
I know it’s not a book of poetry, but…
Pack up the babies and bring the old ladies…
Church organ
This is the church I was raised in.
No Facilities 
Terrific post, Dan. Singing is a great way to move through times of challenge for sure. I love the photos of the church.
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Thanks John. I’m not sure anyone wants to hear me sing, but I give great performances while driving.
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That’s where I shine too! We are Methodists as well, I love singing-I’ve been doing it since before I could talk, I think!
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Some of my earliest memories are of the hymns sung in that church. The first time I took our daughter there, she was wondering if there were more people tucked away. I said, “no, just this little enthusiastic crew.”
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Hahaha. I wouldlike to see that for sure.
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Haha! I’m guilty too. Belting out a tune in traffic. Other drivers staring — even though my windows were up. So I just motion for them to dance.
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The only difference is that you have a pretty good voice, Teagan. I remember when you treated us to a short singing bit on your blog ;-)
I guess singing in the car is safer than playing air guitar.
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I’ve not thought about the Crazy After All These Years album in… years. Oh my goodness, what a wonderful song to feature here. Thanks for sharing it and your earlier post about it. Now I have a good earworm for the day.
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I love that version of the song. I’m glad to give you this earworm.
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It might be a longer slower going going still not gone at last. Yet there is still hope. And hope is a good thing to have.
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It is, John. I’m hoping you’re going like the Energizer Bunny.
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Will take the singing – I think – over the drum.
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😃
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You’ve hit on one of my favorite topics, Dan. Singing has played an important role in most of my life. Prior to the pandemic I was one of the worship leaders at my church helping to lead singing each Sunday morning. Once restrictions began we banded together with three other local Episcopal churches for virtual services and activities. For some of our music now, we have a virtual choir. They send out the accompaniment track to us and we record our individual parts while listening to it. It’s an interesting challenge to sing four part harmony when you can’t hear the other parts being sung. One of our members then stitches all the contributions together. Does it work? I think it lifts us all and we especially saw that at Christmas time this past year. I’d recommend that you check out at least a few minutes of our virtual Christmas Eve Pageant. In addition to some cool music, it features different pre-recorded scenes of the Christmas story filmed at different homes and includes Mary carrying a unicorn, baby Jesus in a cradle made of an Amazon box, and a wiseman on roller blades. Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj8GaoaNii0.
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Lovely memories Mike. I wonder when we’ll be able to enjoy a worship team singing in a real church again. I’ll check out your Christmas service.
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We have been doing a lot of thinking about how this pandemic experience will change our worship experience when things return to something close to normal. We use Zoom for our services and do them live, with the exception of the music that is recorded in advance. What that means is that at our prayer time we can pray for needs in real time. In many churches I have been at, the pastor asks if there are any needs and most people remain silent. People seem much freer to express their thanksgivings and prayer request using the chat function in Zoom and they are all read aloud, which can take quite a while some Sundays, but that process helps us to support each other. Still, I really miss the human contact of an in-person service. FYI, we think we will end up with a hybrid service when this is over, one that is available virtually as well as in-person.
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That might be a good thing, Mike. There will always be someone who can’t attend in person. It’s a good option.
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That’s very cool, Mike. Once I get to my laptop, I will check that out.
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That’s exactly the kind of thing I was looking for on Christmas Eve, carols and lessons more or less. thanks for sharing. Excellent virtual choir by the way and I loved the candle being passed around. It must have taken quite some coordination. Well done to your church.
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you even snuck a little Neil Diamond in here! Such a great post, Dan. Phoebe and Paul….it doesn’t get much better than that. I’ve been Catholic all my life but the singing…. Either it was hymns that the organist played at the slowest rate possible, or the highest key possible. Even when we brought guitars to Mass, it never sounded quite right. So glad to hear that you are a star in the car, too. When NPR drags a bit, I switch to the oldies station and really hit my stride!
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You will appreciate this, Lois. My first time going to a Catholic mass (with my eventual ex-wife’s family) the opening hymn was “Amazing Grace.” Of course I knew all the verses by heart. When they all sat down after the first verse, I was still singing. My soon-to-be MiL was soooo embarrassed.
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haha! Oh, Dan–that is too funny. I’m so sure God was smiling.
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He was the only one, but he’s the only one that counts. We always sang all four verses, except in the summer when the preacher would let us sing verses 1,2 & 4 of the closing hymn.
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Oh, that’s one of my favorite songs! Thanks for sharing it, and for the link to the studio version in the other post. <3 :)
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I love that song. It always makes me feel better.
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Yes, I pray that it’s gone at last, because it sure has been a LONG tough string of bad luck. Dan, I had forgotten all about that song. Thanks for including the YouTube. I’m singing in my head, and after giving fair warning to Crystal, I’ll sing it out loud too! Thank you for this uplifting post! Also, thanks again for letting me use that particular photo with our Brother Love serial version. Hugs on magpie wings!
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That little church is where my Brother Love story took place. That song is always uplifting to me when I hear it. Let’s hope all of our bad luck gone at last.
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Music shows the joy in Church!
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It does! I will never forget the power of those voices.
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I couldn’t choose so chose all three. 😀 I hadn’t heard that song before it’s great! This post was very uplifting and as I type I have a silly smile on my face and that line, “Gone at Last”, playing in my head.
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I’m glad, Deborah. That song never fails to put me in a better mood. Thanks for taking all the options. I really appreciate that.
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You’re welcome! 😀
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Agreed, hard to sit still with those songs
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Singing, playing instruments, or just listening – music is one of humanity’s great pleasures.
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It truly is, Frank.
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Two of my favorite songs, thank you! I was raised in Congrefationalist but chose at 16 to be baptized in the Baptist church. A very enthusiastic small in stature pastor influenced me. Then of course I moved to TX where the Baptist church was not to my liking at all.
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It’s amazing the influence that the minister/pastor/priest can have on a church. I always identified first with the congregation, then the flavor of religion.
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I don’t go anymore. I attended the Lutheran church in CO with my daughter and family and really liked the minister there. He moved and shortly after I stopped going. To me they are a messenger and it’s how the message is delivered that’s important because we already know the content…if that makes sense
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It does, and I agree.
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It was like happy and live each other – Northern Baptist to You’re going to hell and damnation – Southern Baptist plus they wouldn’t let us have our kids with us in church🤪 No thanks!
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We left a church that wouldn’t let us bring our daughter.
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My better-half has banned me from ever singing, but you should hear how great I am when no one is around!! 😎
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I understand 100%
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Awesome post Dan!! Had to laugh….when I was serving as an elder in our church in San Diego, my family would laugh at me when I was up in front of the congregation singing hymns because only they knew I was lip synching the hymn because I am so flat when I sing.
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Hahaha – my family would have preferred I was lip synching, but I belted out the tune with the best of them (or maybe the worst of them).
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LOL!!!
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I love this post, Dan. The photos, the music, the journey, so perfect for where we are as a country right now. Thank you!
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I’m glad, Gwen. I do think we could all do with having our long string of bad luck being gone at last,.
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Singing was really the only part of going to church that I really enjoyed. So many hymns in my life. My mother was always drafted for the choir because of her alto voice. The Old Rugged Cross was my favorite. I loved to hear my Mama sing How Great Thou Art.
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Two wonderful standards. The Old Rugged Cross was my grandmother’s favorite. I have many fond memories from that small church.
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Almost impossible not to rock out to that song isn’t it? Thanks Dan!
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It has been impossible for me, Jan. It always raises my spirit.
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I did 1 & 2 and can’t do 3 right now as my husband’s on a work call and I don’t feel like getting out my earbuds. Loved that post from the past. I love lots of Christian contemporary music but I still love the old hymns and get cranky when a new hymnal comes out and they’ve changed some word or some music. :-) I belt out songs while driving which these days may have people thinking I’m talking on the phone, but I’m ok with that.
janet
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The phrase “new hymnal” has always made me shudder a little. I still have the old one and I picked up an even older one at a tag sale. It has the hymns the way I remember them ;-)
Thanks for looking at the older post. It’s one of my favorites.
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Yes, a Lutheran church I attended in a different part of CO sang every verse of the most boring hymns. I love the old ones and they are etched in my memory
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🙂
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What an uplifting song, Dan. These are good times to share that sort of thing. Thank you.
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I’m glad you like it Laura. It’s one of my favorite songs.
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I loved the old radio in the video and the song got me awake enough to finish up the evening tasks. My favorite part of church is the music. Makes it hard with zoom church, but sometimes they let me sing something. Thanks for the fun post!
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The music has always been my favorite part, too. I’m glad you enjoyed this song.
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I remember once when I was singing out loud. Once.
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If it feels good, go for it. The car is always a good place.
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I tried that. The battery died.
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Great pictures, Dan. I love music and singing. It always makes me feel better.
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Thanks Robbie.
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I’m happy to sing along, as long as no-one is listening … happy singing while life takes us along with it – stay safe – Hilary
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There’s nothing more uplifting that raising voices in song!
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I agree!
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