Advice for Worship Ministry

Advice for Worship Ministry (probably applicable to other areas of ministry)

I guess now that I'm an old guy I've hit that age where the younger guys look at me like the old bearded guy on the top of the mountain handing out advice. I'm having lunch with one such younger guy right after the New Year. He's just starting out and wants some advice. He did NOT call me an old guy. I just figured that part out myself.

In the spirit of the great list maker (it is Christmas after all)

here's a quick barely-edited list that I came up with in just a short amount of time of contemplating about the advice I would give someone just entering the music/worship ministry. Sorry.... that was way too long and complicated of a sentence. But it's Christmas and I don't feel like editing. Which will be obvious when you see how my list got longer and longer as I wrote.

I'd love to hear what you would add to this list - or delete from this list.

I'm not giving the reasons behind this list as that would make this post even longer and would require more thinking than I'm willing to put in at the moment.

J

And I should mention that prayer and Bible study are a given in this and any other list of how to do your best work for the Kingdom.

Without further ado, here's my quick list.


      1.      Remember it’s God’s work, not yours

2.      Love people more than you love music

3.      Don’t throw out the old as you add in the new

4.      Be willing to learn from your critics as well as your friends

5.      Dream big

6.      Plan smart

7.      Work hard

8.      Change is difficult. Let people know the how, when, why, etc. give advance notice and keep walking them through it

9.      Don’t sacrifice your family for the church. Ministry opportunities never end. One of your best testimonies is your family life.

10.  Just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s good (or bad)

11.  Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s good (or bad)

12.  Just because they do it at ______ church doesn’t mean it will work at your church or that it’s good (or bad)

13.  Text is as important as melody. Worship music has to have good theology.

14.  Your volunteers could be doing a lot of other things. Treat them with kindness, love and respect.

15.  Work toward excellence, not perfection (there is  a difference)

16.  Don’t wish you were at _______ church, make the one you’re at the one someone else wishes they were at

17.  Don’t compare yourself to _______ or your church to ________, compare yourself and your church to what God wants you and your church to be

18.  It’s OK to borrow ideas from others but adapt them to your church and your people

Well, obviously I got on a rolllllllll. What do you think? What did I miss? If you could only give one word of advice, what would it be?

 

 

Rehearsals for Sunday, November 24

It's here! The final countdown before our non-tree Christmas. (If you don't know that "the Tree" got a case of Dutch Elm disease and had to be retired then you haven't been paying attention.)

Here is THIS Sunday's rehearsal schedule.

Here it is in an easier format. :-)

2:00 – wisemen and shepherds and attendants

2:30 – Middle and High School youth for “Jingle All the Way”

3:00 – children (grades 1-5)  join youth for angel song and then for the car song

3:30 – adult choir in sanctuary to practice with words

4:30 – drama actors in the choir room to go through all lines. Should be very close to memory

I'm a Rich Man

I’m a rich man.

I’m rich because I know how to invest.

You not as young folks will remember Richie Rich

I’m an investor, an optimist, a dreamer… I have hope for the future. I plan for the future. I work for the future.

In the Fall I plant bulbs knowing in the Spring I’ll have daffodils and tulips for everyone driving by to enjoy.

Daffodil

 

Instead of spending $50 for a dozen red roses from the florist I buy bare-root rose bushes and plant them in February knowing I’ll have vases full of roses from May until November.

 

 

I teach violin lessons to develop current church musicians and with the dream of future players for the Nashville symphony.

The biggest investment I am making right now is between today and March. I’m taking young men on mission to Portugal. I’m taking football players and coaches my football team to work alongside of our IMB partners to reach out to Portuguese men who play American football in a country-wide community league.  As we go on mission there are immediate short-term results that have long-term benefits.

1.      The Kingdom will be advanced in Portugal.

2.      Our IMB personnel will be encouraged in their work.

3.      Local churches in Portugal will be inspired and encouraged as they try to reach their communities for Christ.

4.      As we prepare for and then go on mission my “football team” – players and coaches –will spend time praying, planning and working together and will get first-hand experience in sharing their faith.

 

Our mission trip to Portugal, however, is much more than just a one week trip. Not only are there some immediate benefits, but there are some important long-term benefits from a mission trip like this. I am (we are) investing in the lives of men: Men who will become deacons and pastors and LIFE Groups leaders and better fathers and faithful church members who tithe and give and serve and witness.

What? You get all of that from going on a mission trip?

Yes.

How?

Because men need other men to care about them and model for them and teach them to be godly men of faith and action. As we plan and pray together, as we prepare to go on mission and then as we work side by side, share our faith together, pray together and all of the other things that happen while on mission, God uses these experiences to shape and build men into faithful followers of Christ. We become invested in each other’s lives. We are iron sharpening iron.

You can be rich too!!

 

You may not be able to go with us on this mission trip but you can invest in it. You can pray for us – not only that we prepare well, but that we become the men we need to be to be effective witnesses. You can invest financially. Some of the guys going are young men with young families working in their first jobs or even looking for their first job after graduating from college. Some have young families and students loans. They are willing to pay their own way, but your investment will ease their minds as they learn to trust God for provision. (and for that matter, God may have YOU in mind as part of that provision)

When the children of Israel went into battle some of the men had to stay behind to protect and care for the women and children. Even though they couldn’t go into battle, they shared equally in the spoils.  You can "share" in the "spoils" of our mission trip as you invest in these men.

My prayer is that you will choose to invest in Kingdom work and in the lives of young men. Contact me or call the church office and talk to Donna if you want to invest financially. At the next Man Church I’ll have the names of men going with me so you can join together in praying for us.

 

Invest! Become rich in God's work!

In Good Company

I'm so excited! I've been struggling a little bit with this whole football thing. my football calling
However, last night I was talking to some guys at "Man Church" - which is where my football journey began - and one of them gave me an awesome idea about my football costume - or rather, uniform. They reminded me of Tom Landry.

Now THAT is a classy look. I can totally go with that. (I actually had a fedora when I lived in Denver. I didn't want to wear a knit toboggan when it was snowing, so a fedora was the perfect answer as far as I was concerned.)

This morning the guys here in the office told me Bear Bryant wore a fedora too.

Not sure hound's-tooth is the way I want to go, but I'm totally going for the classy coach look. My guess is that if I show up at the airport in a classy hat surrounded by football players everyone will assume I'm some really good, really famous football coach or maybe even the team owner.

Of course it wasn't the hats that made these men famous. They were great at coaching. Their teams won lots of games and probably Super Bowls and Orange Bowls and other assorted bowls.

Wikipedia says this about Tom Landry.

"Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods."

More than that - more importantly than that - Tom Landry was a Christian man who was vocal about his faith. Tom-Landry-Under-The-Fedora-A-Committed-Christian

I don't mind modeling my football "look" after these football legends (Landry and Bryant). When people see me in a fedora surrounded by football players I won't mind if they think that I'm in the same league as these two. But more importantly I want people to know - after spending time with me - that I am a follower of Jesus Christ. People knew that about Tom Landry because he wasn't afraid to speak up and say so. Whether I'm in Portugal on football mission or at Wal-Mart in Clarksville I want to take advantage of the opportunities - the divine encounters - that God sends my way.

What about you? You may not be a fedora kind of guy, but are you ready to share your faith when given a chance? Do you have an answer for the hope that is in you? Are you willing to begin conversations about faith - to be the one that initiates such conversations?

I remember a guy once who said "I just witness by being nice and smiling at people." Hmmm. Well, they might just think you're a stalker or a pervert. A smile is interpreted in as many ways as those who see it. Add words! Speak up! Maybe wear a fedora - and when someone says, "Why are you wearing that hat?" You can say, well, I knew about a man once who was a great coach and a great man of faith and he wore one. I'm just trying to be like him. And there you go..... you've begun a conversation about faith and you didn't even have to work hard to do it.

Keeping in Shape

A short devotion given from my non-sports guy view of football – therefore, before taking any of the actual football advice it would be wise to check with a real football-type person. The spiritual advice can and should be applied frequently.

From what I understand about football and being able to play football, you really need to be in good shape. If you’re going to let people knock you on the ground and pile on top of you just because you’ve got a ball in your hand you probably should be a tough guy. I never totally understood why you would put yourself in that position – to get smacked so hard you end up on the ground with a 300 pound guy (or more than one) sitting on your back.

I guess that’s why they spend a lot of time lifting weights and drinking protein shakes. If you’re going head to head with someone you want to be the bigger guy. You also want to be faster and have cooler looking moves so they can’t keep up with you or catch you (which leads to getting crushed under a bunch of 300 pound guys.)

 

I’ve heard of football players who take ballet. It’s either to learn the fancy footwork or perhaps having your friends make fun of you gets you all riled up where YOU are the one who crushes the other guy and sits on his back.

 

Jesus didn’t play football - at least not our current American football. But He took care of Himself – even as a child growing up.

Luke 2:52 NAS

And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Just as a football player has to work every day to have his body in the best shape possible for the game, a person has to work every day to increase in wisdom and in favor with God and man. Those who take ballet or do other extra things find that they are better because they’ve done things to further their abilities or sharpen their skills. It doesn’t just happen. They work hard.

Proverbs 9:10 NAS

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

If you’re going to be any good at something – football, playing the violin, responding to life with wisdom, finding favor with God, finding favor with others – you have to work at it. You have to practice. If you never practice throwing a pass you can’t expect to win Friday night’s game with a 35 yard pass to the open receiver on the 5 yard line (WOW! That sounded so much like I know what all of that is.)

2 Timothy 2:15 NAS

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

If you never read God’s word you can’t expect to stand against temptation. Fight the easy temptations so you can win against the bigger ones. Work hard! You want to be the bigger guy. Practice.

If you aren’t kind to people when it would be easy to do so, how can you expect yourself to treat them with love when they treat you badly? Work hard! Practice!

How will you give an answer for the hope that is in you? Study. Work hard! Practice.

1 Peter 3:15 NAS

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

If you only show up on a football field on a Sunday you aren’t going to be very good at football. If you only worship God on a Sunday you aren't going to be very good at worship. Practice! (worship during the week) That means spend time in prayer, Bible reading and singing praise and worshipping on your own during the week.

Bottom line: To be in shape physically, mentally and spiritually

Work hard!

Practice.

Pray.

Read your Bible.

Share your faith.

 

Worship.

Practice.

Work hard!

How to Be a Saint

This is NOT one of my football devotions. To be a football saint you have to live in New Orleans - or at least play for their team. That is not what this post is referring to.

It was announced yesterday that on April 27th of next year Pope Francis will declare Popes John Paul II and John XXIII to be saints.

Fox news reported these miracles of John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II

"A first miracle was attributed to John Paul in 2011, in which the Vatican said a French nun that was dying of Parkinson’s disease was cured after she and other nuns prayed for the intercession of John Paul.
John Paul’s second miracle was approved by Francis three months ago. A 50-year-old Costa Rican woman said she was cured of a brain aneurysm after a photo of John Paul appeared to talk to her, The Guardian reports." 

They've only found one miracle attributed to John XXIII, but if the Pope wants to make someone a saint he can "bend" the rules if he wants to. Really. Who's going to argue with the Pope?

So I googled "How to become a saint" and found that it can take years and even decades to "become a saint."

If I understand correctly how becoming a saint is supposed to go, you have to be a really good, holy person while you are alive and there has to be a couple of verified miracles that you've done and a Pope has to decide that you should be a saint and I've probably left a lot out of the process, but I think you get the idea.

As much as we can admire these men for the good things they did during their lives (in addition to having their pictures talk to someone to heal a brain aneurism) I have to take issue with our Catholic friend's teaching of how a person becomes a saint.

As you read the teachings of the Apostle Paul you'll see that he applied the term "saints" to all believers in Jesus Christ.

For example:

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

"Saint" is taken from the Latin word "sanctus" which means "holy" or "set apart." If you are a follower of Jesus Christ you a saint. It doesn't mean you no longer sin. It doesn't mean you are suddenly perfect and can do miracles. Being a saint means Christ has set you apart as His own. It's not a special place in the hierarchy of Christendom.

In Vacation Bible School we explain it with the ABC's of salvation.

A - Admit to God that you are a sinner.
B - Believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again to pay for your sin.
C - Confess that Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord.

If you have given your life to Christ and you are following Him day by day you may not do any big miracles, but others will know that you are a Christian - a Saint - because they see Him in you. They will see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

Go live your life as a saint. Don't make people wonder for years or decades whether you are a saint or not.

If you'd like to see more of my postings about saints, click on these links.

When the Saints Go Marching In
Today Is Your Day
Saint Update

Bro. Lyndel's Football Team

I am writing some devotions for football players. Some of you who have known me for many years probably just fell over laughing. But I really am. I had several ideas for football player devotions last night and will be writing them over the next few days or weeks.

 How does a totally non-sports person write devotions for football players? And why write them anyway. It seems that someone who knows about sports and about football players and the things that they do to get themselves ready to play or how they exercise or something should be the person that would write such things.

 Hmmm. Well, perhaps I should begin with the story of how I ended up with my own football team.

 Last summer (2013) I took a group of High School handbell players to Porto, Portugal. While there, my friend, Andy, told me about how they are coaching football as a means of developing relationships with Portuguese men and how many of them are responding to the Gospel and coming to Bible studies and many are now followers of Jesus.

 Awesome!

 My dad was a big football fan. Back in the old days of the 70s families only had one TV. I know that sounds rather remarkable today, but that’s just how it was. Monday night football was a big deal in most homes, I suppose, and it was in our house as well. My dad and my brother would watch every game. It wasn’t a time that you talked about school or church or how the roses were growing in the backyard. It was just football. I usually spent Monday evenings upstairs in my room. I just didn’t care who was playing or who won or if their running back did a fancy whatever and got the ball down to a certain place and then someone kicked the thing and it got them points because the other guys wouldn’t let them run the ball all the way into the end zone……

I did watch some football in my H.S. days. I played the baritone horn in the marching band. Violins didn’t really fit with the whole marching thing. Perhaps the bows are too scary for the woodwinds – thinking you will poke their eyes out as you march by sawing away with your bow. There were actually two football games each week – one just before the band show and one just after the band show. Ha!

This would have been awesome!

I remember the name Bart Star, but I usually wonder if he is Ringo's brother. Oh, and I remember Joe Namath wearing pantyhose but I don't know why he did and I don't know who he played football for.

Please tell me those aren't Joe's legs!

Fast forward to 2013. My interest in football is about the same as it has always been. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I just don’t care…. I do watch a tiny bit of the Broncos because my son, Andrew, LOVES the Broncos. We lived in Denver during some important formative years apparently. So I like to know a little about the Broncos because they are important to my son. But to be honest with you, I don’t even know who their quarterback is. I know John Elway still has something to do with them as an owner or something. When I lived in Denver I had lunch with someone that played for the Broncos. I don’t remember his name. Seems like he was a defensive something-or-the-other. Andrew probably still remembers who it was.

If I haven’t lost you with this little trip through my football background, here’s how I ended up with my own football team. (I thought you needed the background to see how this is a God thing.)

Our church has a men’s supper/worship time/Bible study one Tuesday night a month. We call it “Man Church.” We kill our own food, sit around a campfire cooking our wild boar with our shirts off and beat on drums. Hahaha. OK. We have burgers and sit around tables at our Family Life Center (gym). At our August “Man Church” I noticed two twenty-something guys sitting by themselves at a table so I invited myself to sit with them. OK. You’ve read my football bio. Don’t really have one. And about the first thing I heard coming out of my mouth was “Do you guys play football? Or did you?” Seriously?! I’m going to start a football conversation with two people I don’t even know! What if they started talking about last night’s game? (Oh, I guess there might not have been one in August.) But if they had, what would I say? “Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to bring up football since I’m a football idiot. You two just talk about the game and I’ll just nod my head.”

They said they did (or had played in HS or college) and I just kept going “Really? What position did you play?” and they said something about hiking and running and tackling… Then, without hardly skipping a beat I heard myself say, “Well, you know, while we were in Portugal we heard how football players from the States had gone there to do football things and share the Gospel and I’m thinking of taking some football players over there next year. Would you be interested in going?” Seriously?! I just said that?

I know God was at work that night because I had NOT thought of that before then. I would NOT plan a mission opportunity that included football. I have used vocal and instrumental music, art, ESL, Bible clubs and more, but football. HAhahaha!

The eyes of those two guys lit up. “You mean we could play football and tell people about Jesus? We could do that!” Then God grabbed my heart. I could just hear Him say, "Look at football missions through the eyes of these two." And long story short – they are the first two guys on my football team!

A few weeks later after our 9:45 service I walked over to the guy that sits right there on the second row every week and I heard myself say, “Can I ask you something? Did you football?” Boom! My third player.

I’m now up to 5 players – possibly 6 – and I haven’t even advertised for mission team members yet. If you’re at Hilldale this Sunday you’ll see this in the bulletin “Join Bro. Lyndel’s Football Team.” My dad would NEVER have believed this. I'm not sure either of my brothers will believe it either. They are both big football fans.

God is up to something with this. I can hardly wait to see what all will happen in the lives of these young men and in Portugal. He will have to do it because I keep slipping and saying “football rehearsals” and things like that.

Here's the end of the story for now.

I don’t really care much about football, but I care VERY much about missions and about investing in the lives of young men. If you care about missions and want to invest in the lives of some young men then God may lead you to help send them. Twenty-somethings don’t have money to send themselves on mission: they are at the beginning of their careers, they have young families, they have student loans... Call me and see how you can help.

Instruments on Mission - Getting a Second Life

Remember that clarinet that your daughter just had to have so she could play in the band and then decided one week into it that she really wanted to play the guitar instead?

Or maybe your child loved playing in band so much that the $200 trumpet wasn't good enough. No... you had to buy a $1200 trumpet. Now the $200 one is just sitting in your closet wishing someone would oil up the valves and make it useful again.

Whatever the story of the instrument in your closet that hasn't seen the light of day for years, we have an offer of a second chance - a second life - for that old flute. Some people turn old instruments into lamps and such.

Here's an option for an unused flute that will further the Kingdom.

Bro. Paul has a pastor friend in Venezuela that is reaching out to children in his community through music. He is teaching children to play the trumpet or clarinet or flute or other band instruments.

You can bring your instruments to church with you Sunday or if you don't attend Hilldale, you can mail them to me at 2001 Madison St., Clarksville, TN 37043

OK. Now you know how. Give your instruments a second chance at life, bring joy to a child's heart and give a pastor an opportunity to share the Gospel. It's a win-win-win proposition.

"Come Thou Fount, Come Thou King",

Gateway Worship, Song led by Thomas Miller

A wonderful "old" hymn with a new chorus added to it. We're singing it this Sunday at Hilldale in the 8:30 and 9:45 services.

The Language of Missions

Eu falo um pouco de Português.

 

No hablo español.

 

Ich spreche kein Deutsch entweder.

But I do speak a language that people all around the world speak – the language of music.

 

In September of 2011 I led an ESL team from our church, Hilldale in Clarksville, on a mission trip to Portugal. We didn’t need to know Portuguese, we were teaching English. It was a great way for churches in the Porto area to reach out to their communities by offering free English classes. (This trip would be another article in itself, but it leads into our most recent mission adventure.) While we were there with Andy and Michelle Milam (Tennesseans serving with the IMB) Andy mentioned that he would love to have a handbell choir come to Portugal. He knew of several ways and places that a handbell choir could partner with the Portuguese churches to reach out to their communities.

 

I love handbells, but my adult handbell choir had lost it’s rehearsal time (long story) and hadn’t met in some time. I wasn’t sure if I could get them going again. With their varying jobs and other issues it didn’t look possible. Then God gave me the idea of starting a new handbell choir with our youth. I didn’t have time to teach non-music readers how to read music, so in May and June of 2012 I talked to piano students and band students. “I’m taking a handbell choir to Portugal next summer and I want you to go with us!“

 

It worked! By the time our rehearsals started in the Fall of 2012 I had eight High School students, one young adult and myself to form a new handbell choir.

 

Fast forward... here are a few highlights of our preparation:

·         We came up with a new cool name – “Rezounding Praize“ and took some publicity shots.

·         We rehearsed and worked hard and learned how to ring well together!

·         We made a CD of handbell music to give away. A new believer in Portugal recorded the Roman Road for us and we inserted that on the CD in between our songs. We gave away close to 900 CDs. (We were able to make our CDs for about .55 each. E-mail me for info.)

·         We have a cool website www.rezoundingpraize.blogspot.com. Our free CD directs you there. On our website you can read about our songs and a little about us, but more importantly there are links that share the Gospel in Portuguese!

 

Here are some of the things we did in Porto, Portugal:

·         “Flash mob“ ringing in the streets to draw crowds. We gave away fliers to an evening concert and free CDs to all who came by.

·         Evening concerts to some of the biggest crowds one of the churches had seen in a long time (maybe ever) The highlight of our concerts was an arrangement of the national anthem of Portugal “A Portuguesa.“ They couldn’t believe that we would learn how to play their anthem on handbells. It was awesome! You can hear it here. We played several songs with one of the only handbell choirs in Portugal. Here we are in rehearsal together.

·         Ringing for a special 40th anniversary of a private school and making some great connections with the students there.

·         Ringing in a restaurant and giving away CDs to patrons and waiters and having a good conversation with the owner. In fact, we were able to share with several restaurant owners about our faith.

·         Ringing through the streets and in a street concert in the middle of a housing project of an outcast people group. (The doors for this outreach had been opened by other groups including the BCM group from Austin Peay University in March.) Several groups have now visited this housing complex and the Milams are hopeful that they can now bring in a group to do Backyard Bible Clubs there.

·         Shared CDs and smiles with the hotel staff which led to a great conversation about faith with some of the staff later in the week.



Our hotel

 There were other connections and opportunities to share in our week in Portugal – too many to mention here. We were able to follow through doors that had been opened by other groups (like an American football coach and players) and we opened new doors for groups that will come behind us.

 

Most of us didn’t speak any Portuguese – just a few words with a heavy Southern USA accent. But we did speak the language of music and more importantly, the language of God’s love. Jesus said that they would know we were His disciples by our love. His love crosses the barrier of spoken language.

 

What language do you speak? Sports? Drama? Art? Music? Add it to God’s language of love and you are on your way to a great mission experience (out of the country or at home).

One Generation - Giant Choir

Timothy was the Apostle Paul's "beloved son" (2 Timothy 1:2) in the faith, his partner in ministry, the one he left behind to pastor the church in Ephesus (according to most Bible scholars.)

Look at this great testimony of where Timothy was taught about faith found in the first chapter of 2 Timothy.

             5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

This Sunday in worship (at 8:30 and 9:45) we are going to have a beautiful picture of one generation declaring their faith to another generation as we sing "One Generation" the title song from our new choir CD. We're going to have a GIANT Family Choir with all generations singing together. ♫ One Generation shall praise Your name to another. ♪ ♫ One Generation declares Your mighty works.♪ ♫

While we sing we will have a video playing made up of pictures from our church family. In these pictures you will see three, four and even five generations together. It's REALLY awesome!

Here's a picture of me and my mom and my daughter, Christy, and her son - my newest grandbaby, Malachi. (It will be in the video while we sing - of course.)

So that you and your children can learn "One Generation" and join us in our Giant Mother's Day Choir this Sunday, here is a recording of "One Generation" that you can listen to.

 

Of course EVERYONE needs to buy a copy of our CD (it's how I'm helping our HS handbell choir, ReZounding PraiZe, get to Portugal on a mission trip) and it's just nice to have some worship music to play in your car while you're traveling around town with your children. The CD is made of songs that we sing together in worship or that you have heard our choir sing.

Making May Memories

When I was a child we had a May Day tradition in our family. I still remember it (and I think - if I remember correctly - that I passed along this tradition to my daughter, Christy.)

On May 1st - May Day - we would make a basket and fill it with flowers. I guess people still do this because I found some pictures of May Day Baskets (yay, Google).

 

We made ours out of strawberry baskets. Remember these? Do they still come this way? I don't remember seeing them lately.

 

We would run ribbon in and out of the basket and add some ribbon for a handle. Then we would fill the basket up with fresh flowers cut from our yard.

The fun part was then going to one of our church's senior adult's house where we would leave the basket on the doorstep or hang it on the door handle. We would then ring the doorbell then run and hide behind the bushes to watch as the lady answered the door and was pleasantly surprised by an anonymous gift of flowers.

I suppose nowadays you'd get shot by some neighbors if they saw you hiding in the bushes. But that's a different post.

Making memories with your children is SO important. It connects you as family. It provides a fantastic opportunity to teach values - if you have good activities and talk about what you are doing. And it just makes life more fun! That's important!

Here's a memory you can make with your children that will be easy and fun. Take our choir CD (buy one tonight if you don't have one yet) and teach your child(ren) the song "One Generation" and then join us next Sunday morning for a giant family choir as we sing "One Generation" in our 8:30 and 9:45 services. How fun is that? Ask grandma to sing with us too and get all the generations together!

 

To summarize:
Today - make a May Day basket to fill with flowers and leave it on someone's door without getting shot.
This week - get a choir CD and teach "One Generation" to your kids and your mom.
Mother's Day, May 12 - sing with our giant choir for the 8:30 and/or 9:45 worship services at Hilldale.