Sing. Sing a Song. Sing it Loud.

The title of my blog post is inspired by The Carpenters whom my parents love.  In our first (and hopefully not last) karaoke appearance my brother Ben and I did a smashing rendition of the Carpenters "Top of the World."

We were teenagers.

There's nothing like singing The Carpenters to a room full of peers in the 90s.  I like to think Ben and I are still that relevant.
 

Trend-setting began in the late 80s.

I love to sing.  I have what I like to call a "choir voice," which means "keep me in a group of folks unless you're in a serious bind."

When I was preaching in India one of the pastors asked me to please sing a solo.  "No thank you," I said forty-six times.  He would not relent.  At that point I embraced the situation and gave it all I had.  I even dragged the microphone cord around the stage and tried to have fun.  If I was going to sing a solo, I might as well give a full 110.  Go big or go home, right?

I love to sing so the first time I saw someone not singing in the church it was confusing.  Since then I've discovered non-singers in every church I've visited/joined.  Why is that?  I suppose some folks are paranoid about their voices.  Maybe someone said "You can't carry a tune in a bucket" and they haven't opened their mouths since.  Perhaps they are embarrassed.  Maybe they're too cool.  I don't know.

Non-singing church friends, let me encourage you to follow the advice of Karen Carpenter:  "Sing!  Sing a Song." You can leave out the "Sing it Loud" if that makes you nervous.

Remember:  You're not auditioning for American Idol:  Simon Cowell isn't waiting in the vestibule. Don't imagine the back of Adam Levine's pew rejecting you:  You're not a contestant on The Voice.  Friends, you are part of God's chorus.  Sing as response to the God who loves you unconditionally.  Don't worry about what others think (a lifelong endeavor for all).  Focus on singing to God and God alone.  You're singing to the one who knows how many hairs are on your head.  You can start by simply mouthing or reading the words while others sing. Work your way into singing to the Lord.

Finally, have fun.  Even if singing isn't your favorite thing to do, enjoy yourself.  Drag the microphone cord.  Smile.  "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music..." (Psalm 98:4.)