Sundays are my reset button. After a crazed week of work and life, I look forward to some time to re-connect spiritually, hear a great message and point my internal compass back to true north. I attend a big church (which honestly freaked me out for about the first month due to the sheer size), and the service starts with a few songs by an amazing band, accompanied by the congregation singing along. There are so many people, it doesn’t really matter if you aren’t a great singer, because usually your voice just blends in and ends up sounding great. It’s kind of like a holy version of auto-tune.
Last weekend, I scooched to the middle of the row, leaving seats around me to be filled as the crowds settle in closer to eleven. I keep hoping that a very handsome, late forty something single man will be drawn exactly to the seat next to me by divine intervention, but that hasn’t happened…yet. No, instead I usually end up sitting next to touchy feely couples (um, really God? It’s a bit annoying trying to feel positive about my single status with Mr. and Mrs. Groper to my right!) or occasionally a very adorable baby. I always end up getting distracted by the baby’s gurgly cuteness and missing the message completely. But this time I experienced an entirely different distraction.
The so-not-my-type gentleman who ended up sitting next to me rose to sing, and SING he did! People from three rows away turned to see who was free-styling the words to Amazing Grace. I was waiting to see if he was going to bust out the jazz hands to complete his show. I couldn’t make eye contact with him as I was embarrassed and afraid I would get a terrible case of the giggles. He wasn’t completely pitchy, other than the few times he tried to hit the Christina Aguilera range. He was just LOUD. I compensated by whispering, then just mouthing the words he was belting out, and eventually I stopped singing all together.
After the initial shock, I was somewhat amused and then a bit disappointed in myself. If he felt moved to belt out worship music like it was a Glee show tune, then who was I to discourage him? People have different levels of how they connect with God and this was clearly his thing. It is so not mine, but maybe when I “mmmm” and nod along to the message, he is thinking, “What is wrong with that girl? Why is she making cow noises in the middle of a sermon?” To each his own. In the words of Minister Henry Giles, “A song will outlive all sermons in the memory.” Well, at least this one will.
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Tags: church, faith, Glee, Henry Giles, music, singing, Sundays, tolerance, worship
[...] After a year’s hiatus, Heidi has resumed posting on her blog (yay!) Check out her post Sing It Loud, Sing It Proud where she shares how we express joy in different ways; some a little more loudly than [...]
Too funny! Maybe if you sit next to him again you should just start clapping real loud and throw in a couple of Sing It Brothers! Its been a long time since I have been to church but if I remember right tradition can some times lead to things getting a little ridged…you could help everyone wake up and lighten up a bit! Or not.
Nice to meet you!
Sorry we have met..but not on your own blog…
Our church is known for thinking outside the box. Example: On the 10th anniversary, they played Black Eyed Peas “Let’s Get iT Started” and threw beach balls out into the crowd!! I didn’t want to encourage him to be any louder, or the clapping would have been a great idea!!
Any friend of Simply Diane’s is a friend of mine
Heidi, I so love our church too. I had a similiar experience some time ago!
Maybe it was the same guy??
[...] friend Heidi , from Falling Down The Rabbit Hole, posted about an experience in church involving a loud singer sitting next to her in church. [...]
I always kind of worry about singing too loud in church. . . thanks for sharing an anecdote, it gave me another piece of food for thought. . . =D
[...] blogger named Heidi wrote about a loud worshiper experience in a blogpost I stumbled on the other day. She wrote: “The so-not-my-type gentleman who [...]