Weekends

It being Saturday, I woke early to get the stuff done around the house in enough time to prepare for the weekend services at church. If I am not careful, the day will slip away and I will regret that I didn't seize the opportunity to enjoy what Saturdays bring.

I remember those childhood days in the summer when I could get up at any time my body wanted, ate anything in sight, rode bikes with my friends and didn't come home until the street lights came on. I had no restrictions on time or energy. My parents were very trusting of the neighborhood and weren't too worried about the streets or the dangers therein. We basically had free-reign. Before I was 15, church never was a family priority. So from Friday night until Sunday night, we were absolutely carefree.

I wholeheartedly chose to be a musician and later a minister/ worship leader. So with that, my weekends became less a time of rest and relaxation and more of a time of work. Evenings are also limited because of rehearsals and performances. Sometimes I have a "leisure fantasy" and dream of the days when life was less complicated. In those fantasies I imagine I might enjoy getting my weekends back...lying around on a hammock, drinking Hawaiian Punch through a straw out of a hollowed-out pineapple. Then I am quickly zapped back into reality when I think of my life without playing music for a living . I don't know what I would do if I couldn't play my guitar, sing, write songs or lead worship. I would be sad...lost, really.

Well, I look at the time on the computer and see that it's almost noon. That means I am soon to start my pre-service prep routine: look over the songs in the set-list, make my cheat-sheet, pray about God's direction for the service, shower, dress, grab a guitar and dash to the car for the 40 minute, beautiful drive east on 840 toward Murfreesboro and World Outreach Church.

You know, come to think of it--my dream, as I was cruising the neighborhood on my imitation Stingray back in Fullerton in the 70's, was to play guitar in a band...