Mavis Moon

Thanks, Angela, Michelle, and Bev! Great input.

Bev, writing a prayer journal is definitely another good method for being more intentional about your prayer life. I actually heard a story from a friend who, when going through her elderly mother's things after her mother's death, discovered a bunch of "Daily Bread" devotional booklets where her mother had written prayer notes in the margins. My friend said there were penciled in names of the family and her mother's friends and so on, showing she had prayed for them by name for years and years. How sweet that is, isn't it? 

And Michelle, good point about privacy. I had not really thought of that factor. I'm curious, too, about your space. If you're willing, would you describe what you have in your space and what your practice is for using it?

Bev, I love that image of the girls running to their "secret garden." The book, The Secret Garden, was (and is) such a favorite of mine, that image really resonates with me, too. I like the connection you make to the different verses and Scriptural references to gardens.

Thanks, and keep the comments coming!

This actually kind of cheers me up. I get a little down looking around on Sunday mornings and seeing big gaps between people. But it's true that even our dedicated members (myself included) are often traveling or busy and not making it every Sunday.

As you said, we try to balance our song choices between familiar and new, while keeping all our songs Biblical, liturgical, etc.

As you noted, there's sometimes a tendency to point fingers at contemporary worship style singing but I would question that. We definitely got resistance as we introduced a praise band and new songs, but slowly we learned to acknowledge when a song was new and to try to help the congregation learn it by playing/singing it through first, and so on.

I don't think that amplified singing has to necessarily mean the congregation won't sing. Even if it feels like a concert to some of us, look at all the singing and dancing along that concert-goers do! I think the leaders, no matter what the style, can work on intentional ways to encourage congregational participation in the singing.

I have noticed the men-not-singing phenomenon myself, even with my own sons. For my sons it seems like it took a certain maturity level. I think it also helped that my husband and the rest of the men in our families set the example by always singing. Maybe we can be more intentional in our churches about that, too.

Did you know our own new hymnal, "Lift up Your Hearts," provides materials to project both music and words? Take a look at this web page with examples. We're planning a hymnfest in the fall to introduce this new hymnal at our church. I'm looking forward to exploring the new songs and resources such as this. (I know it sounds like a shameless plug, but I'm not on the editorial staff or anything. Just a participating worship team member. :))

Good thoughts. "Thy will be done" is a powerful little statement!

I'm eager to hear more about this idea. Thank you!