But I'm new here...

Tonight was our choir practice and I attended... enjoying preparing for our Christmas program all set to happen in about six weeks. Yep, six weeks. Christmas is creeping up fast this year.

And rehearse we did. We rehearsed our little brains out. We sang a little, too.

The choir is a smallish group of folks that I recognize... but don't know personally. I think I only know one person who's made a point of getting to know me... and one or two that I befriended myself. I'm very shy in that group of accomplished singers and even more shy around the worship leader/choir director who has made about a gazillion records. He and his wife are big time. I am little time. And I don't know them at all... because the little person in me hides way in the back. Most of the time.

As usual, after the rehearsal was over, our fervent director took prayer requests and then prayed with us, for us and for each of the needs that had been placed before him. He's an awesome pray-er.

But tonight, it went just a tad differently. Chris, the musical director, took all of the requests and then changed his course saying, "Chris, would you pray for us tonight?"

I looked around, patiently waiting for another Chris to speak up. But as I looked back around, my eyes landed on the director's eyes and I saw him looking directly into mine. There was no doubt just who he was speaking to... and the "Chris" he was asking to pray was sitting in my exact chair.

(I used the spelling "Chris" on purpose. I was just positive it wasn't "Kris" he was talking to.)

I stuttered, I stammered and finally said, "I must look like a deer in the headlights?" He agreed that I did. I said, "But I didn't take notes." He said it didn't matter.

Shoot, there was no way out of this.

But why did he have to pick on me? I'm not a good pray-er out loud. I'm not a good pray-er in front of other people. Heck, I'm probably not a very good pray-er in my own little world, either.

But I couldn't escape this. I could say no and embarrass both myself and the director or I could dive right in and pretend I was good at this.

And so I did.

The words did come. Probably not any too eloquently... but they came.

God seemed to speak just fine through me. God is pretty awesome that way. And I'm pretty sure that I remembered most of the requests. I hope so, anyway.

I am probably the better person for having had to go through this but oh was it painful.

God is so funny. He will find you when you think you are hiding. And if you need it, he'll have a music director, who you think doesn't even know your name, do the poking.

I feel very poked tonight.

But it was a good poking.
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