Week 2: Do you hear what I hear?

The second time is always better. Our new start time of 8pm respected the overpowering cacophony of noise from Zumba class and allowed some breathing room for our group between work hours and Connect Group commencement.

Additionally, this week we knew where to park, how to avoid towing and even mastered the number code to the pedestrian gate. All important logistics in the attendance of your audience! Though we were down a few numbers, we still had a solid dozen strong and we cozied up in our ‘media center’ to kick off some family-friendly ice breakers.

With contributions from Ms. Abby and Ms. Melissa, a host of listening games were proposed. The initial ‘karaoke-style’ hum-a-line and let the group guess, shockingly, was shot down. (Note the heavy sarcasm.) A modified version, Ms. Bela would hum the lines and the group could guess, was mildly entertained, so we went for it.

Pages of beautifully-hummed song lines later, we had a rousing tied score between Ms. Sarah and Mr. Collin; with a solid point per person among the remaining members. An exciting match it was, indeed. We promptly sent the tie-breaking competitors outside while the ‘Final Jeopardy’ trivia song was determined as a whole. The consensus landed around 80’s TV sitcom, and ultimately decided that Ms. Jenny would whistle the theme song to “Growing Pains.”

Time out …

Did you say whistling? Yes. Whistling is one of those skills, like tree-climbing, whose origin stretches back to childhood. Why does one climb trees? Well, to avoid the stampeding cows of course. Why does one whistle? To avoid losing the game that brother made up, naturally. (True story: “Jenn, you can’t advance in the board game until you pass the whistle challenge space.” “But I don’t know how to whistle.” “Well, I guess you’re going to lose then.” And the rest is history.)

Time in …

So I whistled the song. Or attempted to, between my laughs and smiles; the group did not make this easy on me! We arrived at a clear winner and worked out our final wiggles with a rousing game of musical chairs! (Musical leather theater loungers is more appropriate.)

Having successfully warmed up like any musical instrument, we tuned into the video message which was delivered this week by Jonathan Adrian. During the message, God brought a few poignant questions to mind:

What would the musical score of my life sound like right now?
Is it loud and out of tune?
Is it experiencing bars and measures of rest?
Is there a solo flute singing peacefully?

We were additionally challenged in the Alignment video to be honest about our “personal wars.”

What is chaotic in my world and not playing in harmony?
Can I identify a time that my life when the symphony was playing in tune and in harmony?
Which seasons of my life have I experienced peace and alignment?

Our group spent the remaining time working through these questions, as well as an honest grade on how much we desire to examine the Word of God on a daily basis. Could we cultivate our hunger for Him more?

We all shared a small piece of our world and sphere … musical analogies and soundtrack choices surfaced through the discussion … and the symphony picture really helped give tangible elements in describing the state of our lives, as we are today.

So what’s your song? “Still haven’t found what you’re looking for?” (A la U2.) Let’s tune into the direction of our Conductor, and let Him orchestrate the notes and rhythm of our song.