On a drab, dismal Friday, it was refreshing to plug into Kate’s Heading Home page and discovered the word for the week was SING! Just thinking about it brought sunshine to the day.

You know the drill. It’s Friday, we have a prompt, we write, we post, we share. And it all comes down at Kate’s place (http://katemotaung.com/2017/04/20/five-minute-friday-sing/). I’ve told you before … you should check it out. Better yet, you should join in.

For another take, Gayl contributes from Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat, “My very first blog post was for FMF. It really helped me move forward with my blog. It was fun, inspiring and a challenge to write for five minutes on a topic.

There you have it. Listen to Gayl.

I guess it’s time to get started. The timer has been set so we’ll sing out way through the next five minutes. GO…

Sing. Sing a song. Make it simple, To last your whole life long… {apologies to The Carpenters}

That’s the first ditty that swirled in my head when I heard the this week’s word challenge, although you’re lucky you didn’t hear me singing it. I sort of sound like a caged canary … caged in a enclosure with chalkboards as the walls.

I can’t read music.  I can’t carry a tune. And I definitely do not put out anything that resembles music.

Still, I sing. Our Lord doesn’t care. He must be tone deaf.

I love music, though. I love listening to those more accomplished than I, belting out a tune or two. I always have, even as a kid. Karen introduced me to contemporary Christian music — which has become an important part of my repertoire. My New York pastor is an accomplished lyricist and musician. My Maine pastor incorporates song into Sunday services and on the fifth Sunday, we have what is called Singing Sunday — the entire service in song — often including the sermon.

One of my favorite songs is the Gaithers’ (Bill and Gloria) Then He Said, Sing! It … STOP

… just gets you to your feet with raised arms {I don’t do that very often, but can’t help myself when I hear the song}. “Then He said, Sing! … from a laughing heart … Just sing when the night is darkest … Sing, let your joy explode … Let music fill the air … You can sing when there’s nothing else to do  … Sing when something deep inside of you … tells you that life is still a wonder … Just throw back you head and sing…”

Amen.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: You can turn the wheel all you want, but if you don’t step on the gas, you ain’t goin’ nowhere.