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A Song of Joy Page 2
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revealed the level of chaos which plagued him this time of year.
Chaos, it would soon appear, would be very common this season.
VERSE 1
(The Story of Cody Lane)
Praise band practice op
ened the way it typically does: the guitar and bass players were setting up their amps and tuning, the vocalists were talking about their day and the drummer was sipping on a travel cup, waiting on everyone to start. It was Thursday evening, and as usual, Senior Pastor Jerry Miller just told Mark his sermon topic the day before. Mark had scrambled to find appropriate songs and get them out to his musicians in time to prepare for practice. Three of the songs were familiar to the band, as they had done them before, but one was brand new and Mark hoped that everyone had taken time to listen to it before now. Such was not the case.
Mary Lynn had listened to it that afternoon between cleaning her house and giving piano lessons. Of course, you could just give Mary Lynn the music and ask her to sight read it and she would play it perfectly. Nonetheless, she was compulsive about giving her best for the Lord and was as prepared for practice as she could be. She had even started working on transitions between the songs, because she knew Mark would ask her.
It was chilly that autumn day, so Mary Lynn wore a knitted sweater with a reindeer on the front. She reminded Mark of his mother, they were about the same age. Mark often talked to Mary Lynn the same way he would speak to his mother. Since his parents retired several hours drive away, Mary Lynn was the next best thing.
While Mary Lynn was the first to arrive (even before Mark), Ted Kinney wasn’t far behind. Ted was very punctual by nature. He was a few years younger than Mary Lynn, but they were from the same generation - a generation that believed it was important to arrive before you were supposed to. While Ted would be wearing blue jeans for church on Sunday, he had come to practice straight from work, so he was wearing his business clothes. Mary Lynn wasn’t a fan of the way people wore blue jeans to church nowadays, and she liked to see Ted in his shirt and tie. Ted on the other hand, was comfortable either way. His wife or daughters would occasionally ‘help’ him with fashion advice before he left the house in the morning, but his entire wardrobe was conservative enough that he was never either completely out of fashion or on the cutting edge - and that’s the way he liked it.
"How's Bathsheba today?" Mark asked Ted.
"She just got new strings", Ted replied. "She's ready to sing..."
‘Bathsheba’ was Ted's favorite guitar; it was a 1968 Fender Stratocaster. Vintage sunburst with a maple fretboard, it was worn in all the right places, like a good pair of blue jeans. Ted had bought it at a pawn shop when he was younger, back before the internet, when an old secondhand guitar went for around $200. Of course, now it was worth ten times that, but Bathsheba wasn't for sale. In fact, Ted never let anyone else play her.
"Why would you name a guitar?" Mary Lynn questioned, with noted disapproval in her voice.
"Well, the pros do it because they have several guitars, and in the middle of a set it’s easier to ask your tech to hand you ‘old red’ than to ask for ‘the red guitar with the three single-coil pickups and the drop-D tuning..." Ted quipped. “I just do it because it puts the guitar into perspective. Bathsheba was not only the source of covetousness that caused King David to sin, but she was also the mother of Solomon - history’s wisest leader. This guitar can be not only the source of covetousness by any guitar player who lays eyes on her, but also the source of some incredible praise music.”
It was true. Ted was a decent guitar player, but Bathsheba had a tone that would make even an amateur sound good.
Kat Driggers was fashionably late as usual. A stunning 30-something year old, she loved to make an entrance whether it was at work or church, performance or practice. As soon as she entered, she took off her jacket, revealing clothing a little trendy for her age. Most 30-somethings couldn’t pull off a look like that, but Kat could. Mark knew it would be inappropriate for him to say anything about it to her, and hoped that maybe Mary Lynn would - but Mary Lynn had spoken with Kat about her attire before and had gotten nowhere. Kat would just call her a ‘fuddy-duddy’ and walk away smiling to herself.
Arriving about the same time as Kat were the Williams brothers. Brad was older and played bass; Brian was younger and played drums. During the day, they worked in the same factory as their father; he was a foreman there and helped get them hired. With their father looking at retirement next year, Brad was considered a shoo-in to fill the foreman position. Brad and Brian generally arrived together because they rode together. They lived next door to each other in houses built on their grandfather’s farm, and their wives were even best friends in high school.
With everyone finally tuned and ready, Mark opened with prayer, “Dear Lord, thank you for bringing us safely here this evening. Thank you for our health, and the gifts You give us – we return those gifts to You in the offering of praise. As You are holy, help us to be holy… amen.”
Brian started the click track and did a fill to begin the song. After finishing the first song, each team member called back to the sound man to adjust their monitor mixes. “Someday,” thought Mark, “we’re going to have the kind of individual monitors where each person can adjust their own mix.” But that day would not be soon. As Mark knew all too well, a growing church has a limited budget for worship ministry. They were lucky to get the new sound board earlier this year. A new snake and some better microphones would be a higher priority than those cool monitors.
Practice wasn’t without some snags, but overall it served its purpose. The band hammered out where the problem spots were, Mary Lynn got her marching orders for the transition chords, and although most of the team would need to practice on their own before Sunday, the parts sounded like they would work together. An hour after they had started, the band was dismissed for the evening.
While Ted was putting his guitar away, he turned to Mary Lynn and said, “That’s a pretty sweater you’ve got on tonight Mary Lynn, is that new?”
Mary Lynn smiled and said, “Now Ted Kinney, you know this sweater is older than any of your kids, but thank you.”
Kat cleared her throat.
“Kat,” Ted started, “those are some sharp boots ya got there, is that what all of the cool kids are wearing this year?”
“It is,” she beamed, “I’m going to get Mary Lynn a pair for Christmas…”
The Williams boys laughed, Ted smiled and looked over at Mary Lynn, who wasn’t amused.
“That’s okay honey,” Mary Lynn chided, “You save your money. I don’t think I could walk in those anyway.”
Always the peacemaker, Ted quickly added, “Now, Mary Lynn has her own sense of fashion, which I personally think is very sharp. Don’t you change a thing Mary Lynn.”
“That’s right.” Mark added.
As everyone was leaving, Mark pulled Ted aside and said, “I really appreciate the stability that you bring to the team, Ted.”
“I think it’s you that brings the stability.” Ted replied. “I’m just the comic relief, but you… this is your calling.”
The two exchanged pats on the back and walked out as Mark locked the doors of the church. Mary Lynn and Ted each got in their cars and drove off, but Kat and the Williams boys were still chatting outside their cars as Mark said good night and drove away.
As he drove, Mark's thoughts turned to his old friend Cody Lane. Cody was like a big brother to Mark growing up; he was several years older so he seemed legendary at the time. In fact, it was Cody who got Mark interested in playing guitar. Mark remembered watching Cody play as a teenager and considered how similar he was to Justin Stallard. Both were superbly talented guitar players, both played in church but preferred secular venues, and both flew by the seat of their pants. Maybe that's why Mark wasn't as punitive with Justin when he obviously hadn't practiced on a particular Sunday morning.
Mark remembered Cody's wedding, where the groom’s hair was as long as the bride’s - and both wore earrings. Mark knew the bride as well; Jenny Miller had watched Cody play as often as Mark had. Truth be told, Mark kind of had a crush on Jenny because she was several years older and was so pretty - which only made Cody that much more legendary when he married her. They seemed so happy that day, like nothing would ever come between them. But that's what pretty much every couple looks like on their wedding day. And like pretty much every couple, there were problems brewing underneath the surface for Cody and his bride.
Always the rock star, there was no shortage of fans when Cody played guitar in the clubs. The more often he played, the more attention he got, and the more beautiful the fans seemed to get. He assured his wife that none could compare to her. "Why would I be interested in those club girls when I've got the most beautiful girl in the world?" he would say. But young as he was, his Christianity was not nearly as developed as his guitar playing. Cody liked the attention from the pretty girls, and it caused arguments between him and Jenny. He would come home late from a gig smelling of beer and perfume, and he would tell Jenny that, "Yeah some girl came up and hugged me after the show..." Or when doing laundry, Jenny would find a napkin in
Chaos, it would soon appear, would be very common this season.
VERSE 1
(The Story of Cody Lane)
Praise band practice op
ened the way it typically does: the guitar and bass players were setting up their amps and tuning, the vocalists were talking about their day and the drummer was sipping on a travel cup, waiting on everyone to start. It was Thursday evening, and as usual, Senior Pastor Jerry Miller just told Mark his sermon topic the day before. Mark had scrambled to find appropriate songs and get them out to his musicians in time to prepare for practice. Three of the songs were familiar to the band, as they had done them before, but one was brand new and Mark hoped that everyone had taken time to listen to it before now. Such was not the case.
Mary Lynn had listened to it that afternoon between cleaning her house and giving piano lessons. Of course, you could just give Mary Lynn the music and ask her to sight read it and she would play it perfectly. Nonetheless, she was compulsive about giving her best for the Lord and was as prepared for practice as she could be. She had even started working on transitions between the songs, because she knew Mark would ask her.
It was chilly that autumn day, so Mary Lynn wore a knitted sweater with a reindeer on the front. She reminded Mark of his mother, they were about the same age. Mark often talked to Mary Lynn the same way he would speak to his mother. Since his parents retired several hours drive away, Mary Lynn was the next best thing.
While Mary Lynn was the first to arrive (even before Mark), Ted Kinney wasn’t far behind. Ted was very punctual by nature. He was a few years younger than Mary Lynn, but they were from the same generation - a generation that believed it was important to arrive before you were supposed to. While Ted would be wearing blue jeans for church on Sunday, he had come to practice straight from work, so he was wearing his business clothes. Mary Lynn wasn’t a fan of the way people wore blue jeans to church nowadays, and she liked to see Ted in his shirt and tie. Ted on the other hand, was comfortable either way. His wife or daughters would occasionally ‘help’ him with fashion advice before he left the house in the morning, but his entire wardrobe was conservative enough that he was never either completely out of fashion or on the cutting edge - and that’s the way he liked it.
"How's Bathsheba today?" Mark asked Ted.
"She just got new strings", Ted replied. "She's ready to sing..."
‘Bathsheba’ was Ted's favorite guitar; it was a 1968 Fender Stratocaster. Vintage sunburst with a maple fretboard, it was worn in all the right places, like a good pair of blue jeans. Ted had bought it at a pawn shop when he was younger, back before the internet, when an old secondhand guitar went for around $200. Of course, now it was worth ten times that, but Bathsheba wasn't for sale. In fact, Ted never let anyone else play her.
"Why would you name a guitar?" Mary Lynn questioned, with noted disapproval in her voice.
"Well, the pros do it because they have several guitars, and in the middle of a set it’s easier to ask your tech to hand you ‘old red’ than to ask for ‘the red guitar with the three single-coil pickups and the drop-D tuning..." Ted quipped. “I just do it because it puts the guitar into perspective. Bathsheba was not only the source of covetousness that caused King David to sin, but she was also the mother of Solomon - history’s wisest leader. This guitar can be not only the source of covetousness by any guitar player who lays eyes on her, but also the source of some incredible praise music.”
It was true. Ted was a decent guitar player, but Bathsheba had a tone that would make even an amateur sound good.
Kat Driggers was fashionably late as usual. A stunning 30-something year old, she loved to make an entrance whether it was at work or church, performance or practice. As soon as she entered, she took off her jacket, revealing clothing a little trendy for her age. Most 30-somethings couldn’t pull off a look like that, but Kat could. Mark knew it would be inappropriate for him to say anything about it to her, and hoped that maybe Mary Lynn would - but Mary Lynn had spoken with Kat about her attire before and had gotten nowhere. Kat would just call her a ‘fuddy-duddy’ and walk away smiling to herself.
Arriving about the same time as Kat were the Williams brothers. Brad was older and played bass; Brian was younger and played drums. During the day, they worked in the same factory as their father; he was a foreman there and helped get them hired. With their father looking at retirement next year, Brad was considered a shoo-in to fill the foreman position. Brad and Brian generally arrived together because they rode together. They lived next door to each other in houses built on their grandfather’s farm, and their wives were even best friends in high school.
With everyone finally tuned and ready, Mark opened with prayer, “Dear Lord, thank you for bringing us safely here this evening. Thank you for our health, and the gifts You give us – we return those gifts to You in the offering of praise. As You are holy, help us to be holy… amen.”
Brian started the click track and did a fill to begin the song. After finishing the first song, each team member called back to the sound man to adjust their monitor mixes. “Someday,” thought Mark, “we’re going to have the kind of individual monitors where each person can adjust their own mix.” But that day would not be soon. As Mark knew all too well, a growing church has a limited budget for worship ministry. They were lucky to get the new sound board earlier this year. A new snake and some better microphones would be a higher priority than those cool monitors.
Practice wasn’t without some snags, but overall it served its purpose. The band hammered out where the problem spots were, Mary Lynn got her marching orders for the transition chords, and although most of the team would need to practice on their own before Sunday, the parts sounded like they would work together. An hour after they had started, the band was dismissed for the evening.
While Ted was putting his guitar away, he turned to Mary Lynn and said, “That’s a pretty sweater you’ve got on tonight Mary Lynn, is that new?”
Mary Lynn smiled and said, “Now Ted Kinney, you know this sweater is older than any of your kids, but thank you.”
Kat cleared her throat.
“Kat,” Ted started, “those are some sharp boots ya got there, is that what all of the cool kids are wearing this year?”
“It is,” she beamed, “I’m going to get Mary Lynn a pair for Christmas…”
The Williams boys laughed, Ted smiled and looked over at Mary Lynn, who wasn’t amused.
“That’s okay honey,” Mary Lynn chided, “You save your money. I don’t think I could walk in those anyway.”
Always the peacemaker, Ted quickly added, “Now, Mary Lynn has her own sense of fashion, which I personally think is very sharp. Don’t you change a thing Mary Lynn.”
“That’s right.” Mark added.
As everyone was leaving, Mark pulled Ted aside and said, “I really appreciate the stability that you bring to the team, Ted.”
“I think it’s you that brings the stability.” Ted replied. “I’m just the comic relief, but you… this is your calling.”
The two exchanged pats on the back and walked out as Mark locked the doors of the church. Mary Lynn and Ted each got in their cars and drove off, but Kat and the Williams boys were still chatting outside their cars as Mark said good night and drove away.
As he drove, Mark's thoughts turned to his old friend Cody Lane. Cody was like a big brother to Mark growing up; he was several years older so he seemed legendary at the time. In fact, it was Cody who got Mark interested in playing guitar. Mark remembered watching Cody play as a teenager and considered how similar he was to Justin Stallard. Both were superbly talented guitar players, both played in church but preferred secular venues, and both flew by the seat of their pants. Maybe that's why Mark wasn't as punitive with Justin when he obviously hadn't practiced on a particular Sunday morning.
Mark remembered Cody's wedding, where the groom’s hair was as long as the bride’s - and both wore earrings. Mark knew the bride as well; Jenny Miller had watched Cody play as often as Mark had. Truth be told, Mark kind of had a crush on Jenny because she was several years older and was so pretty - which only made Cody that much more legendary when he married her. They seemed so happy that day, like nothing would ever come between them. But that's what pretty much every couple looks like on their wedding day. And like pretty much every couple, there were problems brewing underneath the surface for Cody and his bride.
Always the rock star, there was no shortage of fans when Cody played guitar in the clubs. The more often he played, the more attention he got, and the more beautiful the fans seemed to get. He assured his wife that none could compare to her. "Why would I be interested in those club girls when I've got the most beautiful girl in the world?" he would say. But young as he was, his Christianity was not nearly as developed as his guitar playing. Cody liked the attention from the pretty girls, and it caused arguments between him and Jenny. He would come home late from a gig smelling of beer and perfume, and he would tell Jenny that, "Yeah some girl came up and hugged me after the show..." Or when doing laundry, Jenny would find a napkin in
A Song Of Redemption