This is the bluegrass museum band class playing at a nursing home yesterday. As a matter of fact, they are playing at one evey day this week. I was not able to get a lot of pics.

What you don’t see is a couple that’s been married 50+ years and the husband is taking care of his wife. You don’t see the guy that has the start of Parkinson’s disease. You don’t see the ones that have a hard time making friends, fitting in. You don’t see the ones whose dreams never came true but are still there singing their hearts out. You don’t see the ones that have been looking for community for so long and have finally found it. You don’t see the ones with disabilities that can’t stand very long but still enjoy Christmas music sitting, just the same. You don’t see the lonely ones that used to feel like they have no place, but have found it. You don’t see the ones that just a few years ago would never have thought they would be where they are, doing what they are doing, giving God all the glory, leading with humility.
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And you would be mistaken if you think I’m talking about the residents here enjoying the music.
God can show up anywhere, anytime, with anyone, and he uses music to create bonds, friends, smiles, laughter, joy, and healing, but only if we are doing it for the right reasons, and giving him the glory.
Friends, it is not ours to keep. All gifts are to be given away, and that’s when we find his presence.

It was not the one's that could sing, move to the music, or even acted interested that moved me the most, it was the one that I had counted off in my mind as "he is not here mentally, he does not even know what we are singing about", that was the one I was thought that this music we were making was just a way for the staff to pass the time with him. Let me back up and start at the beginning.

A few months ago, Wendell Foster, an organization that helps folks with disabilities, and I mean the list of things they do for the people that live there, or just come in for services, they do A LOT for people from all over. You can do your research and find out, but that's another story. Wendell Foster reached out saying that before the shutdown of covid, they would have different churches come in each week and do music and a service. You see, many of of the residents there do go to church, they can express their interest in a certain church and Wendell Foster provides transportation for them each week. But many of the residents cannot, or choose not to go to church each week. So the volunteer coordinator and staff see the benefit in bringing church to them, but that takes volunteers like you and I. 

They had put out the word that they were looking for churches, or individuals, to come and play gospel or Christian music, do a church service, or a simple bible study with the residents. They know that the residents spiritual care is just as important as their physical and metal care. And here is the thing, they offer this to them, they do not make anyone attend. It is on their own free will and interest. That is what makes this story even better. 

So they are asking for people to come in and do a "church service" for the residents. My buddy Wayne Morris and I are all about it. But we want to encourage others to do it as well, we don't want to be selfish and do it all, and let others miss out on this blessing. So we try to encourage others to join in and cover a week per month. We have gone in every couple of months and we typically play 3 or 4 songs, usually a mix of traditional gospel and new contemporary Christian music, and then we will do a devotional and a couple more songs at the end. We have figured out that works pretty well. 

So please remember that this is not my first time to do this. I have been blessed to have the privilege to do this on and off for years. Why is it that this time was different? Well, It's hard to say. Sometimes God just opens your eyes at certain times to see miraculous things for the first time, although it is likely always there.

 So we start to do our normal thing, play some traditional gospel music along with some new stuff. Everyone in the room seemed to like it, or at least move or react to the music. In my mind, I think "even if they move around when the music plays, they like the beat or the feel of the song, then we are doing them a service, a favor for being there and we should really feel proud of ourself for doing this great service". Shame on me for making this about me. I love it how God shakes me up, and shows me that he does not need my charity, that his good and perfect will is accomplished with or without me, but he allows me to be a part of it, and when he does, that's when the miracles happen. We all have to get out of his way and just enjoy the ride. 

So we play our normal songs that we have done no less than 200 times, it is like breathing, so easy to play these songs and nor even realize the words we are singing or the impact God is making. You see, we are all created to worship God, it is in our DNA, it is a part of us like breathing, we don't need help, we just sometimes need to be reminded. So when we are teaching, preaching, praising, singing, praying, or simply living a life of thankfulness, it is not that anyone needs someone to lead them as much as they need someone to remind them where we all come from, and how much we all should be thankful for our blessings, even when we think we may be at the bottom with no way out.

Side note: is it an accident that when we think we have reached the bottom, we can always find someone that is lower? If you don't believe me, you may not be looking hard enough. 

So, we start to play our songs, as always, Wayne is focused on praising God and not looking around the room wondering if he is reaching anyone. What do you think I was doing? You guessed it, looking around the room wondering If we were doing any good or were we just helping someone pass the time. Let's be honest, we all want to feel like we are making difference right? Something I am trying to learn is that it is not the results you see that make the difference, it is being obedient to God telling you to move, to do something, to use your gift, your talent, to help or reach someone else. In the end, it's all about us all loving God and loving others, so are we helping others love him and others? Or are we just wanting to feel good about ourselves? I think maybe I was there for the feel good, but ain't it good when God shows you that you can accomplish his will, serve others, help them worship the creator of the world, use you to do all of that, and still even give you that warm fuzzy feeling that we all love to get? There is nothing wrong with feeling good about serving and loving others, we just have to remember that God gives us that gift to give others, it is not from us, and can be taken away at any time. 

We start with I'll Fly Away, a good up tempo song that many people know, and instantly we get a good reaction from most. They are moving to the beat, some singing, or lips moving, and it seamed to be a hit. We move on the sing Amazing Grace and other songs, and still we get a good response, just as we want. We really are trying to do our best to do songs to help them worship, the only problem is that is what my focus is on, while Wayne is over there just worshiping with every word, I'm thinking "how could he be in his own little world singing and playing these songs while I am over here worried about how we are making these people feel?" In my mind, we should be thinking about what they want to hear, what songs will reach them, that they probably don't even know the words or what they mean, but mostly, neither do I to be honest. 

We play our songs and I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing as we did get a good response. Wayne goes into his devotional he had prepared, and the whole time I'm just thinking what songs will we end with to make everyone happy, what can we play now that would really put the cap on this "worship service" and make them leave here happy. When Wayne ended his devotional, that's when God open my eyes.

We played a song, I don't remember what it was, and then all of a sudden, we had our first request. There was a guy there that had not said a word, he had not moved, not tried to sing, no response. As far as I knew, he was there just wasting time, maybe his caretaker was just bringing him in there to kill some time. My focus was on the one's that were moving, singing along, that seamed to be present. But when I heard the words mumbled from his mouth, I had to ask his caretaker what was said. When he told me the song request, I had never even heard of the song. I look over at Wayne and his reply was "I know what song you are talking about, and although I don't know it very well, let me find the lyrics and try it for your". The song was Holy Forever by Chris Tomlin. 

As God got me out of the way, and used Wayne to deliver this song request we had gotten, I stood there amazed that this young man even knew a song, since he had not reacted to anything we had played, or at least I thought. I had been watching the whole room, and reacting to the one's that where reacting to the music we had been playing, and since he was not reacting, I just wrote him off as someone that does not understand. I'm so thankful God proved me wrong. 

As Wayne starts leading the song, I see a resurrection, a new life in front of my eyes, a child of God that was now praising with every word coming out of his mouth. This young man was singing every word of the song. I could not even play my instrument because I was so captured by this moment. All I could physically do was to stand there there and watch. I watched as this young man worshiped God almighty with this song that struck a chord in his soul. God had inspired someone to write this song and record it, and he had heard it somewhere and it had touched his very soul, and he sang it with all of his heart. 

I have sat in many years of worship in church, and I have played my instrument in many worship bands and services, all of them being good as I see people worship God through music. But this time was different, I was not even playing my instrument because I did not know the song, all I could do was watch. The difference was, I was out of the way, I was observing someone that was worshiping with every fiber of there being to the God of the universe. I had always been to busy trying to add to what was not even needed from me, and I missed the true meaning of worship. I had thought that the notes, lyrics, beat, harmony, dynamics, had all moved people by the power of music, but now I saw that that power was of God, it was never the music, it was that our very purpose in living on earth is to worship God almighty. 

So worship is not just music, as a matter of fact, that can be just one small outlet. That young man resonated with the words that he sang. He had found a song that someone he never meet wrote, and the words resonated with him and his creator, and he sang that song more beautiful than anything I have ever heard. I was blind, but now I see.

My Prayer:
Lord God almighty, please help me, help us all, to remember that this gift of music that you have given us, is truly a gift, that it can be given freely and taken away. Help us to remember that these gifts are to be shared with as many people as possible while we have them. They are not our gifts to keep, but to give away every single day, and that the privilege to use these gifts are from you, and for your glory. God help us to all get out of you way, and to get in on the blessing you give freely each day to others through us. For it is not us that bless people with our talents, but you Father that blessed us for being able to share them. Amen.

We may have a gift for our whole life, or for a short time, that is not up to us. What matters is what we do with that gift while we have it, for it is never ours to start with. 

Watch some short video clips from the day, although we did not record the quiet and reserved young man I mentioned in this story. 

Can you tell me anyone that can't sing Happy Birthday? I would think that almost anyone can. We all learn this at an early age, and no one is a trained musician, someone just starts singing and everyone joins in. You don't have to know the key, you don't have to sing in pitch, you don't have to play an instrument, just take off and sing the song and it makes the birthday boy or girl feel special, regardless of age. 

So, if you believe this to be true, and you were in a situation where you were very limited to get out of the house, or wherever you are living, you would love a visitor on your birthday right? Maybe you have health issues, maybe mental or physical disabilities, whatever the case, when someone brings a simple song to you, you can't help but be happy! To quote some residents at a nursing home "this made my day, actually this made my whole week special". 

Recently, my buddy Wayne Morris and I were on a quest one day to do "Random Acts of Kindness", and one of our stops was at Chautauqua Health and Rehabilitation in Owensboro, KY, and we sang happy birthday to all of the residents that were celebrating birthdays in August. They have a celebration each month to do that very thing, but we missed it, so we asked if we could come in and go to each resident personally and sing to them, and they loved the idea. 

​We show up, Wayne with his guitar and me with a mandolin, and the activity director assistant took us around the building and one by one, we witnessed again, the power of a simple song and a smile. 

As we walked in the rooms, there was a look of uncertainty, as if they were not sure what was going on. We said "we are here to sing happy birthday to you" and they smiled and still almost looked like they were not for sure about this "singing thing". 

As we started to sing, they soon found out that it was not as bad as they thought it would be. I mean, a bluegrass, upbeat and fast version of happy birthday, well, it just makes you happy. And one room after another, we got to witness the change in them all. 

What started as looks of confusion, thoughts of of not really knowing what was going on, to happiness and smiles was a pleasant surprise. Some were laying in bed sleeping, or just killing time. Others were sitting in there room watching TV or just wasting time, as if they had nothing to look forward to, but all of them lite up like a spot light when someone took the time to come to them and sing. 

​Now let's think about this. We simply walked into their room, sang happy birthday, and left. For most of us, that may make us smile, but for these folks, that made them smile, pop up out of bed, almost could not sit still, moving to the music that was played, and each said "thank you, you changed my whole day".

Let us think about this. Their day could have been lying in bed, getting up long enough to eat half a meal, watch TV, and lay back down. Sounds sad don't it? The sad part is that each one of us has the power to change their day, to make them happy, to spend time with the elderly that can teach us so much, but we don't. The sad part is that we can do something to make their life better, but we don't. We can do something that makes our own life better, as we can all learn from them, make friends, socially connect, but we choose not to. Our wasted time on our phones, sports games, and other time killers, rules our worlds.

I wonder if one day we will be in this position, hoping and praying someone will stop by to visit us, simply smile and talk, play a game, do a craft, or just sing happy birthday? 

Please don't forget me, please don't get so busy that you never make time for me. I know that you have important things to waste you time on, I know that other people are more important, I know that I am on the bottom of you priority list, but just maybe, I can find a friend that will choose to spend time with me. Or else I will die a lonely person, the same way my room mate did, just a few weeks ago. 

You see, you can forget about me, or choose to overlook me, get caught up in your day to day to busy to offer time to me, because really, I'm not worth you time, or so you think. Or you can choose to "MAKE" time for me. Time that you choose not to waste watching TV or whatever else. Time that you can make  difference in not only my life, but yours.

​You may not realize it, but spending time with me actually blesses you. It is a scientific proven fact that volunteering, or serving another person in a way that they could never return, actual benefits your mind, body, and soul. So when you think you are helping me out, know that you are truly helping yourself too. But we can keep that part a secret.