Running Over, running over, my cup is full and running over...

Such a simple song that I learned as a child growing up in Sunday School and Children's Church, but tonight the words have such strong meaning.  As a child, I grew up singing in church.  My first experience I remember singing in church was as a toddler or Kindergartener singing Away in a Manger in our annual church Christmas program.  This was only the beginning.  Several years later I sang with 2 friends a song called "He's Still Workin' on Me", wow, do I ever get the words to that song now.  "He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be.  It took Him just a week to make the moon, and stars, the sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.  How loving and Patient He must be.  He's still workin' on me".  I still remember every word to that song, accompanied by Larry Mullins, my childhood pastor on the guitar.  A few years later there was another song, "Jesus Built This Church on Love" that I was privileged to be allowed to sing with the same two childhood friends accompanied again by Larry Mullins.  "Do ya ever just get to wonderin', about the way things are today?  So many on board this gospel ship trying to row it a different way.  But if we all  pull together, like a family me and you.  We'll come a lot closer to doin' what The Lord called us to do."  I still remember every word to this song as well.  Life lessons were learned while learning these songs.

Fast forward many years later, in the 1990's.  I'm still attending Camargo Church of God and have been since I was knee high to a grasshopper.  Our worship leaders have a vision of a youth ensemble singing in our church, teaching us a love for music.  We begin small, just 10 or so of us coming together to learn a few songs.  Some of us know how to read music, others learn from those of us that have learned in the past and we begin blending our voices to praise THE God who created us.  As we sing, friendships deepen, our lives intermingle and weave into one another.  We are all being raised in church to understand the love of God and are receiving a desire to sing of this love to those willing to listen.  Our love for God becomes deeper, more solid, our love for each other becomes stronger.  We become life long friends that love to come together and blend our voices in praise to God.  We are invited to come to youth rallies and youth revivals at other churches and sing.  We are supported by a church that loves us and sees a future in what we are doing.  Money is pledged and we professionally record a cassette tape (remember, this is the 1990's, CD's aren't super popular just yet ha ha ha).  We learn to work together as a single unit.  If one hurts, we all hurt.  If one is joyful, we rejoice with them.  We learn lessons that can never be taught in a Sunday School classroom because we are living life together.

Several years go by and we graduate from high school, move on to college, our ties begin to thin somewhat as we become interested in boyfriends and girlfriends.  Life continues to go on, some of us remain, others move on.  We grow up and marry and move away from each other.  Many of us go to different churches and begin families of our own.  We keep in touch, but are spread out not only over the state of KY, but in other states as well.  It's harder to keep in touch as well.

Several more years go by, we have a few friend get togethers, our kids now outnumber the original group of ensemble members and our get togethers are loud as WE are the parents to more than 15 kids ranging in age from 6  months to 10 years.  A revival service is put together at our home church with our pastor we grew up under through our high school years and he and his wife have a vision of a reunion of our ensemble. Phone calls are made, arrangements for a practice are put together.  After 15 years of singing in other churches, we all come together under the direction of our fearless leader to sing our adoration and praises to God again in one setting.  We come together, tears of joy are shed for this opportunity to be reunited for one cause.  God has brought us together once again and for this I praise Him forever!  Our kids are all together under the same church roof, we are with our families and join together on the stage of the church.  It literally feels like old times, we are able to sit under the instruction of our pastor again.  We. are. home...

I cannot express the joy in my heart today as I've been able to spend time with these life long friends again.  The joy to see so many familiar faces looking back at us as we stood on that stage once again.  The joy that I have felt as we joined together to sing the same songs we sang 15 years ago, with voices that have matured and now more fully understand the meaning behind the words we sing.  I pray that my children will someday be able to have some experience as I've had today.  To really know and understand the love of God and the love of friends that love Him with all their hearts and want nothing more than to teach our children the way they should go.

Thank you God for today and I pray this isn't the last time I get to re-live these childhood memories...

Then...

And Now...

Future Members???  :)