"OLD FASHIONED" Worship

Weston called me the other night from North Central University, where he attends college.

Our conversation went something like this...

"MOM...were you in bed?"

"Uh...YES...it IS 10:45 here in Michigan and I AM getting older, ya know."

"Sorry....but anyway....I am sitting here with some guys and we want to have an old fashioned worship night on our floor. We were wondering if you could help us think of some songs...like...from the early 90's."

"EARLY 90's?!?!?!?!?...OLD FASHIONED!?!?!?!", I responded with much unbelief and laughter!

Jonathan Palmer, son of the new General Secretary of the Assemblies of God, friend of my son, is yelling into the phone,"THINK GAITHER! THINK GAITHER!"

"Jonathan...GAITHER is like the 60's and 70's! And if you want that, call your Gram Clay. She is the Gaither Groupie."

"Well...she'd already be in bed." (HELLO....SO WAS I!)

The 'old fashioned' worship desiring boys of Phillips 2E had already come up with songs such as: 'Look What the Lord Has Done", "I Went to the Enemy's Camp", and "The Happy Song".

I suggested, "We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise"...Weston put me on speaker phone so I could sing it to the guys to see if they remembered it...Before I sang, I told them they had to do the motions to this one...I sang and Weston was laughing saying 'They're doing the motions, Mom!" (try and picture that one in your head!)

Then we went through, "In Him We Live", Alive, Alive, Alive Forevermore, What a Mighty God We Serve, This is the Day That the Lord Has Made (old ON BEAT CLAPPING version and 'old fashioned early 90's OFF BEAT clapping version...with the chorus..."Rejoice...in the Lord.")

Weston asked, "Mom, what was that song we used to sing in Mt. Pleasant...Stand Up?"

I replied, "That is an OLD FASHIONED hymn remixed....STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS! with a new chorus thrown in."

One time I suggested, "This is My Commandment that ye Love One Another" and NONE of them had ever heard of that one.

I said, "Sorry, that must have been the 80's."

Weston yelled:..."GUYS....SHE"S GOING BACK INTO THE 80'S!!!!!!!" (background noises of moans and groans immediately followed.)

I so LOVED the fact that those boys wanted to 'bridge the generation gap' and include me in their worship planning. AND if I was in Minneapolis, I could attend because they were only inviting people that have been in the Assemblies of God 16 years or MORE! (so they would know the songs!)

Needless to say, Steve and I didn't go to sleep for a while because of all the chuckling that kept surfacing as we thought about that phone call.

And THEN we were lying there thinking of all the "old songs" we remembered from the 80's and 90's. It was fun...and FUNNY!

Worship has definitely come into a new era...but there are some "old fashioned worship songs' that are timeless and still speak to my heart. Isn't it reassuring to know that though our methods, style, rhythm, beat, etc. change over the decades that the ONE we worship and adore stays the SAME! "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

I emailed Weston a list of about 50 songs the next day. Maybe YOU can think of some, that I didn't remember...or some that just resonate in your heart of hearts...or some that just make you LAUGH and say, "We used to sing that!?!" (Like the verse of the Joy of the Lord is my Strength...HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!) If you don't know the Ha Ha verse...you are either TOO YOUNG or too young in Jesus.

So LEAVE A COMMENT with your favorite...or most memorable "old fashioned" worship song...even if you are seconding one that is already listed.

I will leave the definition of "old fashioned' up to you!