Hank...in church?!?!

My dad has two sisters, Sandy and Deb. As a child I loved visiting my Aunt's houses. I stayed with them often and they always treated Sierra and me like one of their own children. My Uncle Randy, Aunt Deb, and their two children, Clint and Stacy, were members of the Shady Grove Baptist Church for many years. When I stayed the weekend with them it was no surprise that on Sunday mornings we all went to church. I had been to church with them before, but my family and I didn’t have a church home. I always was very excited to attend church because I was able dress up and sometimes wear big, pretty dresses. The service started as usual with the singing of some old gospel hymns. After singing a few songs the preacher asked if anyone felt lead to sing. I immediately raised my hand and said, “Yes, I want to sing!” We were very close to the front, maybe even on the front row. There was no way the preacher could miss me. My Aunt Deb tried very hard to convince me not to sing because she knew there was no telling what I could do or say up on stage. This was also the same little girl who told my Aunt and Uncle very loudly at church, "Pheww weee...he stinks!" after this very nice older man talked to us. The same little girl who sat on my mother's curling iron and burned my butt badly. I just couldn't understand why my Uncle Randy didn't want to look at the burn on my butt in the middle of Piggly Wiggly. I needed him to see how bad it was, and he was just acting like no big deal telling me to put my dress down. I just kept insisting, "No, look at this on my butt! It's bad Uncle Randy! LOOK!!" My Aunt and Uncle knew they were in for a surprise when the preacher said, “Okay, well come on up and sing for us today Savanna.” I walked proudly to the front of the church, up a few small steps and he handed me the microphone. I looked out into the church crowd and with no hesitation at all I sang these words…”I got a tear in my beer and I’m crying for you dear….” My Aunt and Uncle looked at me in total shock, but probably not really surprised. My sister and I had a way of keeping my Aunts on their toes. HAHA! I finished with the parts I knew of the old Hank Williams song, and the whole church clapped for me as I had sang the perfect song. My Aunt and Uncle wanted to crawl under the pew, but that wasn't an option! We were sitting in the front and all. I handed the microphone back to the preacher and walked proudly back to my seat. I was so happy and no one said one negative word about my performance that day. (At least they didn't say anything aloud or to me!) I'm sure I was the talk of the Sunday lunch though. I am very certain I received a lot of prayers that day too. I look back at this today, and all I can do is laugh! My family often tells stories about all the things I said and did. We can all laugh about this now, but I can't imagine what I would do if one of my kids sang this on stage at our church. At this time, that song was one of the biggest hits on the radio because Hank Williams Jr. had just redone it. My dad and I would listen to it often while we rode in his old truck. I would roll my window down and rest my arm on the door just like him. My mom would have to fight me to wear a shirt around the house because my dad didn't have to so "why should I have to?" I was that child! I guess you could say from a young age I was just a little strong willed. I always spoke my mind that's for sure. I don't think God would have been upset with me that day. It was very innocent, and I meant no harm by singing that song. I think it shows how comfortable I was in that old church. I wasn't bold in my faith at the time because I really didn't know much about Jesus then. I knew He loved me though! More importantly He knew me and knew I was in need of His love. He didn't stop there. He pursued me until I was in my early 20's, and I gave my life to Him. Close to fifteen years of feeling a tug at my heart to follow Him, but not really knowing when or how. That sounds like a long time, but really God never stops pursuing us. It doesn't matter how long we are lost, how old we are, or even if we sing "Tear in my Beer" at church. He still loves us and wants us to come to Him no matter how messed up we feel we are. We are never promised tomorrow! He is the only One who knows when that time will be, and He is The God that has Loved on Borrowed Time since the beginning of creation.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved -Ephesians 2:4-5