Monday, July 5, 2010

Why I Love Men of Faith - 1 of 3

This might take more than one post. The more I thought about this tonight, the more I wanted to share. I think this first post will be about their voices. There is something exciting about sitting next to, or near, a man of faith, at a service, and hearing a strong voice praising the Lord without hesitation, with full faith, with deep feeling.

I remember one morning almost 20 years ago, during Lent, when a middle-aged man joined in the hymn, "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" There is a point in the hymn when we sing about the thought of that day causing us to "tremble, tremble, tremble." The melody is thrilling. This man's voice was clear and vibrant. I stopped my own voice, just to feel the warmth and love in his voice, praising the Lord.

There was an episode of an old Western/Fantasy series, Brisco County, Jr., where Brisco was injured, and his friend and partner, bounty hunter Lord Bowler, sings "Amazing Grace." I do not know if the actor used his own voice or not, but it was one of the best sounds I've ever heard.

Growing up Catholic, I used to love to hear the Gregorian Chants when sung by friars or brothers in unison. It always sent chills through me.

I remember a CD that a friend had with Daniel Greene performing "How Great Thou Art." I still get goose bumps at the memory.

Male voices praising God are uplifting even when they use the spoken word rather than song.

Yes, there is something special about a strong man who feels stronger yet when he voices his faith in prayerful joy.

Father, thank you for the men in our world who are true believers and not ashamed or embarrassed to voice their feelings about you.

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