Yesterday was fantastic. It was a Sunday, so I wanted to find somewhere to go to church. I'm partial to urban, inner city churches so I was excited to come across a church service held in an office building right in downtown. It's called Mosaic Church and it's centered on ministry within the city. I walked in and was greeted by several people. A younger couple invited me to sit with them during the service so I was glad I didn't feel like an outsider. So, as soon as the service starts I felt so dumb. Not once did it occur to me that I'm in Nashville, Music City, and that the worship bands are probably amazing. And they are. Like, really amazing. If any church musicians from home are reading this, the best analogy I can use is this: Six Alec Hendersons being Alec Henderson on various instruments to create a band of spirit filled Alec Henderson amazing musical flow. (also, yes Alec. We talk about your musical awesomeness like this) They had some of the best arrangements of Christmas songs I have ever heard of and I actually felt comfortable worshipping through traditional Christmas songs. It was crazy. I had to calm myself when we got to the message part of the service, which I ended up really enjoying as well. The pastor read from the gospel of John, speaking about the kind of freedom Jesus has to offer us and how we often confuse this inner freedom with freedom within society. It really hit home for me, being out on the road and enjoying my freedom to pick up and go where the music takes me. It was a reminder that that kind of freedom should always be secondary to the inner freedom Jesus has to offer. Definitely something to chew on for the remainder of my trip.
I had to leave the service a little bit early, but I didn't mind. Tommy Turner invited me out to sing at Ri'chard's Cafe in Whites Creek, a great little place about 15 minutes outside the city. I was so glad I was invited to go; it was probably one of my most memorable experiences here. I got there early and had a chance to chat with one of the songwriters who was going to be playing a set. I'd heard him play at the Douglas Corner Cafe earlier in the week, but I was glad I was going to be able to hear him do a longer set.
The songwriters were playing some great music when Tommy walked in and immediately started introducing me to everyone. He must have really talked me up because he easily got me a slot to play in and I was glad everyone seemed to really enjoy my music. It was nice to be able to play more than one or two songs, which is the norm at open mics here. Anyways, it took all of two seconds for some of the other songwriters to get up and join me in jamming to my songs. It was glorious. The owner is originally from New Orleans and we really connected musically. I felt incredibly privileged to be jamming with these people.
After the show, there was just a few of us left chatting. Richard, the owner, pulled out his guitar and played us some wonderful music, one in particular that was really moving. It was a song about his grandfather and how all throughout his life, it was like his grandfather was the same age as him, always joining him on adventures. You could tell it was a hard song for him to sing, reminiscing on all these memories, but it somehow left you feeling warm in the end. It was a really intimate moment. I love that music can do that.
I left there feeling like I was one of them. We were and are all here for the same reason and it seems that the music in this city connects people together through thick and thin. The songwriters told me about some of the highs and lows of music; being so close to getting a hit and then coming back down from the high, and yet still looking at the glass half full. These people have such a love for music and a love for life as a result and I'm here just taking it all in.
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