APU Chorale

The Azusa Pacific Men's Chorale concert last night was a nice way to cap off a very busy weekend.  It was clear that while the Director Harold Clousing was probably somewhat of a perfectionist with very exacting standards, he is respected and has invested in the lives of his students.  As several of them shared, he fosters an environment where the technicality was not of primary importance, but rather their hearts for worship.  As a result, the concert was a special time of worship and makes us wonder whether this was a glimpse into some of what it will be like in heaven with beautiful music in worship of our LORD.  Two of my favorite pieces sung last night were "The Majesty and Glory of Your Name" and "Holy, Holy, Holy".   In fact, "Holy, Holy, Holy" may now have surpassed "O Sacred Head" as my favorite hymn.  That is saying a lot, considering that Bach is my favorite composer.

The weekend also started well, in that I was able to take care of some things that have been on my To Do List - like property taxes and voting.  Unfortunately, I was not able to go with my class on their trip to the USS Iowa since the painters needed to finish up on Saturday morning.   But, it did give me a chance to do errands - grocery shopping, stop by Lowe's, etc.

Then, Sunday was pretty non-stop busy-ness.   After church and class, I caught some of the Skate America programs, then got to hear an update on my friend's ministry at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.   And then to the concert afterwards.

It's interesting that lately, God has brought me in contact with many things related to missions or ministry, particularly in Africa - the church missionaries to Uganda, the Ugandan Lambs ministry, the message on Sunday morning from the President of Children of the Nations, and my friend's presentation on her work in Tanzania.