by Every Saturday, the drive to the soccer facility where my daughter plays her games gives us time for listening to some music. Pump-up music, to be precise.
My wife and daughter pick out a song for each of us, getting them ready on YouTube, to be blasted once the car starts.
My daughter likes this singer called Taylor Swift, not sure if you’ve heard of her; the latest favorite is the one that says “look what you made me do” in an aggressive tone of voice. Perfect for gearing up to take down an opponent.
My wife, ever the Bon Jovi fan, favors “Livin’ on a Prayer,” a definite crowd pleaser. Next, I bop my head along to my inspirational selection, be it “Eye of the Tiger” or “Shut Up and Dance.” My son brings it all home with a selection from a movie soundtrack. He’d prefer to listen to the “Jurassic World” soundtrack in its entirety, but our ride is way too short for that, so he chooses something from “Iron Man 2” — which means a song by AC/DC that gets the whole car rocking. By the time we arrive for the game, we are all suitably pumped up.
On our way to church recently the atmosphere was decidedly more serene. Whereas on Saturday morning we’re anticipating an exciting game, Sunday morning sees us in more formal garb, sporting a more tranquil attitude. On the radio we were listening to someone warbling about love while plucking an acoustic guitar. We need some pump-up songs, my son joked.
I laughed, then thought maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. Why not get all loud and excited for our worship service? The band Journey had been on my mind lately; their song “Don’t Stop Believin’” seemed to have an inspirational ring to it. Maybe we could put together a church pump-up mix after all.
My daughter said this singer named Taylor Swift has another song, this one named “Holy Ground,” which sounds like it must be about church. Similarly, my wife could stick with her faith-focused song — “Livin’ on a Prayer” was great for a church pump-up mix. I felt our momentum flag, however, when my son ticked off the possibilities from the “Iron Man 2” soundtrack. Judging by their song titles, it seemed that AC/DC maybe needed to spend more time in church. They had “Shoot to Thrill” and “Guns for Hire,” “Back in Black” and “Have a Drink on Me.” “Highway to Hell,” I thought, could possibly be included in our church mix — as a cautionary tale.
Had we timed things right that Sunday, we might have burst through the church doors as the most pumped-up family in the sanctuary. I could just imagine us high-fiving each member of the choir as we headed to our pew; maybe we’d yell out some cheers of encouragement for the pastor, just like we yell for the players at the Saturday morning soccer games.
Alas, we were late that Sunday morning. The service had already started, even without our shouted words of inspiration. We had to quietly take our spots in the congregation, obediently tamping down our excitement.
I was disappointed that our church pump-up mix hadn’t led to unfettered outbursts of joy that Sunday morning. We’ll just have to save that church mix, I decided, and use it the following weekend. “Highway to Hell” could still be a cautionary tale, whether delivered from the pulpit or on a soccer field.
