A First

I mentioned earlier in some posts that I've been going to a local church to play their grand piano after work. It has been such a blessing to play in that room with great acoustics and a beautiful instrument. I've slowly gotten to a place that I can truly play, and sing like I'm alone, even though I know people can hear me. It's taken a while to get here.
I went there on Friday after work, and honestly, I wondered for a few reasons if I should be there instead of where I'd normally be. Now I do believe sincerely that I was supposed to be there that day. I had a great time working on my piano piece I've been writing, and I recorded that and also recorded me singing a song by Lincoln Brewster, I also found their Sunday set list and played through it. While I was watching the recording, someone walked in. It happened to be the man who originally allowed me to come play. I see him sometimes when I'm there, so I wasn't too surprised to talk to him. We chatted about his set list for music this Sunday, and how I'd played through it, since I knew all the songs. Then he asked if I'd be willing to play for the service! I was quite surprised, but I knew right away that I definitely wanted to and would if I wasn't expected to sing at my own church.
I found out for sure that I wasn't expected to play at my church, so after some communication issues, I was able to talk to the leader and let him know I would play. At this point I was feeling oddly confident. It would be my first time playing for another church.
I went in early this morning to practice with the leader and the rest of the crew. It was so much fun!! They had drums, four guitars (bass included), and 5 vocals. A total of 9 people were on the team, and that's definitely the largest I'd ever been a part of.
As the time drew near for the service to begin, I began playing music on my own. That was the most nerve-wracking part of the whole thing. I made plenty of mistakes, and I got really nervous and shaky by the end, but through it all, I did it. I completed it, I succeeded, and it didn't matter that it wasn't perfect.
The service itself went so well! It was such a blessing to play with that group of people. They were all so welcoming, and at one point, the leader made me stand up and then introduced me to the congregation. They all clapped for me, and I kinda wanted to go hide, but it was fine. =P I don't know that I've ever felt so free to play in front of others. It was so comfortable. I don't think it was the actual piano, room, or group of people, but rather, there was that freedom because a change in my life and who I am. It was such a blessing to realize that.
The service was also very relevant to my life right now, which was perfect. I appreciated it a lot. It was very interesting to attend their church (Lutheran) and just note some of the differences from my church. Anyway, over all, it was a huge success and blessing. I'm so glad it worked out for me to do that. =) It was a very happy 'first' for me.