One of my favorite things about doing this site is that I get to hear the most hilarious stories. Whether they are in a comment or emailed to me, the ideas you continue to send in are ridiculously fun. So when it came time for me to temporarily suspend my deep admiration for the worship eagle, and instead write about the other bird Christians love, I had to share this story from a reader:
I don’t know where to find any eagles, but a woman came to our church for the first time last year, found me after the service (I am the worship leader), and offered her doves for live ministry. She told me for many years she has been bringing her doves to churches and parties, as they are excellent visual aides of the Holy Spirit. When would the pastor next be teaching on something like that so she could bring them, she asked (remember, first time to our church ever). I deflected with “Ah, maybe one day in the children’s ministry. The children would love it…imagine if they were teaching on Noah’s ark, etc…) She was not having it. She wanted “big church.” Next week she came again with, yep, the doves! They didn’t make it into the service though. She just walked around with them showing anyone who would look at them. So, the “dove lady”, I am sure, is available if you just can’t find any eagles for church. She actually had a “business” card that she gave me.
There are several reasons I love that story:
1. The doves are too “Hollywood” for Sunday School.
It was “big church” or bust for this group of white winged wonders. There was no way they were going to play a Noah’s Ark Sunday School crowd. Please, what is this amateur hour?
2. Ravens continue to get a bum deal.
Before the dove that forever made doves famous was sent out by Noah, he released a raven. The raven promptly left and never came back. To this day, ravens get no respect. Can we blame the raven? I mean, as a bird, being cooped up on an ark with all your natural enemies for 40 days would have been tough. I like to imagine that raven like Tim Robbins Shawshank Redemption. When Noah let him loose he just spread his wings and never looked back.
3. There was a business card.
Is there any chance the business card for the dove ministry is printed on feathers they doves have dropped? Would that be awesome? I submit “yes.”
4. What do you name a dove ministry?
Here are three possible names that you can use for free if you would like: “Rain of feathers,” “the rebirth of coo,” (yes that’s a Miles Davis bird reference, I did it) and “This is what it sounds like when doves worship.” That last one is long but Prince would like it anyway.
5. The doves were brought to church.
Do you have to wear a special coat with little wooden posts for the doves to stand on? How many doves are we talking about here? Do even the doves feel a little silly about the whole thing? Do street pigeons laugh at those doves for “going soft?” So many questions.
If you have a dove ministry, please don’t take this post the wrong way. My little kids would flip out if they ever got to see you perform and I love when people use their creativity to serve God in unexpected ways. But please know, if me and my worship eagles ever get double booked at a church with your dove ministry, it’s going to be on like Donkey Kong.
