Summer, like most seasons, has a soundtrack. Sometimes it’s obvious and nostalgic: the splash of children at the pool, cicadas and crickets buzzing at dusk, the crack of a baseball bat, or fizz of a pop-top…or the sound of the wind whipping around your ears mingled with the first notes of a favorite song after you’ve rolled down the car windows. It’s the kind of soundtrack that can bring a memory back before we even know what hit us. But sometimes it’s a bit more “everyday,” like the hum of your ceiling fan, the beeping of construction equipment, or the clattering of tools. And, around church this summer, that everyday soundtrack is hard to miss.
And this summer (and into the fall/winter) at church, we’re hearing all kinds of sounds… some playful, some disruptive, some hopeful, and many reminding us that God is creating something new among us. So we thought it might be fun to share a little “summer soundtrack” from both of us.
Pastor Rob’s Summer Soundtrack: Construction & Becoming
There’s certainly one soundtrack echoing around the church this summer: Construction.
As I am writing my part of the blog, I hear circular and jig saws, drills, banging, extension ladders, and routers. This is just the sounds of day 1. Soon it will be jackhammers and concrete saws and the beep-beep-beep of trucks backing up. None of which is the kind of sound we usually put on a summer playlist.
And honestly? It can be inconvenient. Construction is loud. It changes the way we move through familiar spaces. It asks us to be patient. It reminds us that renewal almost always comes with dust, disruption, and a little bit of holy inconvenience. But I also know it is the sound of becoming.
Every saw, drill, and clatter reminds us that this building is not frozen in time. It has served generations before us, and now we are preparing it to serve generations after us. We are listening to the sounds of a church being renewed, not just so we can preserve what has been, but so we can continue to illuminate our community with God’s grace in the years to come.
And maybe that is not so different from summer itself. Summer changes our rhythms, right? Schedules shift. People travel. Kids are home. Church feels a little different. Some weeks feel full and joyful, and some feel scattered and stretched thin. But even in the disruption, God is still at work. God is still building connection. God is still making room for rest, play, memory, and grace.
That’s why these three songs made the list for me:
Pastor Rob’s Picks
- “Sunsets in Colorado” by Dierks Bentley has to be on my summer soundtrack because every once in a while, even here in Illinois, we get one of those bluebird-sky, low-humidity days that makes me think, I’ll get back to the mountains soon. It reminds me of a favorite place, a favorite kind of rest, and the way summer can make us long for the places that help us breathe again.
- For my throwback summer song, I have to include “Forever Country” by Artists of Then, Now & Forever because it weaves together “Country Roads,” which will always make me think of ASP, with “I Will Always Love You” and “On the Road Again,” creating this beautiful blend of memory, gratitude, movement, and hope, which feels a lot like what we are living through in our own construction season at church.
- “Lemonade” from the Sing.Play.Summer! playlist feels like the right song to close with because it carries the same easy summer feeling as bluebird skies and mountain air, but brings it closer to home. It takes me right back to being a kid with a glass of lemonade, sun tea brewing outside, and nothing much to do except watch the puffy clouds drift by in the car on our way camping somewhere.
Heather’s Summer Soundtrack: Sing. Play. Summer!
That’s a great point Pastor Rob…and maybe that’s why the sounds of construction and the sounds of summer music don’t feel all that different to me.
Both are signs that something is happening.
Construction noise tells us that spaces are being reshaped, renewed, and prepared for the future. And summer songs do something similar for our spirits, they create connection, memories, and belonging during a season that can easily feel full and fragmented all at once. For some, summer means camps, vacations, cookouts, and family trips. For others, the work schedule stays exactly the same while the rhythms around them shift. Some of us are watching little ones chase through sprinklers, some are savoring quieter evenings on the patio, and some are simply trying to keep up with the pace of life while enjoying longer days and warmer weather. Wherever summer finds us, I find that music has a way of grounding us, slowing us down if just for a moment, or helping us let loose a bit and silly dance with the ones we love.
Because summer really can scatter us. There are airplane announcements and road trip playlists, late nights at baseball games, weekends at the lake, camps, vacations, and the beautiful chaos of trying to squeeze every bit out of the season. Even church rhythms change this time of year. We miss seeing familiar faces every Sunday because everyone is somewhere different.
That’s part of the heart behind Sing.Play.Summer! this year.
We wanted to create something that helps us stay connected…not through one more thing to schedule, but through simple moments of joy, play, music, wonder, and faith woven into everyday life.
Throughout the summer, every two-ish weeks, we are inviting everyone into a shared theme with activities, music, conversation starters, and simple ways to notice God in ordinary moments. Our hope is that even when we’re traveling and enjoying summer, we still feel connected to one another through shared songs, stories, practices, and laughter because faith formation doesn’t only happen in classrooms or sanctuaries. Sometimes it happens barefoot in the backyard squeezing lemons for fresh lemonade…or in the car with the windows down and everyone singing along terribly but enthusiastically. Sometimes it happens while dancing in the kitchen or spotting fireflies after dinner. And honestly? It all belongs and draws us closer to God and each other. Here’s what I’ll be singing for sure this summer:
Heather’s Picks
- “Thank God for the Summertime” by Ben Rector has to be part of my summer soundtrack because it captures the kind of summer joy I hope to make space for this season…the simple, ordinary kind. The song feels like long evenings outside, phones put away for a little while, and permission to slow down enough to actually enjoy the people around you. It reminds me that some of the holiest moments aren’t big or impressive at all. Honestly, that feels a lot like the spirit behind Sing.Play.Summer! to me.
- For my throwback summer song, I have to include “Heads Carolina, Tails California” by Jo Dee Messina because it feels like pure summer freedom to me. It’s the kind of song that belongs on a road trip playlist with the windows down and absolutely no rush to get anywhere. There’s something hopeful and adventurous about it that reminds me summer doesn’t always have to be productive to be meaningful. Sometimes it’s enough to simply enjoy the ride and the people beside you.
- The song I think I’ll keep coming back to this summer from Sing.Play.Summer! Is “Music” because it feels like an invitation into the kind of community and faith we’re hoping to nurture together. There’s something a little Appalachian about it…voices carried across distance that still somehow find each other. The line, “Come and go with me, we can walk together,” reminds me that faith was never meant to be a solo journey, even when summer scatters us into different towns, schedules, and places. We sing each other through it all, whether we’re in the same room or miles apart, trusting that we’re still traveling together toward something beautiful…singing along the way.
What Are You Hearing This Summer?
Whatever sounds fill your summer, we hope you’ll pause long enough to notice and enjoy it.
Because sometimes God speaks through grand choruses…and sometimes through construction noise, camp songs, or giggles echoing through the air…But either way, summer is singing.
So find your summer song, the one that unlocks a great memory or sets your feet to dancing. And join in the Sing.Play.Summer! Fun with us, there are a few easy ways to participate. A printed Sing.Play.Summer! booklet will be mailed directly to families with students 6th grade and under, PLUS extra copies will also be available for anyone at the Connection Point table on Sunday mornings. We’ll also be sharing prompts and invitations to participate throughout the summer on our church’s social media, so whether you’re home, on the road, or somewhere in between, you can still be part of the rhythm with us. AND if you share photos completing at least one challenge per theme, there’s a SWEET prize in store!
Have a great summer! We look forward to connecting along the way.
