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Hearing and seeing God in everyday lifeArchive for church
Easier to Plan than Thank
It is my pleasure to be teaching the preschool Sunday School class these days. I remember back from my substitute teaching days half the high school class that walked out on me after discussing that being in school after age 16 was a choice and not an obligation. Rookie move. I remember the fourth graders trying to trick me by speaking Spanish, which I knew too much of. One time I had kindergartners and all they wanted to do was wipe their noses then hold my hand (shudder). But over the summer I was asked to help in the VBS with preschoolers. At one point, I had 17 little ones all listening to a story quietly. While I strongly forgo saying I have a “gift,” I will say at least I had their attention!
This Sunday I am bringing in a pumpkin and we are dissecting it and then gluing together paper pumpkins with “filling” (yarn and pumpkin seeds) as a Thanksgiving lesson. I like the International Children’s Bible’s take on the end of Psalm 63, which will be the Scripture to guide our lesson:
You take care of the land and water it.
You make it very fertile.
The rivers of God are full of water.
Grain grows because you make it grow.
10 You cause rain to fall on the plowed fields.
You soak them with water.
You soften the ground with rain.
And then you bless it.
11 You give the year a good harvest.
You load the wagons with many crops.
12 The desert is covered with grass.
The hills are covered with happiness.
13 The pastures are full of sheep.
The valleys are covered with grain.
Everything shouts and sings for joy.
Yesterday I did not sing and shout for joy. Actually, I think I know why so many Psalms have the dichotomy of moods all wrapped up on one psalm. It is like movie Inside Out — where the more mature emotions are complex, filled with joy, sadness, anger, anxiety, whatever – all in one memory or moment. I thought to myself, No wonder people chose to be busy this time of year — it keeps the haunts at bay. Quiet moments often unsettle the dust and bring tears to the eyes. And so it was for me yesterday. I found it easier to plan for Thanksgiving than be thankful for it.
Then I sat at my desk with Bible, pencil and journal, a favorite place and time in my house, and the sun shone on me at that moment. Quint, right? But true. These past days have been a bit more winter than fall and full of clouds and wind — except that moment yesterday morning when the sun broke through and joined me, gently dispelling the shadows in my soul. Yep, I was heart and mind thankful then, and softened, and blessed (verse 10).
Lord, May you bless the land, provide rain and make things grow; May my heart be likewise fertile soil; and May I thank and serve You always as Lord of the Harvest.
Happy Thanksgiving, people, the National Day of Thanks to God!
Bad-Hair-Day Hair
Did you mix with a body of believers yesterday? Did you hear a good sermon, sing a great worship song? Did the lady behind you need a tissue or the man ahead of you need a nudge to stay awake? Did you get served communion by a 10-year-old wearing a phone on his jean pocket just like the older men in his life? Did you see that lanky teenager grow another inch in a week? Did you hear the good news of Jesus, the hard news of someone suffering, the delight of an engagement? Did you join in the community of faith, become part of something bigger than yourself? You know, did you go to church?
The Bible says we are all parts of one big body of believers, all of our parts needed — hands, feet, etc. I am pretty sure I am the bad-hair-day hair — needing attention and care and still not turning out just so — and then needing more attention and care all over again. Just like my own hair…
In the end, it is the hair God gave me and I have learned to make peace with its quirks — like you eventually do with all the other quirky body parts. I think it is the same for church. There are plenty of arm pit churches and fancy fingernail churches and hands and feet churches. Maybe you’ve experienced any and all of those with equal heartache and praise. There are people I know who refuse to step foot in a church — they likely saw sin there. Yep. And if it is worth its salt, hopefully the Truth of Jesus and forgiveness is there too.
This is a big topic, church. It can be complicated and difficult thing for many, hold bitter memories, not the right fit, too much this or that or not enough of the same. There are many reasons not to go to church. I really shouldn’t even write about something so touchy. Except that I went to church yesterday and left church with all that I mentioned up top as well as some nudging to deep heart issues as well. It was simple. It isn’t always, but sometimes a hairdo turns out all right…even in a body of believers.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Hard of Hearing
Church is sometimes hard. I still can’t sing praise in church, just can’t get through the lump in my throat. So last Sunday during the offering, usually a quieter moment with only the sound of tearing checks or chinking coins, behind us we hear, “Oh, d— it, I forgot all about that.” Now I am assuming a few things about this. One, I’m thinking the wife asked if he had brought the check, which he apparently had not. Two, I wonder if this guy was hard of hearing — you know, sometimes an elderly person with such talks louder than needed for the situation — and this was no whispered statement. And three, there was just no mistaking what he said . . . in church . . . heard three rows up. I just chuckled to myself. Bless him in his coarseness — it was a balm to me, odd as that may sound.
I was then and am still sad and have yet to let myself long enjoy happy or light moments. God knows how hard of hearing I am right now, can’t really hear or see at all in this wretched grief. Funny what God uses to get my attention, though, even if for a moment. Praise God. Do you know how hopeful those moments are, no matter how small or coarse they may be? Grief can be a very selfish work unfortunately, but this guy pulled me out of myself for a bit, reminding me of God’s sovereignty, reminding me God uses all sorts of cracked pots to His purpose — that guy and me and probably you too.
I’m sorry these posts are tainted with my sorrow — and maybe you don’t want the downer. But if God can touch me in this small way when I feel so far off, it just makes me mindful of what He can do for each of us no matter where we are. I would like to add that hearing and seeing God in everyday life may be easier if our hearing and vision isn’t clouded and we are searching and seeking Him. Truth is, however, that in those times of blindness or when no words can soothe, He will still make Himself known — bless Him and praise Him for being faithful when we are not.
Psalm 117 Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.
Handkerchief in the Pew
Do you just know when you have had a good worship experience at church? I’ve got to hand it to our praise and worship team; they try so hard! Still, when you’re wrangling kids in pews, getting annoyed by the teenagers playing around ahead of you, the person sniffling behind you . . . it is regularly hard for me to feel worshipful, if even I knew what that meant!
Yesterday, the person who I almost always share a pew with ended up somewhere else, and so did I. We’re usually in the front and yesterday I found myself in the second to last pew. I started on the end. Then some people squished in here and there, and next thing I knew, I was plumb in the middle and totally surrounded on all sides. It is never packed like this in the front of the church. I felt “people” claustrophobic. I’ve been in the bottom of a cave crawling through the “brain drain” with nothing but a head lamp and flashlight. No problem. Being surrounded by people is a different matter.
The fellas that came in beside me (pushing me to the middle) are a set that get up and down a lot and fidget, coat on then off, hankie needed, then put away, bulletin read, put away, then read again. These guys are mentally disabled, which doesn’t generally bother me since my brother is the same way, but this scenario brought out the worst of my own ADD. I was sure I wasn’t going to get anything out of church. In moments like that I have often asked, What I am doing here?!? Why bother even coming?!?
I’ll tell you. If you really want to know the answers to questions like that, don’t hesitate to ask of the One who answers them. Sure enough, the 3rd or 4th worship song was the newer version of Amazing Grace. I love that song, old and new, and apparently so did the fellow next to me who began wiping tears from his eyes. I assure you, distractions or not, let the special person next to you be touched by the Holy Spirit in worship and you’ll find the same Spirit spilling out your own eyes. That is just what I needed to settle down, listen, open, worship. I only wished I would have had my handkerchief in the pew to use.
I’ve said hundreds of times how thankful I am that God meets me where I am at, and when He does, my perspective on where I’m at just seems to change into something more . . . more . . . well, I’ll just let you answer that for yourself the next time you find yourself asking Him, “What am I doing here?!?” It sure seems like worship is hot on the heels of the answer . . . or maybe it is part of the answer . . . or maybe it is the answer. . .
Psalm 103:1-5 “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Twenty-nine Cents
I’ve written about pennies before, but somehow they just keep reminding me the significance of the small things in life.
Yesterday at church my middle child won the game in his Sunday School class and came to the sanctuary with 29 jingling pennies. We have a gum ball machine at home, but he wanted to put some into the offering first. He decided upon 4 pennies so he’d be left with an even quarter of a dollar.
He used them in his pocket as some sort of tambourine during praise and worship. He tried to stack them and switch them from hand-to-hand during prayer, trying not to be heard – which he was. I told to keep them quiet for the about 5th time.
During the devotion before communion, I noticed he indeed had been quiet. Intending to give the look of “Good Boy,” I instead saw that he was balancing all the pennies on his thighs, sorting them by year and wear. He whispered to me that he needed to find out which ones he should give away. You can surmise my anxiety over the linoleum floor or any sudden movement or gesture on his or my part. And the communion trays were headed our way. Can you believe that he actually partook in both emblems without losing even one penny to the floor?
Do you realize how much pleasure a kid gets over rattling coins into the collection plate?
I struggle sometimes with balancing proper behavior and childhood antics. I believe some of my gray hair proves it.
But the message I came away with from the thirty minute experience was that that is just like my son. I should have known he would do such a thing because he has done it before. He lined up all the .22 shells years ago because he was too young to shoot – there were dozens and dozens of them. We left him to just sort and organize his treasures the way he saw to do it. He does the same thing with his toys. It is his way and the way God made him.
I am thankful all 29 cents didn’t end up rolling all over the floor, but I am also pleased that he wanted to give away his money no matter how his method be.
I wonder, now as I write, which did he give away? That is between him and the Lord, I guess.
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God lives a cheerful giver.”
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