Sunday mornings... In our home Sunday mornings are all over the place. Because it is a weekend, you naturally sleep in and are off the normal schedule. When we wake up a little later, we move a little slower, and getting ready and out the door is such a struggle. We always end up scrambling out the door with at least one person straggling behind. We wait in the car, we wait and sometimes honk, we wait and get irritated as the clock keeps ticking. That straggler is usually looking for their coat, or cant find the shoes or forgot to brush their teeth, or had to put the dog in, or needed to make a yoli, or forgot to put on earrings. The straggler is all of us each Sunday. There is always one person that delays our departure. Once that last person is in the car, we tend to lecture them, get grouchy, holler, blame, point fingers and the morning car is filled with unhappy travelers. We are all instantly in a mood. We arrive to church grumpy, we walk in rushed and late, everyone has to use the bathroom. We hurry, we are too late to get a coffee, we walk to find a seat, they are already on the last song. It is hard to find a seat because we are late. We have to shuffle through the row to find an empty seat stepping over and around people. It is not ideal. Jake is always too tired from getting home late on a Saturday night that we have to keep elbowing throughout the service because he is falling asleep. We struggle on Sunday morning sand I think that is just what satan wants. He wants it to be hard, he wants the struggle and he is laughing when we do. I recall one Sunday, we really struggled. I knew we had to leave the house at 9:30 to arrive on time to serve coffee. We needed to be there at 10:15, or so that was what was in my head. I had served the week before in childcare and had to be there at 10:15. It was a struggle getting out the door as it always is. I thought we were right on track, I set my alarm, got the boys up by 8:30 and was ready before anyone else. I was in the car at 9:30, As we pulled into the church parking lot, I knew we were late by the steady flow of traffic leaving. I remembered the last time we served coffee we were pouring cups of coffee for people that were leaving the early service and then again for those arriving for the late service. That is when it dawned on me we were supposed to be there at 10 and now we were very late 10:20. I power walked in the door and started serving coffee. The boys in my family wandered in and went to the bathroom before sauntering over to help. We have served two other times and are still figuring out where things are and what to do for clean up. We were running out of coffee and people were waiting in line. The church service had baptisms and several college students were baptized. My hope and prayer is that the boys see the value and meaning of baptisms and I pray the holy spirit will work on their hearts in hopes that they will take the step. I have talked about it for the past 5/6 years with the kids each time we witness baptism Sunday. I often ask, "Why wouldn't you get baptized." I know it has to be their choice, they have to want it and take the step all on their own in God's perfect timing. So today, I said nothing. The message was on Psalm 23 and we learned yet another lead pastor will be leaving in 2023 to plant a church.
Some Sundays are awesome, the church message is great, there's so much to soak in and take away. I walk away refreshed and ready to take on the week. I run into people I know that smile and wave. I see a good friend and we hug and talk. This day was a good day. We still struggled to get out the door, but we were all up and planned leaving way ahead of schedule. In doing so, we left right on time. Today we served coffee. We were in a good mood in the car, we got there on time, and we served coffee with smiles. We met a new guy who was serving coffee too. He was from Montana, talked really fast and gave us a little bit about himself as he wanted to know all about us. Friendly guy and somebody I think Mark could really get to know. He does farm real estate, farms, raises cattle, his kids show cattle, he went to college in Iowa to be a fireman, is an auctioneer and teaches auctioneer school. It is so neat to see the people God brings into our lives. Mark found another guy he knew and spent most of his coffee time chatting. I love this. I don't even care if he serves coffee, its the fact that being there at the coffee counter, he meets and greets and gets to know new people. On a typical Sunday, he arrives and goes straight in to sit down and after the service heads to the car. Serving coffee is the perfect way for him to meet people. He is very helpful too and does most of the clean up of the big pots afterwards. These are the Sundays that I hope we have more of. It is a battle and we will continue to fight it and prioritize our Sunday's for church through the struggles. If you don't make the effort and fight for it, it would be easy to stay at home, sleep in and forget church, that would please satan. We will not let him win.
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