Start Throwing Stones

This weekend is a fifth Sunday which means absolutely nothing to you unless you go to a church that cancels services on fifth Sundays. And in that case it's something you look forward to. Don't get me wrong, I love church, I LOVE IT, but to have a weekend with absolutely nothing to do is...glorious. And so few and far between.

For those who don't know, Craig was called to a ministry at a nursing home in Gainesville and he preaches there every 1st and 3rd sunday and does a Bible study every 2nd and 4th saturday. At first I had mixed emotions about this. As excited as I was about God using Craig I was also a little sad that we'd be missing home church two times a month. Especially now that Coop is old enough to actually participate a little in Sunday school and I just felt like he was going to be missing out on a vital part of childhood.

So I was kind of hoping that we'd go a few times and hate it and then I'd just go to our church on the Sundays that Craig had to preach. The first time we walked in and I thought to myself, ugh, nursing home, Lord, how long will it take me to accept this part of our life you have for us and how will I ever love these people the way you want me to? As the elderly patients began to gather I looked around and honestly it took about thirty seconds to fall in love. Craig and I both have our favorites and even Cooper has special ones that he bonds with. So as much as I didn't want to love this I do. I truely do.

I count it an honor to get to worship with these people. People who have seen wars and civil movements and depressions and probably make up the generation that has seen the absolute most change in their lifetime. I love to sit back and watch while we sing and even though we have songbooks and some of them hold them they're not at all looking at the words, they know them by heart. Sometimes they close their eyes and move their lips silently along with the words and I think "oh to be as close to God as these people are!"

I said that to say this, I do love the nursing home ministry *BUT* I thought we were off this weekend. I thought we had one of those oh so rare weekends that consisted of having no plans and doing nothing and YES I KNOW, that's horrible and lazy and all kinds of things but still sometimes it's nice. So when Craig informed me that he had checked and we were supposed to go Sunday even though it was a fifth Sunday and we thought we didn't have to and for a few minutes, I'll admit it, I whined, I fussed, I pouted. I wanted my weekend to be mine, I wanted to be the ruler of it and for a bit I absolutely resented having to go to the nursing home at all. (I KNOW, JUST TYPING THIS, I WANT TO PUNCH MY OWN SELF IN THE FACE).

Now I realize having one and two obligations a week is nothing. Shelli and Les just finished seven weeks of revivals which probably had day services too so you're talking about forty nine (49!) services. And I know that Sheryl and Nathan have had to go with the choir to so many different churches this year (although Nathan only gets half credit for this since he sometimes only stays for the singing), STILL THOUGH, there are people everywhere giving a lot more time to God than me and then I complain about this one thing. I'm especially humbled after reading a quote just yesterday that said "Time is God's gift to us so that we can give it back to Him."

I am a horrible person but the difference is I'll admit I'm horrible. I'll admit that sometimes on Sunday mornings I just DON'T want to get out of bed. Sometimes on Saturday I DON'T want to go to Bible study. Sometimes on Wednesdays it takes all of my stregth just to make it to church. I know this is on me. These are things that I need to work on and that I need to overcome. But everyone has their own weaknesses and the major difference is that I share mine with the world. I'm one of those loud hypocrites.

So let the throwing of stones commence. But when you're finished if you're church has been cancelled on Sunday come join us at the nursing home.