I downloaded a new country album yesterday and listened to it on the way back from the grocery store. The titles of some of the songs intrigued me -Toothbrush, Camouflage and some others so I got the whole album. Towards the end of the album was Life's Railway to Heaven. The title was different than I remembered so I wasn't expecting that when it came on I would suddenly in the kitchen of my childhood home and Mom was singing "Life is like a mountain railway, with an engineer that's brave...." It was one of those memories from the past that blindsides you, you can feel the tears forming. Mom was blessed with an unshakable love for God, but not with a voice that would have been considered good enough for church choirs. Yet I remember she sang hymns while she did dishes or cleaned, mostly when she thought no one was around. I stop and think what an example it was that she focused on God even doing trivial tasks.
I feel like I tend to focus on God for the "big" things, my husband's eye surgery, the kids safety, the couple at church struggling with health, finances and an autistic child, all of the things that seem big enough to bother God with. Yet to truly walk with God I need to focus on him all the time treating Him like a friend sharing the good and not just the bad. To be walking so close that I praise Him even while doing dishes. Focused on God so that like the song says we "never faultier, never fail".
Friday, July 1, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Children In Church
Anyone with children has been there, sitting with a bored child in church. A recipe for a long service.
David always wanted to draw, you just had to watch that it was not in the hymnal or the pew Bible. Angie liked to kick those hard soled white toddler shoes against the wooden pew just to see how loud she could do it. If you held her the shoes were kicking against your shins and you would have bruises after church. They did their share of picking on each other during church and got the lectures on the way home about how they were expected to act in church.
I love listening to stories of my grandchildren in church. I smile knowing they are making my son pay for his raising.
Ellie age 2, Aunt Egg had given her the Sesame street book "The Monster at the End of this Book" They beg you through the book not to turn pages, the next page always had something that was there to stop you from turning the page a door that was boarded shut, that type of thing. About the middle of the book was a brick wall that when you turn the page the wall has collapsed. Ellie would get to that page and ask what happened? Nothing we told her satisfied her. Sitting in church the next Sunday Ellie was sitting with the other Grandparents and during a quiet time you heard this little voice from way in the back ask "what happened?" several times because she always asked more than once.
Jenna about age 2 or 3, I handed her a dollar to put in the offering plate, the day before we had been at a game arcade that gave you tickets to play the games with, Jenna looks at the dollar and says loudly "Gammy I need another ticket" Silly Gammy should have known that you need one for each hand.
Ellie about 5 or 6 just learning to read. The pulpit committee took the family out to eat after church to continue the interview process of hiring a minister and get to know the whole family. Ellie looks at menu, sounds out spaghetti and when asked what she wanted to drink, looks at the menu and declares I'll have a beer.
Jenna about age 5 - I handed her a dollar to put in the offering plate, she refused to put it in, her mom leans over and whispers that it is Jesus' dollar and she needs to put it in. Jenna says no it's not, Gammy gave it to me not Jesus. I have a picture of her after church still holding the dollar.
Dave walks into church one morning before service starts and the four girls are dancing in a row down the center aisle singing "Shake it, don't break it, took your Momma 9 month's to make it" Dave turns and walks back out pretending not to know them.
During revival one night Ellie has a ballgame, Mandy is assistant coach so Dave has the 3 youngest for church that night. He has to lead singing so he has them sitting on the front row where he can keep his eye on them. He made Jenna sit in the middle to separate the two littlest ones. After the first song it starts, nudging back and forth, subtle at first. Dave is trying to give them the father's evil eye in hopes of settling them down. The pianist can see Dave on stage and the girls in mirrored wall behind the piano. The evil eye is not working. There is an elbow jab delivered that almost brings tears to Savannah's eyes, then the hurt changes to anger and the jabbing starts again. The pianist gets tickled and starts missing notes in the song, soon the whole church has figured out what is going on and is giggling at the bobbing heads on the front row. Dave at the end of the song announces that there will be an auction after church - 3 girls cheap.
After church one Sunday Savannah asks Dave if God has hair. He says no. Charley listening to this heavy theology exchanges asks loudly "Jesus is bald??"
Love watching Children in church misbehave as long as they are not mine.
David always wanted to draw, you just had to watch that it was not in the hymnal or the pew Bible. Angie liked to kick those hard soled white toddler shoes against the wooden pew just to see how loud she could do it. If you held her the shoes were kicking against your shins and you would have bruises after church. They did their share of picking on each other during church and got the lectures on the way home about how they were expected to act in church.
I love listening to stories of my grandchildren in church. I smile knowing they are making my son pay for his raising.
Ellie age 2, Aunt Egg had given her the Sesame street book "The Monster at the End of this Book" They beg you through the book not to turn pages, the next page always had something that was there to stop you from turning the page a door that was boarded shut, that type of thing. About the middle of the book was a brick wall that when you turn the page the wall has collapsed. Ellie would get to that page and ask what happened? Nothing we told her satisfied her. Sitting in church the next Sunday Ellie was sitting with the other Grandparents and during a quiet time you heard this little voice from way in the back ask "what happened?" several times because she always asked more than once.
Jenna about age 2 or 3, I handed her a dollar to put in the offering plate, the day before we had been at a game arcade that gave you tickets to play the games with, Jenna looks at the dollar and says loudly "Gammy I need another ticket" Silly Gammy should have known that you need one for each hand.
Ellie about 5 or 6 just learning to read. The pulpit committee took the family out to eat after church to continue the interview process of hiring a minister and get to know the whole family. Ellie looks at menu, sounds out spaghetti and when asked what she wanted to drink, looks at the menu and declares I'll have a beer.
Jenna about age 5 - I handed her a dollar to put in the offering plate, she refused to put it in, her mom leans over and whispers that it is Jesus' dollar and she needs to put it in. Jenna says no it's not, Gammy gave it to me not Jesus. I have a picture of her after church still holding the dollar.
Dave walks into church one morning before service starts and the four girls are dancing in a row down the center aisle singing "Shake it, don't break it, took your Momma 9 month's to make it" Dave turns and walks back out pretending not to know them.
During revival one night Ellie has a ballgame, Mandy is assistant coach so Dave has the 3 youngest for church that night. He has to lead singing so he has them sitting on the front row where he can keep his eye on them. He made Jenna sit in the middle to separate the two littlest ones. After the first song it starts, nudging back and forth, subtle at first. Dave is trying to give them the father's evil eye in hopes of settling them down. The pianist can see Dave on stage and the girls in mirrored wall behind the piano. The evil eye is not working. There is an elbow jab delivered that almost brings tears to Savannah's eyes, then the hurt changes to anger and the jabbing starts again. The pianist gets tickled and starts missing notes in the song, soon the whole church has figured out what is going on and is giggling at the bobbing heads on the front row. Dave at the end of the song announces that there will be an auction after church - 3 girls cheap.
After church one Sunday Savannah asks Dave if God has hair. He says no. Charley listening to this heavy theology exchanges asks loudly "Jesus is bald??"
Love watching Children in church misbehave as long as they are not mine.
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