Monday's Musings

If I'm out of the house, out with friends on a Saturday night, I'm free to have fun. But if I'm in the house, all I can think about is the Sunday service. The only problem was, we had 3 extra girls spending the night.
Fine, put them in the basement with some pizza, and let them have fun.
But things never go that simply.
One girl has some separation anxiety, so this was going to be her first sleep over!
But by 9pm things weren't looking good. We had to take her home
Meanwhile Justin and Karis would not go to bed with all this commotion.
Eden started to stress because her sleepover plans were falling apart, out of her control.
Have I mentioned how much control Eden likes to have? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
By 10pm another girl was ready to go home. There are reasons for this that would be very difficult to get into.
Eden had one friend left, but nothing went the way she hoped.
Things were looking bad on all fronts.

And I was bottling up all this energy, emotion, stress, etc.

We got through the night and got on to the service in the morning. Which was awesome, which I'll write more about later.
By last night I was exhausted, which is rare. All I wanted to do was watch the Steelers whomp New England (which they did) and go to bed. But we had our small group coming over.

And just when you think you have nothing left, you end up having an amazing time together.
It was one of our most beautiful times together- sharing, praying, and eating WAAAAY too much (the amount of snacks brought last night was insane!).

So what are my musing today after all this...

• Home can be a safe and relaxing place, but not always. Saturday nights are very difficult for me to be a dad/husband. But if we are having a sleep over, I need to man-up and do it!
• My tone sets the tone for the kids. I must let go of all anger, rage, bitterness and malice, just like I preached on two weeks ago. I can't hide it, bottle it up, or put it off- I need to get rid of it.
• I love my kids and their friends, and it is one of our most vital ministries to actually love our kids and their friends. Christians are always wondering how to love their neighbors. If your neighbors kids are sleeping in your house- LOVE THEM!
• Great community is energizing! I say it all the time, but our group is amazing!
• Quote of the night: "I'm getting more comfortable just talking like a Christian around people." In context it was very powerful for me. Just letting the love of Christ flow freely through our conversations with all people all the time. Not making a show of our faith, nor hiding our faith in a "tolerant" society. Just being who we are- people who are loved by God and love God back in return.

And I suppose that's all for now- lunch with a great friend and new father awaits!

PS, check out the article about Leah in Christian Life in London.
Leah, I'm proud to say, is one of those awesome people in our small group who I love!
http://www.clilondon.com/