Fellowship in Need of Recipes

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Fellowship is an important part of growing in faith. At our church and important component of that is Coffee Hour as I’m sure it is at many churches. For the next month, I am in charge of serving snacks for it. This is where I need your help. I need some recipe ideas. They should be easy, finger foods, quick to make and something that most people will enjoy, and also, for my pocketbook, not too expensive. Usually there are three or four items out so I welcome as many ideas as possible.

Putting on a good Coffee Hour has encouraged people to stay around after church to discuss the service and their lives. It has helped to make our church a community rather than a chore stop. It has certainly helped me to get to know others in our congregation better. It is hard to support each other in Christian ministry when you are not even sure what their first name is. You would be amazed what you can learn about people in just an hour a week.

We’ve had conversations in the church that putting on too much may seem overwhelming to some people and therefore it is difficult to get people to sign up, but from my perspective having only coffee greatly reduces the number of people that come and the time that they spend. So for now, I will continue to put on welcoming spread. With your help, hopefully it will be the best yet.

What recipe ideas do you have? What other activities does your church have for fellowship?

Being A Living Witness

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”- Matthew 5:14,16

Have you noticed that Christmas is being de-Christianed. I realize that it is a little early to think about Christmas, but it is very pertinent to this scripture. First, Santa and presents replaced the real gift of Jesus Christ. Now, people are even afraid to say, “Merry Christmas”. We say, “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings”. We don’t want to offend anyone, but I think we are offending someone. We are denying our belief in Jesus Christ. We are denying our own personal beliefs. We are denying God. We should shout “Merry Christmas” from the mountain tops.

This scripture calls us to show the world the power of God though our life. If we are afraid to attribute our life to God’s glory then how are people going to see the connection. This doesn’t mean that you have to wear a t-shirt saying, “I work for God” and it doesn’t mean that you really have to shout your beliefs to others. It just means being proud, sharing your beliefs, voicing your calling. If you are growing in God, then He is a natural part of your life. So let people know. If you are going to Bible Study, mention it. You don’t know who may be inspired to join. If the sermon was particularly moving, talk about it. Perhaps others will be moved as well as you. If you are planning to pray for someone, tell them. They may appreciate it and maybe they do the same for someone else.

When people realize through your conversation that you are a Christian, they will look deeper into your life to see how else you proclaim your beliefs. Unfortunately, as humans, we have a terrible habit of stereotyping people and assuming when we know 1 person, we know an entire group. In this case, you can use this idea with positive results. You can demonstrate love, patience, kindness, self-control, faithfulness. In you, non-believers can begin to see the light and those that do believe can be inspired to grow.

So I encourage you to start looking for your Christmas cards now and let them proclaim you love and belief in God and the birth of His son, Jesus Christ.


All this day, O Lord,
Let me touch as many lives as possible for thee;
And every life I touch, do thou by thy spirit quicken,
Whether through the word I speak,
The prayer I breathe, or the life I live.
-Mary Summer

FYI – Do not fall into the group who faults those who use “Merry X-mas”. Some people claim that this is taking the Christ out of Christmas, but actually there is historical significance to the X. Unfortunately, there was a time when proclaiming your Christianity was dangerous and so many believer used the “X” as a secret symbol to let others know that they were believers too. Check out Wikipedia for more information and background on this idea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas

Worship Thee for Thine Own Sake

I came by a wonderful prayer today as I was reading “Women Pray: Voices through the Ages, from Many Faiths, Culture, and Traditions”





God! If I worship Thee in fear of Hell, burn me in Hell:
And if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise;
But if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, withhold not Thine everlasting beauty.
- Rabi’a the Mystic

It is very easy to bend religion to our own ends out of fear or promise, or even desire. But while we may bend religion, we cannot bend God. Early Christianity focused on Hellfire and Brimestone, God’s wrath and anger. Later some became focused on the hereafter. Earthly matters were only of concern as they related to getting to Heaven. The truth, I believe, lies somewhere in between. There are things to fear and truths to be upheld. There is a heaven to work toward. But today, we must focus on the here and now. We must appreciate God’s gifts and also be thankful for our trials.

Recently, an old friend and I were discussing difficulties in our own past. Both of us have come to the conclusion that without these difficulties we would not be who we are and that even for these horrors we must thank God. We must thank him not for putting us through the trials, but for seeing us through the trials. It is not for us to judge why, but to accept our lives both good and bad and grow from it.

Job 1:21 “. . . "Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart. [c]
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

Children at Church

Today was our last Sunday to switch churches. Fortunately, it was a bit cooler out. Unfortunately, the devil wasn’t whispering this week, he was sitting behind us playing with toys on the seat of the pew. Despite their mother’s continued requests to be quiet and behave, the children were unruly. When the mother threatened to leave the church, the child was thrilled, “Then let’s go.” Of course the mother did not follow through on the threat and I don’t think I or my family got the full substance of the sermon. I felt for this mother, but I also really wanted to hear the sermon.

Some hints for trying to keep control of your children during the church service:

o Bring food – small bits of cheerios or goldfish that they can eat slowly (Please just be careful to clean up after yourself)
o Bring books or coloring books – some churches like ours have a child’s bulletin that can keep the children busy during service
o Layout expectations - perhaps in the beginning a reward for good behavior may even be helpful
o Bring a stuffed animal or some other quiet toy for them to play with – hot wheels are not the best choice, especially if you sit in the balcony. I tell you this from first hand experience. Don’t ever let them put a toy or book on the balcony railing. Thank goodness our church is laid out so that the isle runs below the railing and not the seats.
o Involve the child in the service – have them stand and sit as required. Help them find the proper pages in the hymnal.
o Sit close enough that they can easily see the minister and know that he / she can see them too.
o Don’t be afraid to leave- Unfortunately, kids can have a bad day. If a warning does not keep them in control, don’t be afraid to remove them. If they calm down, perhaps you can sneak back into the service. If not, there is always next week.
o Keep trying - Reverence takes time to develop.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

Making Pies for Jesus

The Bible says that we should do things for the LORD with a grateful heart, but I was not of a grateful heart as I was making pies for my church’s baked bean dinner. Six dinners a year. Two pies per dinner. It certainly doesn’t seem like too much to ask for. But my heart was not in it this week. So the questions become, am I not giving fully to the LORD or are pies not the request of my God, but of my church? Unfortunately, this is a simple form of a much larger question that we all face every day.

As we work to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we can easily fall into thinking that we are doing good, but in fact just be doing. Imagine if instead of outright evil, evil was more insidious. Outright evil we would see coming and fortify our defenses. Insidious evil comes in the form of distractions. First of all, the noises that these distractions produce don’t allow us to hear God’s whispers to us. Secondly, these distractions, keep us from our true calling. We get busy making pies, planning bazaars, and attending events. Instead of following our calling and doing our part, we get caught up.

For me the question becomes, how can you tell the difference between what is right and what is just static?

A PATH for Prayer

Praying is not always an easy thing. We worry about what we should say. We worry that we are in proper stance. Are we being selfish in our requests? Bothering God with minor issues? What exactly do you say to the most powerful entity in existence? Do you recite a prayer written by someone else that has received acclaim? Do you just speak your mind? What if you start to babel? Should you just cut and run – a quick amen? If you don’t say amen, is the prayer over? If you get interrupted, by the phone or the kids are you in essence putting God on hold?

One of my favorite hints for praying, which I came across when I was teaching Sunday school, is the word PATH.

P – Praise
A - Apologize
T – Thank
H - Ask for Help

In the BibleQuest curriculum that we were using, this idea was presented in a game. I don’t remember the whole game, but I remember putting out pieces of paper on the floor. Each piece was marked with one of the PATH letters. When a contestant rolled the die and ended up on one of the letters they had to give a prayer line that would be applicable to the letter. I thought that this was a great idea to help children become comfortable praying and useful for adults too.

How do you decide what to say to God? Do you have a favorite prayer? Have you come across a prayer that has touched you? Share with us and let us know.

Sinner or Saint

Recently an old friend came by. It was so good to see him. Back in high school, we would talk for hours on the phone discussing all the problems of the world or at least the world as we knew it back then. Many years have passed and we both now have families of our own. As we sat at the table reminiscing, I caught myself staring at a tattoo on his arm. It was he that brought it up, “What do you think it says?”

“Saint”

“Now?” He turned his arm the other way.

I could not make it out at first. “What is the opposite of saint?” he hinted.

“Sinner?”

How easy it would be in life to change so simply. How simple if it was always a clear as choosing which to be. Most of us are probably not purely saint or purely sinner, but more in the middle. We affectionately call this condition “human”. Perhaps after confessing our sins and asking forgiveness, we tilt a little closer to saint, but most of the time we are probably closer to the sinner side. None of us want to admit that. We like to believe that we are living right and certainly most of us strive to live as Jesus, but few of us can actually accomplish it.

Irronically, his arm is more naturally in the sinner position, which perhaps he may think he is more likely to be (I know better though). But maybe it is a reminder to us all that we have to work at doing what it right. It is very easy to sin and fall away. 13". . . For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

Each day we need to think about what message we want our life to project. Do we want our sign to say “sinner” or “saint”? What would someone reading your life say that your life says? Is this in line with what you want it to say? How can you change your life so that these two things are in alignment? Remember there will come a day when the sheep are separated from goats. Which group do you want to be in?

Philippians 1:9-11, “I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand 10how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, 11Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.”

Son of God or God Himself?

“But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”- Matthew 16:15-16

I never thought of this as a question. It seemed very clear to me. Jesus IS the son of God. I never questioned this UNTIL I attended Bible study and then I had to learn that not all Christians believed that Jesus is the son of God, but that he was God incarnate. Homoi- vs. Homo-ousius. Is he the same as God or similar to God? This thought process ranked up there with the time my minister told me that the flood did not really cover the entire earth during my confirmation class. I was able to comes to terms with this fact, because I realized that a flood that covered all of the Middle East would surely seem like the planet was engulfed to people of that time. The relationship of Jesus to God, however, was a much larger question and part of the core of my faith. Maybe I am just very simple, but, as I was taught the Bible and read the Bible myself, I never questioned this basic precept. I believed God created Jesus his son and had him birthed on this earth through Mary.

In fact this question, I learned was one of the basic premises that set to be resolved during the reign of Constantine at the Council of Nicea (more information on the Council). Apparently there was great discussion about how there could be a trinity within a monotheistic religion. I had never considered that Jesus not being God himself called this into question, but apparently it caused quite an argument during the council’s meeting. Resulting in Arius, who believed as I do that Jesus was begotten by God and not God himself, leaving the council, being exiled from the church, and having his works describing his position “consigned to flames” (Socrates Church History Chapter IX) . It also led to the creation of the Nicene Creed, which outlined the relationship of Jesus and God for all Christians to come.

It t is this meeting, where men came together to discuss the forming doctrine of Christianity, that is the foundation of my questioning of religion on earth. What is directly from God and what is man’s corruption of that message for his own desires? If something like this can be decided by vote, what other points were bent to meet people’s needs and desires. On the other hand, I have a friend who would argue that if God is all powerful, don’t you think that he can ensure that the Bible and the church would be formed as He wanted it. I guess I believe that God blessed us with free will. As we are people of free will and therefore a society made up of such people, we have the ability to follow God or not. How am I to determine where the men of the Council of Nicea were on this spectrum? As it is said that the idea of homoousius was actually a belief held by the minority, but ended up being voted in by the majority, it seems to me perhaps the majority were persuaded by man and not inspired by God.

I wonder whether others of you consider these issues? Do you think Jesus and God are one or Father and Son? How did you come to this belief? Do you think considering such issues is helpful in developing your beliefs or harmful?

10 Hints for Overcoming Distractions at Church

I am convinced that the devil speaks at church too – not out of people’s mouths, but in little distractions. Ok, this weekend, one big distraction –HEAT. As our church visits another church for the month of July, we must endure services with no air conditioning. So as Mother Beth gave a wonderful sermon on the parable of the sower, I noticed a drip of sweat slowly trickling down my right leg. I made sure that the window was really open. I felt pity for women from the 1800’s that probably attended services in long gowns with petticoats and stockings. I longed to be back in my own church. . . . Oh, oh I’m supposed to be listening. I must have had to remind myself 100 times to focus.

Now I will admit that this is not the first time that I have been distracted in church and it doesn’t just happen in other churches. It happens in my own church too. It certainly helps to keep Satan at bay if the speaker has written a good sermon and can deliver it well, but truthfully the onus of paying attention is on me. Sometimes I am distracted by others; sometimes by something physical like a tickle in the throat, and sometimes by things left undone – notes to write, groceries to buy, bills to pay. This is definitely an area that I need to work on. And I have begun adapting some strategies to help me, as I think it is very important to my growth to learn and listen to what is being said.

1. Consciously focus – Make the sermon your focus and actively tell yourself to listen. Engage. This should not be a passive exercise.

2. Change your Body posture – Sit upright. Lean in a little. Keep your back straight. Make not just your ears listen, but your whole body.

3. Box away distracting thoughts – If a thought comes into mind, visualize packing it away in a box and refocus yourself. You may find yourself doing this one more than once.

4. Write it down – As an absolute last resort, jot a quick note to yourself. This will allow you to put away the idea, secure that you will not forget it. Caveat: Notice the word “quick”. Don’t write out your grocery list or pen the Declaration of Independence just write one or two words that will job your memory.

5. Change your seat – Clearly this should be done before the service begins. If you notice that part of the reason that you get distracted is because you can’t hear or some people in the pews near you are not making the sermon their priority, find a new area to sit.

6. Join a committee – If some of your distractions do come from being unable to hear or from uncomfortable seats, join a church committee to make a change. Can you put in a sound system? Get new cushions?

7. Talk about it – Talk about the sermon when you get home. If you know that you are going to face questions about what you’ve heard, you are more likely to pay attention to what you hear.

8. Take notes – Look at the sermon like a college lecture. People may wonder what you’re doing at first, but if it helps you to focus, then it is worth it. Be discreet, but jot down notes. This is another way to make your listening change from passive to active.

9. Practice – Active listening is a skill. It needs to be practiced. You will find that as you employ some of these ideas, you will become a better listener and be able to focus at church better.

10. Change churches – If despite using all of these ideas, you still cannot focus. Perhaps the problem is not with you but with the speaker. The Lord has blessed us all with talents that we should us to glorify Him and perhaps the person speaking is not using his or her real calling. Don’t think that you are at fault for not understanding or being able to focus on God’s word. I will garuntee you that if you try other churches, you will find a preacher that will appeal to you and keep your interest.


By following these 10 strategies, you should be able to focus on the message. As for me, I’m on step #9 practice. I’m definitely much more attentive than I was, but every once in a while the devil whispers in my ear.


Read Matthew 13: 3-8 & 18-23

Would You Pass the Test?

I happen to be reading Max Lucado’s Cure for the Common Life,




when I came by this scripture, “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.” (Matthew 15:25 NLT – pg 86). Lucado uses these words from Jesus to ask us if we are willing to follow God WHEREVER he leads. Would we, like Joseph, give up our social standing to wed Mary and claim Jesus as our own?

Wow, that is a powerful question. I would love to say “Yes” without a doubt and certainly I strive to reach that point. Truthfully though, I don’t know. Lucado brings up three examples of similar callings for us to ponder:

You are a photographer for an ad agency and are asked to work for an adult magazine. Do you agree to the shoot?
To me, this one doesn’t see too difficult - of course that is until they offer you some ridiculous amount of money to do it and you need to put oil in your tank to heat your house this winter.

You’re taking a college philosophy course and the teacher is railing against God and Christianity itself. Do you speak up?
It is easy to say you would, but this person holds your future in his / her hands. What if it was your boss? How about at a party where everyone is speaking again God? Would you be the lone voice. Now if you knew me, I can be a loud mouth and often have a hard time keeping my opinions to myself so it is likely that I would speak up, but trying to fit in is also one of my faults especially for the sake of my children or my husband. If we were at a business dinner with clients, I’m not sure that I would have the guts. I guess this is definitely an area I need to work on. Sadly, the one time I have actually experienced this and worked on speaking up is in Bible Study. Although I grew up in the church where I am taking this course and I respect all the members and especially my minister, I take issue with some of their beliefs. I think it is very easy to think that God is all Love and Kindness. While I believe that He contains those qualities and has unending love for His children, I also think that He calls us to do right and when we continually deny Him, He gets angry (Does the book of Exodus sound familiar?). I also greatly question the idea that all paths lead to God and Salvation. While I think that it makes us happy to believe that, please explain, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6 KJV). And so despite great fear of admonishment from my own priest, I continue to ask questions focusing on this idea. Now please don’t applaud me, because I am still unable to out rightly challenge the beliefs of the larger group, but I have at least questioned. Would you?

You completely change your life from being a Christmas Christian, or as I have also heard them referred a “C & E Christian” (translation- a person who only attends church on Christmas & Easter) to becoming a fully participatory person in your church and its missions. Your friends are scared of this change in you and pressure you to return to your old role. Do you?

We have made this change and frankly, we just make new friends. We still see most of the old friends, but it is awkward when they don’t share in the same deep faith and hesitate to discuss God’s work. People tend to hang around with others that share common goals and ideals. To us, our faith and our family are central. If you don’t share that then we probably don’t have a lot of time to hang out anyway.

As always, it is easy to speak (or in this case write) your beliefs.; It is much harder to live them. And even if you pass these tests today, what about tomorrow? Next Tuesday? What if what was asked of you put you at odds with your family? Your husband? Would you be able to pass or would you have to fall to our knees and ask forgiveness.

Later in the book, Lucado briefly discusses Psalm 51, King David’s apology after he had sinned with Bath-sheba. I picked up my Bible to read it. I am going to share it with you below. I figure we both may need it when we fail the test. I have given you the King James Version and also the Contemporary English Version both have been copied from http://www.biblegateway.com/.

Psalm 51 - KJV

1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.


Psalm 51 (Contemporary English Version)

A Prayer for Forgiveness

1You are kind, God!
Please have pity on me.
You are always merciful!
Please wipe away my sins.
2Wash me clean from all
of my sin and guilt.
3I know about my sins,
and I cannot forget
my terrible guilt.
4You are really the one
I have sinned against;
I have disobeyed you
and have done wrong.
So it is right and fair for you
to correct and punish me.
5I have sinned and done wrong
since the day I was born.
6But you want complete honesty,
so teach me true wisdom.
7Wash me with hyssop [a] until I am clean
and whiter than snow.
8Let me be happy and joyful!
You crushed my bones,
now let them celebrate.
9Turn your eyes from my sin
and cover my guilt.
10Create pure thoughts in me
and make me faithful again.
11Don't chase me away from you
or take your Holy Spirit
away from me.
12Make me as happy as you did
when you saved me;
make me want to obey!
13I will teach sinners your Law,
and they will return to you.
14Keep me from any deadly sin.
Only you can save me!
Then I will shout and sing
about your power to save.
15Help me to speak,
and I will praise you, Lord.
16Offerings and sacrifices
are not what you want.
17The way to please you
is to feel sorrow
deep in our hearts.
This is the kind of sacrifice
you won't refuse.
18Please be willing, Lord,
to help the city of Zion
and to rebuild its walls.
19Then you will be pleased
with the proper sacrifices,
and we will offer bulls
on your altar once again.

Extending my Faith Journey

In most cases learning comes before teaching but in my faith journey these two activities have intertwined and often overlapped. In fact, I think my teaching taught me that I had much more to learn.

I have tried extending my learning by:

Reading the Bible in its entirety - I actually started with the New Testament and then progressed to the Old. I am not done yet. This is still a work in progress. I made this a goal when I realized that I had been taught or had actually taught only a very small section of the Bible. I needed to read it to more thoroughly (and truthfully, probably more than once – maybe once a year.)

Joining a Bible study class – Actually, the class would more accurately be described as comparative religions so far. This class has helped me to understand the development of religion in the world and has helped me to focus my beliefs by being clear about what I don’t believe. This coming year we are going to look at the gospels though in parallel form.

Beginning my day with the Upper Room – I find starting my day with God’s word focuses my whole day in the right direction. I love the Upper Room’s combination of scripture, commentary, and prayer.

Discussing my beliefs more openly – I have become more vocal in my beliefs and in doing ellicted others to share theirs. As I find myself questioning so much, hearing from others helps me think more about what I believe because they agree with me, they bring up something I haven’t thought about, or their perception seems so out of focus that it helps me bring mine into clearer vision.

Opening myself to learn more – As I have continued my journey, more things that can help me on that journey have appeared: books, movies, and friendships.

I cannot even begin to guess where I am on my journey continuum or for that fact if I have even left the starting line. It seems that the more I learn, the more I think I need to learn.

How have you deepened your knowledge, faith, and / or beliefs? Have there been any particularly helpful books or other resources? Has a person inspired you? Where are you in your personal journey?

Husband and Wife in Faith?? Will he even come?

”Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

“. . . the father to the children shall make known thy truth.” Isaiah 38:19

“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.” Proverbs 1:8

I had not thought of raising children and church myself, let alone discuss it with my husband, of course that is, until it was an issue. I knew my husband was not a church goer when we met. I knew he was an altar boy as a child, but only by parental force. I never thought about how this would affect us as parents or as partners. But I will tell you, when your four year old asks you, “Why doesn’t Daddy go to church?” or claims exemption from having to go because “Daddy doesn’t go”, it quickly becomes an issue.

I started with asking, progressed with pleading, and finally just reached frustrated acceptance. Every week the kids and I would get up, get dressed, and head to church. I was convinced that others in the church thought that I was a single mom. I even began referring to myself as a church widow.

As the kids got older and became more involved, he was seen at occasional junior choir performances or perhaps the Christmas Pageant. Then as I got involved, sometimes he would help at a Pancake Breakfast or other event. The congregation loved his help but knew that as soon as he was done helping, he would be gone.

As the kids grew and learned, they became concerned that Daddy was missing out. They noticed that other families sat together. They recognized my church widowhood and felt orphaned themselves. No matter what we said, it did not seem to make an impression. In fact, it sometimes drew angry responses. I had to ask the kids to let it go, but I did remind them, especially my son, to remember this so that they would be different as parents themselves.
We did convince him to join us on a mission trip to Kentucky. We went for fellowship and missionary work. He went to work, work. He happily swung his hammer. He worked through our day off and used his spare time to do his regular work on his computer. He would even try to skip our evening prayers.

Then God sent an angel. Not a white robed or feathered cherub, but a man. A man that was not afraid to express his surety in God’s presence; A man that became a friend to my husband through scouts; A man who welcomed us into his family and openly shared God plan. The man, Bart, often would say his peace and then apologize for pushing his beliefs onto us. I think he was afraid of offending us, but something about the way he shared opened my husband’s ears. After 15 years of begging and pleading, my husband announced that he was going to come to church with us. I think I actually held my breath – afraid that if I jolted the moment, he would change his mind, but he didn’t. He came to church. He stayed after for coffee hour. He discussed the sermon. Next week was no different. He came again and again. People at church actually started commenting about his attendance. Kids that had gone to Kentucky with us actually commented about his attendance to the minister. They were inspired that such a man’s man could swing a hammer and be a part of the church. I no longer had to cajole him. He was now the first one ready and often pushing us out the door.

Our church has a strange tradition of “closing” for the summer. Technically we just exchange with another church. We go to another church in July and the other church joins us in August, but truthfully most people stop attending when school gets out and don’t come back until after Labor Day. When the first summer came after my husband started coming, I thought that my dream had ended, but the angel interceded again. The idea of “ending” church was foreign to his family and he refused to embrace it. So we all kept going and completed the summer swap.
And then I knew the seed had found fertile ground when he had to plan a “ticket” (a planned program based around a core idea that develops the self and advances Scouting in some way) for his Boy Scout WoodBadge. He called me from the weekend retreat with his plan. Tears streamed down my face as he explained his plan to increase his understanding of Protestantism and to bring his belief in God to Scouting. At that moment as I listened to my husband describe his ticket, God reminded me that things don’t happen in my time but in His and that truly miracles still happen.

Since then, my husband has attended a Bible study course, encouraged us to serve coffee hour for the congregation, and looks for ways for us to help at the church. He requested an audio version of the Bible that he could listen to on his commute to work. He even goes to church on weeks that I may be unable to and comes home early from camping to make sure that he and my son make it to services. I no longer have to fret about the message that my son is receiving from his father, because my son has seen the blessing of a father leading his family in faith.