church thoughts

1. Why did the husband and wife who are both employed as social workers have to sit in THE only seats behind us?

2. It's logical to me that if a three-week old baby cries for 10 minutes despite his mother trying to shove a pacifier into his mouth, he maybe just doesn't want a plug. Are there any other strategies to try perhaps?

3. Is is possible that our children think that the hour we sit on chair-pew things every Sunday morning is NOT to sing and listen to Pastor John talk about Proverbs but is some form of under-cover torture? The more disturbing question is this: how did we get to this point?

4. Memo to the two approximately college-aged swells and the one girlfriend of one of them:we are all mortals, even if we all didn't spend two hours straightening shoulder-length locks or two hours shopping in Hollister for the perfect plaid shorts and coordinating boxers.

5. Could it be possible that in five years I will remember that I go to church to sing and listen to the pastor talk about some part of the Bible and perhaps even have a longer-than-30 second conversation with another human before or after church?

6. Is it possible that of all of our children, ages 6 years, four years, two-and-a-half years and six months, the most ornery, most disrespectful and most noisy could be the six year old, followed by or tied even with her four-year old brother?

7. I did remember that the verses the pastor talked about this morning came from Proverbs 3:5-6 and that there was one small moment, in between fights in our pew and noisy outbursts about desperate hunger and thirst pangs, when I heard a really great thought: the whole point of these oft overused and misused verses is that God is doing the directing and not us.

8. Perhaps in a short time I won't notice things like the girl in front of me with a side-nest in her hair (I hope she takes it out occasionally because it might attract small animals) or the woman stretching herself and combing her hands through her hair in the middle of church because I will be listening and learning something from the words of the songs or the words of the pastor.

9. It might be logical to assume that God is letting me see that if my kids have done every naughty thing in church, I will gather lots of patience and understanding for others struggling with teaching their kids that worship is a privilege.

10. I will go back next Sunday and the Sunday after that even though the easiest path would involve leaving three of four children in the nursery because hopefully someday (soon) I will gain a snippet of insight or creativity here or there in our effort of teaching P, S, A and E that corporate worship is a holy and amazing privilege that most of the world does not know.