You probably just read that title and thought, "Oh, did #sabbacticchronicles2016 already begin?" Or maybe you don't keep up with our life that much. Or maybe you actually went to church today and realized that not one single member of the preacher's family was there. Because that's what happened, folks. NOT A STINKING ONE OF US WENT TO CHURCH. Not even the preacher! (Gasp!)
So why is this? What could possibly be the excuse for the preacher's entire family to give up the most important day of the week? Here are some possible answers:
1. We forgot to set our clocks for Daylight Savings time.
2. We were enjoying the 3-day weekend that we got because school was out Friday because of flooding.
3. The sun finally came out, so we decided to play outside.
4. We DID set our clocks for Daylight Savings time, but we were too tired to come to church after losing that hour of sleep.
5. We wanted to see how the other half lives by having Sunday as a real day of rest.
All of those could be excuses, but the real reason was that 3 out of 4 of us were sick with the stomach bug - including the preacher. He was bad enough that he left all his duties for today to the rest of his staff. If he lets that happen, you know he is sick! Our sweet Evan is the worst off with the stomach bug plus bacterial pink eye (again) plus strep. You wouldn't know it though. He is still smiling and happy as usual. Zach is fine so far, but we left him home so he would not spread any of the nastiness.
We are grateful for all the prayers from those who knew we were struggling. Continue to pray for Evan and me, as he will be quarantined until the eye goo goes away. Pray I will get some sleep. Stewart would add he is thankful for our church staff who step up when needed. Super-secretary Melinda even got us some much needed groceries yesterday so I could continue to make toast for all the sick stomachs in the house!
I want you to know that it is no minor thing for us to miss church. WE HATE MISSING CHURCH! Especially Stewart. He can hardly wait until he knows the service is over so he can text someone to see how it went. We love our church family! We love going to church on Sunday to worship with our family, to hear from the Lord, to be enriched and encouraged for the week ahead. When we miss out on that, we feel like there is a hole in our lives. Nothing else will fill it but being with the saints. We need each other, y'all. We need the body of Christ! As Hebrews 10:25 famously says, "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (NLT) I don't know if you've noticed, but the day of Jesus' return is drawing near (And I say, "Come quickly!). We have to build one another up to face uncertain days ahead. You won't do that as effectively if you don't meet with those who are also awaiting His return. So unless you're providentially hindered as we were today, stay connected to the body! And hopefully, this family will see you next Sunday!
So why is this? What could possibly be the excuse for the preacher's entire family to give up the most important day of the week? Here are some possible answers:
1. We forgot to set our clocks for Daylight Savings time.
2. We were enjoying the 3-day weekend that we got because school was out Friday because of flooding.
3. The sun finally came out, so we decided to play outside.
4. We DID set our clocks for Daylight Savings time, but we were too tired to come to church after losing that hour of sleep.
5. We wanted to see how the other half lives by having Sunday as a real day of rest.
All of those could be excuses, but the real reason was that 3 out of 4 of us were sick with the stomach bug - including the preacher. He was bad enough that he left all his duties for today to the rest of his staff. If he lets that happen, you know he is sick! Our sweet Evan is the worst off with the stomach bug plus bacterial pink eye (again) plus strep. You wouldn't know it though. He is still smiling and happy as usual. Zach is fine so far, but we left him home so he would not spread any of the nastiness.
We are grateful for all the prayers from those who knew we were struggling. Continue to pray for Evan and me, as he will be quarantined until the eye goo goes away. Pray I will get some sleep. Stewart would add he is thankful for our church staff who step up when needed. Super-secretary Melinda even got us some much needed groceries yesterday so I could continue to make toast for all the sick stomachs in the house!
I want you to know that it is no minor thing for us to miss church. WE HATE MISSING CHURCH! Especially Stewart. He can hardly wait until he knows the service is over so he can text someone to see how it went. We love our church family! We love going to church on Sunday to worship with our family, to hear from the Lord, to be enriched and encouraged for the week ahead. When we miss out on that, we feel like there is a hole in our lives. Nothing else will fill it but being with the saints. We need each other, y'all. We need the body of Christ! As Hebrews 10:25 famously says, "And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (NLT) I don't know if you've noticed, but the day of Jesus' return is drawing near (And I say, "Come quickly!). We have to build one another up to face uncertain days ahead. You won't do that as effectively if you don't meet with those who are also awaiting His return. So unless you're providentially hindered as we were today, stay connected to the body! And hopefully, this family will see you next Sunday!
 |
| Another Sunday at the doctor's office... |
Comments
Post a Comment