Church as a Party of Two

The last two Sundays, Eli and I have gone to church alone. Normally when George is gone, we stay home. That was for a couple reasons - difficulty with transportation and Eli's needs. With the car, it's much easier to get around so that was no longer an obstacle. Usually, George and I split watching Eli so we each can enjoy at least part of the service in peace. George takes the first half and I take the second. Without George, it would be just me the whole time so I wondered if it was worth it to go. The answer is yes. 100%. I found out that people just love us to be there and don't mind if we are running in and out with Eli. I was told this morning that they are so happy I am coming even without George. They knew it is hard and appreciated the effort.

Eli did pretty well. He was able to stay in the service during the first half. During the second (the sermon), we sat outside the door so he could run around a little while I could still hear. Both weeks, we had to leave a little early. It is not uncommon for church to be three hours. Eli usually sleeps at 11:30. Church starts at 10:00 and since he no longer sleeps in his stroller there, he starts to hit the wall around 12:30. In order to spare everyone from a major meltdown and big distraction, we tried to quietly duck out.

Last week, Pastor Zac talked about prayer. He sighted many Scripture verses showing how sweet our prayers are to the Lord. It was a good message for me. Sometimes I don't want to "bother" God with what I deem to be stupid prayers. Why would the Lord want to hear my pleas for restoration of electricity? Now, anytime I feel hesitant to pray, I go right to the Lord. He doesn't want us to hold anything back. Obvsiously He knows our thoughts, but desires the relationship with us that prayer brings.

This morning, the time of singing was awesome. The place was rockin! Totally joy filled. I love the word "joy." It expresses overflowing and abundant happiness. That is what I felt today.

I love our little church.