GrandBoy Loves Church

Today is Wednesday and GrandBoy comes on Wednesday for church and to spend the night.  He came first thing this morning and Daughter #1 (his Aunt Yah Yah) kept him this morning.  After lunch Pappy watched him until I got home so Daughter #1 could go to bed.  She works tonight.

The rain finally stopped here today.  What a blessing.  We needed the rain, but we've gotten a lot over the last few days. 

Today was day 2 of Warrior Prayers 21 Days of Prayer for sons.  It is getting easier, and the ladies in my group are really nice.  I'm enjoying this time of prayer and friendship.  Today we prayed for obedience.

Daughter #2 presented two of her projects at school today and did very well.  Tonight she is studying for a presentation tomorrow.

Daughter #3 is moving this weekend.  She will be closer to us.  This will be nice.  She also got a new job that she starts tomorrow as a housekeeper.  She is excited.

Well, I have to go and search for tires for Pappy's tractor.  They cost $600 a piece!  We are trying to see if we can find them cheaper.

I will see you tomorrow!  Honey

Open Heart Open Home - Chapters 9 and 10

I was unable to post yesterday because I had to be with one of my daughters away from home during an emergency.  So I am going to link to this post at The Common Room today.  Chapter 9 is about making your church family feel like "family".  We have always been close to others in the congregations we attended.  At the church we attend now, we usually have several children who come to church without adult family.They often sit with us in our pew.  When I was a child, I went to church on a bus, and sat with other people's families.  So I guess it is important to me that children in a similar situation feel invited, included, wanted, and important.  One little girl always sits with us, because she loves my Daughter #1.  The other children come and go, week to week.  One of the girls sits between my husband and I quite a bit! 

When there are covered dish meals, we always try to take plenty to share, and invite others to stay and eat with us.  We also bring dishes to share with older members during the holidays.

When my girls were small, I had a card ministry of sorts.  I sent greeting cards to everyone who needed one.  Birthdays, anniversaries, visitors, get well, etc.  People commented that they always knew they would get a card from us.  This was something that I could do at home with three babies. That and pray.  When the girls were a little older, I would let them decorate the cards, and I would do the writing inside.  This was pretty popular with everyone.  We kept a white board in our kitchen.  If the girls heard of someone who needed prayer, they would tell me and we would write them on our white board prayer list.  The girls were very good about remember people who needed prayers.

Once a year or so, we would have a prayer night at our home for teens, or a picnic in the fall on our farm.  I tried to do "social" type events at our home, because Pappy isn't a believer, and I didn't want him to be uncomfortable.  He has met a lot of our church members this way over the years.

We have taken meals to sick and shut- ins, driven people to doctor appointments, visited the elderly, changed surgical dressings, taken people to the grocery store, sung at funerals, and I'm sure there are other ways we have let the members of our church congregation know we view them as family. 

Now my girls are grown, and my Grandboy goes with us to serve others. 

The question I always wonder about is, do the church members view us as "family"?

Open Heart Open Home - Chapters 7 and 8

I'm sorry I am so late getting caught up on my reading.  Just been a busy week in my family, I guess.  In Karen Mains book Open Heart Open Home, Chapter 7 is entitled Tell Tale Marks.  I believe this chapter is mainly about being hospitable to those in our family, our children's friends, etc.  Although I believe we should treat our family as well as we do guests, I don't really consider this hospitality.  I also agree with her that sometimes we overlook opportunities to be hospitable to those we see often.  Such as neighborhood children.  When my girls were little, say 5 and 6, we carried an older neighborhood girl to church with us for a long time.  She was probably about 10.  I remember one Sunday she wouldn't behave in church.  I turned to her and whispered harshly, "do you want to go outside?"  Mind you, this in not my child, but someone else's.  I don't know what I thought I was going to do to her in the parking lot, but she was horrified.  She said "NO, NO!".  I was so embarrassed that I forgot who she was, and who I was more importantly.  But she settled down and everything was fine.  I guess I didn't treat her much like a guest.  But what she really wanted was to be treated like a member of our family.  So maybe it all worked out OK. 

Chapter 8 is entitled Welcome.  In this chapter it is discussed that life doesn't wait to start until you get married.  This is a good lesson.   We have opportunities to show hospitality at all stages in life.  I know where I used to go to church for many years, an elderly couple would have a fish fry each fall for the "widow women".  I thought it kind of odd at first, since they were still married.  But now I see what an honor and treat this was for all involved.  We should all look for opportunities that may easily be overlooked by the majorities.

Now I am caught up and ready to move on this week to chapters 9 and 10.  See you soon.

Honey