Slow & Simple Sundays-Family

Family

In hindsight, I'm not sure slow and simple is the most appropriate title for our Sundays.   Sundays are often very busy for us.  We drive 40 minutes to church and if my hubby is drumming we need to be there an hour before morning service for music practice.  Musicians for the first service also play for the second which means sometimes we don't get out of the church until one o'clock or later.  If he is also drumming or running sound for the third evening service it means we don't usually get home until ten or eleven o'clock. I do the majority of our weekly food shopping at Amazing Grains, our lovely local food co-op, and also run any other errands in-between services.

Not really relaxing or simple.

Sundays, despite their busyness though, are one of my favorite days of the week because I get to see my family. 

This week our Pastor reminded me of this and highlighted the importance of family in his sermon today (part of a serious called Act Normal based on what was normal for the church in Acts.)  Some of you know that my biological family all live in different states.  I get to see them about once or twice a year.  Not nearly enough! I know, however, that if I have a need, they will be there for me no matter.  This was the mark of the church in acts, "...there was not a needy person among them." Generosity eliminated any hunger for food, clothing, housing or love.  So, today, even though my Sundays may not be slow or simple I want to mediate on one simple thought.  

1. Am I a woman of generosity? 

2. Do I know a needy person? 

3. Will I love them in deed and truth and not with empty words?  

Today we celebrated the church's two year birthday.  Our Pastor elegantly pointed out that our church would not exist without generosity.  There were incredible gifts (tens of thousands of dollars) given at every stage of church growth from our first Sunday preview in the rented building, to miraculously buying that same building.  My prayer for our church is that we would never forget those roots, that the city would continually remark at our generosity whether it be chipping in for pizza for our birthday celebration or sending missionaries off to build water purifiers in Darfur.(This was SO exciting and I promise to write more later.) If you are interested in listening to the sermon my hubby has just started recording them and putting them up on the website!

What do you think?  Have you received a gift in a time of need that you didn't expect?  Have you given a gift and received an unexpected response?  

Proverbs 3:27 reminds us,


 "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it."

Have a beautiful week!

In peace,

Linnea