This verse is in my head...constantly. I know it is all part of the plan....I can't rush the plan or change the plan. I am so ready to look back and see how the plan all falls into place.
When we decided to move, I knew that leaving our church would be the most difficult part of the entire transition. You see, it's not just the church that we are leaving behind. It is a huge group of friends. Friends who we would see on Sunday mornings, Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights. Our friends who double as the parents of our children's friends. Bible studies, small groups, Angel Tree, Deacon groups, youth group. You name the activity, we were constantly surrounded by a wonderful church community. Top that off with a dynamic pastor and associate pastors. Multiple services. TONS of kids and constantly growing and improving children's ministries.
You get the point. We have left behind a church that we loved.
As we have started to look for a new church here, what I am finding is that our church was actually even better than we ever realized. It was a large church that was learning to grow and change with the number of members and those needs were wonderfully met. We were part of many of those changes.
We have extremely high standards for finding a new church. Maybe we are not being realistic....but, church should be our top priority so it seems that we really can't be too picky.
It has become almost comical to me - the point of seeking out a new church is to find a place to worship, a place raise our children as practicing Christians, to find a community where we can serve God. It seems that since we are doing this "for God," God would send a bright shining beam down to us, give us a nice big sign, saying go to "this church." "This church" is the one for you. Pull our car in a certain direction on Sundays. Put someone, or something, in our paths to draw us to one church over another. This is what led us to our previous church - friends.
So far, no obvious signs from God (I am willing to admit that the signs are probably there, I'm just missing them).
If anything, I would say that God is getting a good chuckle out of us on Sunday mornings.
The kids are hesitant and don't want to try out new Sunday school classes. No friends = no good.
We have been paged out of one service to get Owen because he was crying.
Last Sunday, at church #2, the boys went up to children's time. Owen stood up the entire time. Payton tried to get Owen to sit down the entire time. You get the point.
"You have such a beautiful family" = Your boys are loud and running wild, I couldn't help but notice them.
"I remember those days." Really, do you? Pray for us, thanks!
"Three boys, you've got your hands full!" Yes, we do but we made it to church...on time.
This morning, we dropped baby Sawyer off in the nursery of the church that we are visiting for the second time - he immediately started crying. I took the pager and ran.
We got "settled" in our seats and the kids would not sit still. This church has an area for kids as you entire - pencils, paper, clip boards, etc. I have managed to raise them to "sit" through church without to many distractions and now they have been given and entire distraction station....it did it's job, they were completely distracted, unable to focus and unable to listen. The pencil dropped multiple times. The papers fell to the floor. The clipboard snapped and popped. The music was not familiar. The pastor who we were there to hear preach was away for the weekend at a conference. The boys continued to squirm. Within the first 10 minutes, I actually said to Chad, "I can't do this, I'm leaving, it's not worth it!" Obviously, we didn't leave, we stayed until the end and the boys finally calmed down and sat still so that we could actually listen. After the first few minutes of stress, the pulled it together and they actually did great. When we went to get Sawyer, they said he had been fussy for the entire time.
Once in the car, I asked Payton if he liked that church. He said he did and gave it 3,000 thumbs up. I asked what he liked most about the service. "I really liked that we were sitting on the basketball court and it has two goals." (*We went to the contemporary service today, it is held in the Family Life Center, which does have a full size basketball court and goals on both ends). Great, we spent an hour there and he likes the goals.
We decided to go eat after church - in the middle of lunch (warm food on the plate), Sawyer started crying - he pooped - through this outfit (as he does multiple times each day). Blowout!! I verified that there was a changing table in the restroom. I reached into the diaper bag for a diaper and the wipes. Where are the wipes? Ahhh....perfect, the wipes must have been left in the church nursery. Nice little chuckle, huh? Poor Sawyer had to have his blowout cleaned up with cheap toilet paper. He continued to cry and cry and cry and cry.
Chad took the boys to the car, I paid the bill. Another man commented on how bad the boys were at lunch - he was sitting behind us, with his three children, who had also been bad he said. We did both get a chuckle when he explained his wife was pregnant with their fourth!?!?! He said some would call it blessed, some would call it crazy.
As I got into the car after lunch, Chad and I exchanged frustrated glances. I think I asked when I would learn that lunch after church is always a bad idea. Overall, I felt the past few hours had been a great big FAIL.
The pastor started his sermon by asking if we had ever questioned our faith....of course, we all have. Looking for a new church has me questioning why the answers just can't be a little more precise (with directions, worship times, nursery location included)....but, if I stop to think...maybe I'm just missing the signs (common problem, right?).
Maybe the fact that we got the last open parking spot, on the side close to the nursery, was God's plan.
Maybe the fact that the kids did calm down enough for me to listen to the service was a sign that we were in the right spot. It was a good sermon.
Maybe the fact that Sawyer was fussy in the nursery, but they didn't page us out of the service, is showing me that they have a very caring children's ministry program.
Maybe the fact that Payton commented on the basketball court, instead of the song he recognized, means that he would eventually be able to play in a church basketball league at this church.
Maybe the fact that we ran into someone Chad knew from EB means we would have a friend there.
The wipes missing, during a blowout, that was just for a good chuckle...or maybe, to teach me to slow down and chill out, we survived any way.
We have now tried two churches in the area. They both have some great qualities. If we didn't have such high standards, great would probably be more than enough. God just hasn't given me enough signs to give me butterflies yet. No warm and fuzzies at either church, yet. Warm, without fuzzy maybe.
Or maybe, just maybe, I'm missing the signs. We will continue the search. We will find the right church. It will become a new church home and we will find a way to fit into a new church family.
Once we do, I think I may write a book. "How to Find a New Church while moving with three kids and maintain your religion and marriage in the process." Sounds like a bestseller. I'm sure people in the midst of this have plenty of time to read.....
Dear God,
We really want to find the correct church family. Please point us in the right direction. We'll be back at church #2 for our 3rd visit next week. After that, we will move on the church #3. Go ahead, print it on a billboard or something.....thanks in advance!
Yours truly,
Slightly Stressed out Mom of 3
***Funny story about signs on a billboard...when trying to decide on Sawyer's name (choosing between Sawyer and another undisclosed family name), Boone Hall Farms was advertising their Labor Day concert, featuring Sawyer Brown....a huge billboard, right in front of me, screaming "SAWYER!" See God, that one was easy.....we now have a little Sawyer. Signs are helpful.
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