summer days

Yesterday, we got to hang out at the park...with our church.

(yeah, we were at the park, on a Sunday morning, with our church!)
We took a blanket, and our cheese and meat sandwiches, and everything Ivan could possibly need
(except for his pacifier, of course)
And we sat in the front row with our good friend Steph
(who also brought a blanket)
And we all sang together, under those big tall trees and great blue sky
(except for Ivan, who kept busy spitting up and staring at people over Brett's shoulder)
And then after that we all sat down to study God's Word
(except for me and Ivan -- we stood in the back because he didn't have his pacifier)

Together we studied about God's grace
(it's an amazing topic, isn't it?)
And I was reminded that "Ivan" means "God is gracious"
(or "gift of God", which is also good)

And I was thankful to be part of the church.
(what a great gift it is to be part of a Christian community, don't you think? )

no more "just"

So, we're not in San Antonio anymore.  We're in Marion Indiana, population 30,400.  We've been here for two months, and we have just six short months left. Thinking about those 6 short months, we knew we didn't want to spend a whole lot of time visiting different churches in the area.  

So we narrowed it down to two churches, and then we decided on the closest congregation, because we want to do more than just attend on Sundays.  And then on our second Sunday we told the pastor (several times, in our one conversation) that although we were here for just six months, we really wanted to get involved right away.  Really, really wanted to get involved, even if it was just for six months, and was there a small group we could get plugged into (because you know, we're just here for six months)?

And he said two things.

First, he said to stop saying just.  "You're not here 'just for six months,' you're here as long as God wants you, like the rest of us!"

Second, he asked us if we wanted to start a small group.

It took me aback!  But. We thought about it, and we prayed about it, and we talked quite a lot about it. We're no longer saying just, and  we've  been having people over, sharing with our new friends our desire to speak truth into one another's lives. And last week, Brett was asked to share our plans with the whole church, and next week, we'll have our first meeting.

And I'm nervous, and excited, and remembering that I want every moment of these six months to count...oh, and of course wondering what, exactly, I'm going to feed all these people....