A couple of weeks ago my partner who works with Prison Fellowship received a call from the Sargent in charge of the jail where we minister. He told us we would no longer be able to come in on Wednesday evenings, and the only other time he might be able to fit us in was on Sunday afternoons.
What?!
Sunday afternoons? Are you kidding me?! We go to church and Sunday school on Sundays and Rod has that day off. My partner cannot come in on Sundays as she is a real estate agent and shows houses during that time. Who would I go in with ? This is bad! Sundays are bad!
So I have put off calling the Sargent back.
In the meantime, I've just been enjoying the slow moving summer days. Shopping for furniture for the deck. Nothing expensive. Just Craigslist stuff. But I love
good deals. :-)Sitting on the front porch in the morning with Rod and the dogs and Starbucks.
Attempting to run the loop, rather than walk it. Coming home to sit down on the new chairs with Rod, the dogs and Starbucks again. Figuring out if I can be a "runner." Liking this process.
Freshening the landscaping and fighting for dominion over the blackberries and maple seedlings. (we always lose that fight.)
BBQing with family in the warm evenings. Weddings. Painting the house. Laughing with friends on the phone while I'm sitting on the deck in the sun. Reading books. Making strawberry jam.
Just letting one day slide lazily into the next. It's been all about ME ME ME ME.
Even though summer is great for kicking back and relaxing, I know when I've let it go too far and frankly, I'm pretty tired of me right now.
I read this today:
"...If our lives are peaches and cream most of the time, if we’re poster children for the American Dream, then we’re not a threat. The demonic doesn’t take us seriously, because if it did we’d be feeling and seeing the attacks..."
"...Here’s the worst thing that anyone can say about you or me as Christians: 'You’re no threat to the Devil.'"
Sadly, I believe that large swaths of the American Church are just that. The Enemy distracts us with consumerism, entertainment, fads (even church-related ones), and an all-consuming loathing for anything that even remotely borders on boring. We know the entire storyline behind Lost, can name every contestant on the last American Idol, can’t wait to plop down a small fortune on the next iteration of Xbox or Playstation, spend more on movie theater tickets or DVDs than we drop in the offering plate, and generally run willy-nilly after umpteen thousand things that neutralize our threat on the grand cosmic battlefield. Without even breaking a sulfurous sweat, the dark principalities and powers have rendered millions of American Christians fat, lazy, double-minded, and utterly worthless for battle..."
Excerpts from: When The Devils Know Your Name at Cerulean Sanctum
I'll call the Sargent on Monday morning. Sundays would be a great day to go share Christ in jail.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
7 comments:
ANY day would be a great day to go share Christ in jail! I'm glad you're not defeated by this seeming glitch, and I'll pray the Lord works out the details so perfectly you'll wonder why you didn't think of going on Sundays sooner. I'm also glad Junuary is over and you're enjoying the easiness of summer.
Hope your Fourth is great and filled with fun and relaxation!
For many years, my preacher-hubby 'had' to minister at the jail on Sunday afternoons. He always had to talk himself into going but it was always a powerful time.
That is a great reminder. I was reading Safely Home today (yes, for the third time), and came to the part where Quan says that without persecution, we have no passion. I think that is so true.
I'm glad to hear that attacks can be a sign that you are doing something right, as we have experienced many of those lately.
WHAT? It's NOT all about YOU? Wait....I must go ponder this.
So I guess that means that you & Rod will be joining us for Saturday evening service...? Yippee! See, you thought it was all about YOU...actually, it is about ME! Seriously though,
I am always thrilled to see God working in your life..changing your vision for his.
Wow. Every time I visit here, I'm awed. BTW, did you notice we both quoted "Sumertime" in post titles this week?
I hope that everything works out for you on Sunday afternoons. I know how much that means to you being able to spend time with the women in the prison and share the Word with them.
Our God is an awesome God, I'll keep praying for your work that you are doing.
Be blessed,
Amy
Wow. Powerful message in those quotes. I may have to get that book.
I saw something the other day on a blog that:
The average tithe of Protestant church go-ers' income in 1933 (during the Great Depression) was 3.3%. In 2006, it was 2.6%.
That was sobering. They didn't list their source and I want to track it down.
I've appreciated your encouraging remarks on my blog!
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