The Gift of Sunday....

I am so grateful God gives us a special gift every single week! It is Sunday. A day when we can put aside our normal hustle and bustle and the daily routine of life. A day when we can worship and praise and pray and contemplate more than any other day of the week. It is a sacred day as all our days are. Weekdays are to be spent with the added wisdom and knowledge that our Sundays have given us. All my life, I have loved Sundays......

When I was a little girl we lived close to a Baptist church. It was just up the hill from the house our granny and granddad shared with us. I loved going to church and back in those days, we went as a family, Mother, Daddy, my sister and I. I accepted Christ as my personal savior at Trinity Baptist Church and was baptized there. The lessons I learned early in life about Jesus and following him stayed with me even after our family fell apart and we moved off into one inner city house after another as we grew up. We moved every single year from 1957 until I left home in 1963 but with each move, I found a church within walking distance, and continued to go to church close to where we lived and I took my brother and sisters with me.  Most of them were Baptist churches so it's no wonder I grew up to be a Baptist. Once I asked my Granny how she came to be Baptists and she said she and Granddad were Methodists! She told me all her children turned out to be Baptists because that's the church that was close to them growing up. She has been gone a long time but it might have pleased her to know that I am a Methodist now, too, as are several of my children and their children!

For over 30 years church was a huge part of my life and it involved working extremely hard!

I was in the bus ministry of the 1970's and would be at church early on Sunday mornings to ride the route and teach songs, games and lessons on board the bus as we picked up kids and drove them to church. Then I taught Sunday School and often times was involved in Children's Church before starting the drive back in the afternoon taking all the kids home. We would host picnics on a Sunday afternoon for the bus kids on occasion, Then after Sunday dinner and a brief rest, we would go back to church for Sunday night services. Monday night - once a month - was a ladies ministry meeting. Wednesday nights were prayer meeting and Thursday night we had visitation. Saturday mornings we visited all the bus children who would ride on Sunday. Tuesdays and Fridays were the only days we didn't have something going on at church. That is, of course, unless you count revival and other special services! In looking back, this was not the healthiest life spiritually or physically for our family and our children as they were often neglected while we 'served.' I'm ever so grateful they are all still deeply committed Christians as adults.

Life in general and church life in particular has changed over the years, I seriously doubt I would be physically able to keep up with the church schedule of my 30's and 40's and even into my 50's!

Sundays, however, are still as precious to me as they have ever been!

We normally attend church every week and on those occasions when we can't, we still pause and worship in a meaningful way and find a church service to watch on either the TV or the Internet. 

We particularly love The Winning Walk with Ed Young, Sr. We were blessed in attending his church down in Katy, Texas when we lived in our camper for 7 months after the quadruplets were born.

Then there  is his son, Ed Young, Jr!!!

I was a member of Fellowship Church for several years! This is a dynamic church with several campuses across the country and one in London, England!

I actually watched this church grow from the beginning in 1989 as its very first location was right here in the Arts District of my neighborhood. It was many years later that I joined and by that time the main campus was and still is in Grapevine, Texas!

You can join their service live on the Internet on Sunday mornings.

The reason Sunday and Church was on my mind this evening is something our pastor said today.

The Sunday after Easter is called  'Low Sunday' since it is usually the lowest attended church service in the church year. Easter is the highest attended with Christmas coming in as second highest.

Why, after the excitement of Easter and all that it means with the risen Savior, would we fall complacently back the very next week and miss coming to church? It is an age old problem as the disciples were very guilty of the same thing.

This has caused me to look closely at my life and make sure I am giving God the very best I have to offer in time and energy as opposed to what I have left over after I have done everything I want to do.

He gave his very best FOR ME. Can I give him less than MY best?

All service for God is not done necessarily in the confines of church activities. We can and do serve others every single day - no matter who we are and what we do. I serve God when I take care of my little quad grandchildren on Wednesdays. Prayer ministering can be done at all hours of the day and night. I am confident that we all serve God more than we think we do.

Sundays here at home with Louis Dean have a traditional feel about them.

First we start the day - as we do every day! - with COFFEE - followed by getting ready for church while listening to the music of Tennessee Ernie Ford! What better way to worship as we prepare for church?

I love that we still get to worship as a family together! Our daughter and her husband are members along with us and we all joined the very same Sunday! This morning as we were at the alter together, observing The Lord's Supper as we do the first Sunday of every month, joy welled up in my soul that I was elbow to elbow in worship with my daughter and that I get to be a part of the spiritual growth of her family's life as I continue to grow in grace in my walk with the Lord.

One of our favorite things to do after church is to walk back to the nursery to see the grands!!

They are ALWAYS so excited to see us!!!

Another thing we love to do on Sundays is go out to eat!

We also LOVE those Dickey's Big Yellow Cups!!!

Louis Dean was actually happier than he appears in this photo!

I promised the family I would quit taking so many pictures of them eating!!!

Sweet Kailey all ready to leave with her Mommy's purse!!

I couldn't resist snapping one more shot of Trystan!!

She is so close to being a perfect child it's scary!!!

We parted ways but Granddad told me on the way home that we NEED to get a car seat back in our car! We were THIS CLOSE to asking if we could take Kailey home with us! That's something we did last spring - take one child home on Sunday for a little one on one time - a different child every week!

I think it's time to start that little tradition up again!!

Sunday afternoon naps are a real treat and I enjoyed an extra long one today!

Louis Dean began taking the old gazebo deck apart yesterday and he continued with that work this afternoon!

The tree people will be here this week one way or another! We called one company but they haven't been out yet so we plan on calling another one in the morning. To quote the quads - "Let's DO this thing!!!" Then we can buy the gazebo and start the new deck!!!

I worked some in the front flower bed by the door. Every evening I work an hour or two and should have this one bed done by tomorrow night! Then we will plant a couple of bushes and spread the mulch - and then go on to the NEXT flower bed!!

But for now we have put our feet up and poured our wine!

The chicken and dumplings for our Sunday Night Supper is simmering on the stove!

I have loved this day and we are ready to embrace the new week!!!