The Events of Sunday, March 6, 2011

                For a day at home, today involved a lot of travel! It is our last full day here in Elk Grove before departing on the European phase of our trip. So naturally, we wanted to sleep in and enjoy our own bed one last time. That worked for all but me. Somehow, I am still stuck in Central Time Zone, waking up naturally at around 4:30 am. That provides me with valuable time alone, and I am grateful for the chances I’ve had this week to enjoy some extra alone time. I read, meditated, and prayed. I spent some time doing stretches and exercises. And I did some computer tasks: budgeting, emails, sending wire transfers to reserve lodging, updating our music library, etc.

                Ben and Caitlin joined me for breakfast around 7:30. Then my friend Roger came over to spend some time talking together. We had met nearly every Sunday for the last few years, so it was good to re-establish contact. Meanwhile, Lindsey and Abby quietly served themselves breakfast in the kitchen. At 9:00, all four kids headed out to the garage. That was a subtle hint: “Daddy, please drive us to church!” So I finished up with Roger and drove the kids to church, where they all volunteered in the children’s ministry. Missing their “kid contact” has been one of the most difficult changes for this year. Ben and Lindsey helped in the nursery, where they learned that our church has experienced a baby boom: lots of new kiddos! Abby and Caitlin helped in preschool, which was a bit awkward because folks made such a big deal about them being there.

                After dropping the kids off, I did a quick shopping circuit to Winco and Costco. In addition to picking up photos of Dry Tortugas National Park, taken with a waterproof camera, I also brought home some supplies and a little bit of food. There have been changes at both stores, but with short Sunday-morning lines, the trip went faster than expected. I drove home, unloaded the car, and drove my cheerful, well-rested wife to church.

                Lindsey joined us for “big church” to enjoy communion and the sermon with Pam and me. It’s funny what you notice when you return home after a long absence. This morning, it struck me: our church’s worship team vocalists sing in harmony. It’s such a pleasant, rich sound!

                Introducing the sermon was a funny and thoughtful video clip called “Invite”. It shows a man approaching a neighbor to invite him to church, and follows this man’s creative imagination about how this conversation could go poorly. With this, the church is kicking off a series on loving your neighbor and … inviting them to church! Pastor Dave was away at a conference, so we heard from Pastor Jay. A gifted storyteller, he told us about being invited to speak for a weekend in a bar/nightclub and the valuable lessons he learned there about authenticity. After this captivating introduction, he taught from Luke 15 about how God values people, seeks the lost, and celebrates their recovery. Good stuff!

                The kids also returned with a good report. The middle school and high school groups met together to start off this series on loving our neighbors. The youth group leader Terrence used an unforgettable object lesson. He presented to the group a bunch of feeder fish (small fish used to feed larger fish). He took a couple of the feeders out of their bucket water and put them on a platform. As they began flopping around, various students exclaimed that the fish needed to be in water, that they were dying, and that he should put them back. Some bold students even ran up to the platform to restore these fish to their right home in the water. Then came the stinger: “If you guys are so concerned about feeder fish (that are going to be eaten in a couple days anyway), shouldn’t you also be concerned about your friends who have no relationship with God? If you are willing to take a stand for flopping fish, shouldn’t you also take a stand for lost people?” What a great lesson!

                After church, each of us did something different. Abby’s friends had organized a potluck party for her, so she went with them directly from church. Caitlin went out to lunch at Nugget with her Bible study leader from last year, Liz Stefanik. Lindsey had a lunch date at Togo’s with two school friends, Zahra and Elizabeth. Ben spent quite a bit of his afternoon completing his “summer work” for AP US History. Pam and I tried to rest, but it was tough to keep ourselves from doing things to get ready to for tomorrow’s departure for Europe. As “international travelers”, we each are allowed one carry-on bag and one checked bag for free (though at the time we thought we’d have to pay $25). However, we need to make sure we can fit whatever luggage we take into our leased minivan. So we planned to check two large pieces and carry on six smaller ones. We weighed the two large pieces, and they were both too heavy. (Checked luggage over 50 pounds adds a $50 surcharge.) So I played around with our luggage contents, shifting the heavy (but allowable) items into our carry-on bags and the light ones into the checked luggage. It just would not work out. So, at Pam’s suggestion, we pulled out a small, collapsible nylon suitcase, and filled that with heavy items. That brought our other luggage back within the weight limits. Whew!

                With Uncle Scott’s help, Pam and I escaped for a date night dinner at Mimi’s Café. Both of us were nervous and not very hungry, so we tried to order light. But the plates that came to us could have fed our whole family. We shared the excellent blue cheese and walnut salad, a cup of French onion soup, and a plate of Beef Bourguignon. We feasted on great food and had enough leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. On the way home, Pam had to stop and get a frozen yogurt at Big Spoon.

                At home, the kids and their Uncle Scott enjoyed dinner and a movie. The show tonight was “RV” on DVD, featuring Robin Williams. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and did a bang-up job cleaning the kitchen, too! So when Pam and I returned home, all was well, and the kids were putting themselves to bed. That gave Pam and me another couple hours of uninterrupted preparation time. It felt good to complete all our tasks and head to bed.