Moms, I Know Sundays Are Harder Now Than Ever

Photo by Quinn Vo

My wife shared her heart with me while we were on vacation a few weeks ago. And I wanted to share it with you. If this encourages you will you share it with someone who could use some encouragement? Thanks! - Nate

I raised my goldfish to the Lord. It wasn’t intentional. I lowered my hand immediately.  Though I thought about putting it back up again. 

You see that’s what my hands are like these days: they are full. And me? Well I’m usually distracted.

I used to think I was alone in my distractions. And then I looked around. Distraction fatigue is everywhere.

But for a moment I forgot the distractions. I forgot the fatigue. I forgot I was shushing a three-year-old. For a moment I wasn’t worried about the trash the five-year-old put on the church floor. Or the fact that the eight-year-old sat down one song earlier than I told him he could. 

I forgot about the toddler strapped to my chest, which hopefully makes the bag of goldfish make sense now. Because for one line of the song. For one short refrain. For five heavenly seconds. I felt the Lord move. I felt blessed. I was thankful to be in the church. So I raised both hands because, in a rare moment, they didn’t have kids in them. 

The toddler in my carrier noticed my inadvertent cheese-dust covered offering, and squealed. And the moment came to an end. You see this season of life doesn’t afford me long talks with Jesus. I don’t get to worship free of worrying over what my kids are doing.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but some people come into a church empty. While others come with their hands full. God says to the empty and the full, “Bring what you have and come.” 

If your heart feels empty because life has gone wonky…come. If you’re empty because relationships have fallen away...bring your emptiness. If you’re bursting at the seams with apprehensions, regret, or indifference … bring all of it and just come.

So, during this season I’m toting hands full of goldfish. Why? Because by the time I walk through the front doors I’m already tired. Just to get there I’ve spent the morning finding everyone’s masks and reminding them to pack a snack. 

By the time we pull into the parking lot I’ve been explaining to my three-year-old that kid church is not open. And, no, we can’t go to Chick-fil-A after service. “How often do I have to repeat this?” I think for the seventh time in a minute. Or maybe that was seven times seven. Either way, it’s a good reminder to forgive myself.

I don’t have to lean on the expectations of a “normal” or “calm” service. The pastor gets it too. These are his kids making a mess on the front row. Literally. 

More importantly God understands my season. God meets me where I am—goldfish and all. Amidst the minutes of mania. Blissfully stalled in the seconds of serenity. Or somewhere in between. He is still God. And He says, “Bring what you have and come.”

If you’re empty, show up and leave with something you need. If you’re full—leave a few things at the threshold. Heaven’s here for you. Our stuff isn’t about to surprise anyone on the other side of eternity. 

When God says, “Bring me wat’cha got.” Do it. Every time. Any time. Do it at the baseball park, and the grocery store. Do it when you’re second hand shopping and pushing a stroller. Do it any day you can. Especially days that end in y. And if you find yourself close to a church on a Sunday, please do it there. Hear it when heaven extends this simple invitation, “Bring what you have and come.”

So I do. I did. And I will again. And when the song hits a lull and you hear a baby crying just look over. You’ll probably see me raise my goldfish to the Lord.

October 9 - King & Country

John 19: 12-16

They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:15 ESV)

Who is your king? We all have one. For the Jews of Jesus' day they identified their king as Caesar simply out of spite. But who is our king? For many of us, our king is the person we see in the mirror every day.

And the question is a question of kingdom. What do you pronounce ownership over? Do you owe allegiance to yourself? There are a lot of good questions stirred up by the example of a bunch of super religious Pharisees rejecting God himself as their king to proclaim false homage to a pagan dictator and conqueror they showed no true love for.

The reality is that under Caesar the corruption of the Jewish Temple greatly benefited the religious bureaucracy. With Jesus as king they would lose their power base while seeing equality, fairness, and justice brought to the common people.

Just to be clear, Jesus is King. In fact, he is the King of all kings. It's not a matter of who actually is the king, rather it is a question of who we each proclaim as our king. Self-worship and humanism are the order of the day. Placing our pride upon the thrones of our own choosing are the trend. But acknowledging Jesus as your true King, and stepping into his Kingdom is the better future.

July 24 - If These Were Silent

Luke 19:29-40

He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:40 ESV)

What if you didn't worship God? According to Jesus, in the absence of worshippers, the rocks would take up the cry to declare the glorious mighty deeds of God. But maybe he said that because they already do.

Do I believe that God could cause the stones to literally develop singing voices and begin to join together in melodic praise? Yes. But I don't think Jesus was referring to that. In both the Psalms and in some of the Apostle Paul's writings we can read references to creation itself praising God. Why?

I believe that creation itself was an act of worship. God made everything, and in its existence alone it worships him. No, not with song, but by being what it was made for.

You see, worship isn't a melody, a tune, or a predetermined allotment of time in a church service. Worship is our response to God. It is our recognition of Him as creator. It is our existence striving to achieve its fullest potential. That's part of what makes forgiveness and repentance so special. They are both acts that undermine the sinful human condition and push us back into right standing with the Father, which of course is the only place where we may actually realize our fullest potential.

July 16 - A Beautiful Thing

Matthew 26:6-13

But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. (Matthew 26:10 ESV)

Shortly before his murder Jesus was traveling through Bethany, the home of his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, while on his way to Jerusalem. As he enjoyed their hospitality his friend Mary anointed him with a very costly perfume. It was a beautiful, and incredibly selfless, act of worship.

I remember hearing missionaries speak on occasion as I grew up. They would often tell amazing stories of sacrifice and service. The mission field seemed a place ripe with opportunities for selfless acts of worship. In my own life it always seemed to be an incredibly easy thing to love Jesus. It wasn't until early adulthood that I was faced with a situation where worshipping and serving Christ actually cost me something.

Many people the world over are faced with great difficulty in serving Jesus. Their culture, political environment, or familial situation may make it dangerous to openly worship Christ. Still, millions around the world offer their worship to him. Like Mary at Bethany, they understand he is worth all of their sacrifice.

Jesus is worthy of all that we can give him. Our worship, our adoration, our service—all of these things bring us near to him. Extravagant worship is a beautiful thing in the eyes of God.

April 7 - Be Reconciled

Read: Matthew 5:21-26

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23, 24 ESV)

Have you ever had a really bad argument with someone? What about one that ended so badly you felt really distant at the end of it? Some things happen between people that drive an unhealthy wedge-like space into the relationship.

During his Sermon on the Mount Jesus told his followers that in order to worship to their fullest potential they didn't to do so without any unreconciled relationships. Whoa! It makes sense if you think about it. Why? Because the thing that creates unreconciled hearts is sin.

Sin separated us from God. Jesus came to bring reconciliation to that relationship. But he also came so that we could be reconciled to one another. Further, he expects that of us if we are going to worship him. And while disagreement or discord may sometimes be incredibly difficult to avoid, we should always yearn for reconciliation. It might not come in the way that we would hope for, but God knows our hearts.

January 29 - Where is the King?

Read: Matthew 2:1-12

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: "And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel." (Matthew 2:3-6 ESV)

Herod was a puppet king put in place by the Romans to govern the Jews. His dynasty was known for incredible greed and cruelty fueled by a borderline insane paranoia. The foundation stones of the Herodian Temple were actually all found to be stamped with his giant royal seal. He covered everything in plated gold. He liked himself.

So when the wise men blew through town in their wealthy caravan from another land Herod took note of their message. A king had been born. Herod had competition, at least in his mind. Where is this king? He assembled all of the sophisticated know-it-alls and overly educated folks and inquired, Where is the Christ to be born?

Herod was living amongst God's people. He was in a place of power, leadership, and stewardship. Herod had no idea where the king was.

I wonder if we sometimes find ourselves in a similar place? Many of us live among God's people. We worship with God's people, work with God's people, and fellowship with God's people, but we still have trouble knowing where the King is. Maybe the rough stuff in life gets in the way. Maybe we are our own adversity. Still, the King, Jesus, is available to us. He offers life if we will take it. He offers sonship and adoption if we will take. He offers to be Lord, Steward, Captain, Provider, and Father. All we need to do is look for our King.

January 28 - Wise Men

Read: Matthew 2:1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." (Matthew 2:1, 2 ESV)

The story of the wise men is nearly always told in conjunction with the birth of Christ. Why? Because Jesus really is the King of Kings. He is Messiah to all peoples. he is such a king that even non Jewish wise men (magi the Greeks called them) travelled many months and miles to demonstrate their love for a God they probably only comprehended as an exalted earthly ruler.

We don't know how many there were, though tradition often alludes to there being three. We only know that they travelled very far, across rugged dangerous terrain, at great personal expense to shower a very young Jesus with luxurious gifts and praise. Imagine their surprise at discovering the prophesied king was the child of a lowly carpenter and his poor peasant wife.

Jesus really is the King of all. King of all people. King over all harm. King over any adversity. King of the universe, of all time, and your heart. He is the King? The only thing to be determined is whether or not you will recognize his kingship and join in with the wise men and many more across history to worship the King.

Review: Pictures of Silver Moves Me to Sing

In the interest of full disclosure; Picture of Silver’s Ryan Taylor gave me a copy of their debut album Moves Me to Sing several days ago for review purposes.  In the interest of complete and total honesty, I was planning to buy it anyway.

I’ve been following Pictures of Silver since they arrived on the local music scene a couple of years ago, and every time they take the stage they improve.  This is a talented collection of musicians, who enjoy making music, but not for the chief purpose of entertaining.  Simply put, these guys are anointed.

As a self-styled Indy Rock Worship ensemble, Pictures of Silver’s debut brings a lot to the table.  It is a guitar driven festival of voluminous melodies, building choruses, and thoughtfully worshipful lyrics—sure to fit into any worship playlist.  Nearly every song on the album is an upbeat display of riffing guitar work and happy harmonies, not a small feat considering it tops out at eleven tracks.

Krystal Manning delivers an anointed vocal performance on nine of the eleven tracks, whereas band mates Ryan Taylor and Lance Shingleur take the vocal forefront on tracks Speak and Never Thirst Again.  Never Thirst Again, The Stand, and We Were Made for You all feature beautiful melodies performed by pianist Shingleur.  Rain Down, We Were Made For You, and Holy really stood apart to me for their rich sound and endearingly reverent lyrics.

Pictures of Silver’s Moves Me to Sing is a great album that will undoubtedly move any worship enthusiast to open their heart, turn up their headphones, and join the band.

For more Pictures of Silver info check out these links: facebook, ReverbNation, Noise Trade, Amazon

You can also search Rhapsody and iTunes for Pictures of Silver.