I went to church by myself yesterday. I wanted to, you know, throw it into the weekend like a fine day at the ballpark. Sometimes, we take for granted those things that seem like a "normal activity" for us. As I entered, the 7 piece band was playing a great song and I shuffled myself past a few folks and sat in the corner. (Remember, most Sundays I am on the stage, so it's nice to go incognito). I sang with the praise team with an occasional clap and was seated. Ahh…now for the offering…WAIT…OH No I thought! They introduced a couple from the church, who both teach Sunday school to 3rd graders. They have a son who is fighting in Afghanistan. He is 19. My boys are 17 and 22. "Keep it together woman!" I was almost shouting to myself as they shared. The Dad shared what he knew about his son: location, attitude, and danger. His son once said "America is not at war Dad, they're at the mall". Once he began receiving care packages from Cherry Hills Community Church, his attitude began to change. He realized that there were people who cared, who were praying for his safety, who wanted to help. We were educated as a congregation. The shaving cream was not being used for a clean shave, it was actually saving lives. The soldiers chose to mark buildings and rooms with a smiley face or a frown face depending on if the area had been "swept" of IED's. The q-tips, although likely to ensure the cleanest ears of any battalion, were used to dip into glow-in-the-dark paint and provide the soldiers behind them a safe passage. The mom took the microphone and thanked the congregation for their gifts to the soldiers, while most of us started to cry in our seats thinking about her son in harm's way. As she concluded, photos of her sweet son in army gear ran on the big screens. The congregation was silent as she said, "May God bless the United States of America". THAT is when I knew, I was at church for a reason, not as part of my check-list, but because God wanted me to see that it's more than just a holiday…it is someone's child…and it could be YOURS.
Happy Memorial Day
Coffee Talk Mom
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