A view from the cheap seats…

i love sundays.   it hasn’t always been that way.

my whole adult life,  i’ve been part of church leadership machinery.   sundays have always been work days for me.   programs.   problem-solving.   facing people and people issues.

sundays were always the days where i had to face my shortcomings of the previous six days.   it was the day that i had to see the people that i served and lead.   did i get everything done i was supposed to?   have i let anybody down?   were there any unresolved issues?

problems were always magnified on sundays.   it was the day i had to face my fallibilities.   it was that place in my week where i would have to live openly exposed…most of the time with no protection…with nobody who really had my back.

often,  there were times i would make myself  scarce before and after the sunday big shows.   it was safer that way.

moving to texas and finding my niche at north point changed everything.

it’s still the day i see the people i serve and lead.   but that’s about the only similarity.   now i just see my friends.   new friends.   old friends.   soon-to-be friends.   i laugh alot.   i sing.   not very well.   i preach.   i shake hands and hug a lot of people.   i talk to people.   a whole bunch of talking.   i hear how the past week has been.   a whole bunch of listening.

most sundays,  it feels like the service is just the warm-up act for the real show:  lunch.

today,  there were over 50 of us that showed up at taco cabana after the 11:15 service.   sheesh.   that was a lot of people!   we just continued what we had been doing the previous couple of hours…minus the singing and preaching.   lots of laughing and sharing stories and letting relationships grow a little deeper.

for me,  that’s church on sundays.   no fear.   no hiding.   i’m still the same imperfect,  fallible leader i’ve always been.   but it’s all different here.

…and if you don’t have regular plans for lunch on sundays,  just stick around after the second service and wait for people to decide where they are going to eat.   and then join in!

have a great week.   serve with boldness.   be a friend to all.   you may be the only bible that some people read this week.