What a week! We cooked for all the contractors who worked to make our Big Back Yard such a place of beauty. Just a small way of saying thank-you and letting them know—all good work is like worship and to be honored. It was a great moment, even if I did get lectured on the glories of a Traeger pellet grill by a guy who had grease and barbecue sauce on his lips and beard!
We interviewed children who just completed the Communicants Class and will make a profession of faith this Sunday, and it was, as always, beautiful and wild. I had a ten-year-old boy tell me he wanted to be a General Manager for an NFL team when he grew up. I told him I had heard of kids who wanted to play or coach in the NFL, but never a GM. I asked him how he came to that conviction. Without hesitation, he said, “Playing Fantasy Football.” He said, “Yeah, I started doing trades and figuring out how to build a team.” I asked him if he was any good. Again, without hesitation, he said, “I have won the league the last three years.” His dad told me his buddies call him for advice. I told him I would be calling him when we draft next season.
Addy and I went to the last Memphis Basketball game of the year, Thursday night, sitting with good friends as we have done for years, and though Memphis lost, it was a night of glory. Anna Kate Henson danced and cheered her last game, and we basked in her glory. Then Addison had a night of glory. She was “Fan of the Game" and was on the Jumbotron with Sydney for all to see—beaming as she was presented with what she always dreamed of, a Memphis jersey with all the players' signatures on it. She then got another t-shirt and another feature on the Jumbotron, cheering wildly—what a night.
My life is a constant mystery to me and often not what I expect. We all find ourselves there this week as we ponder God’s workings with his people. A life with God will never be what you expected; it certainly wasn’t for Israel, it wasn’t what the disciples expected, or for St. Paul, for that matter, and thus we must pay attention, because God might not give you what you expected, but he will give you more.
We’ll talk about it this Sunday as we worship and gaze upon His fair beauty and see many of our children profess faith in Him. That is way, way better than we could dare dream.
