A Different Seat

I sat in church this morning and felt a little disoriented for a while.  You see, a friend that I worked with some 20+ years ago showed up by herself, so I sat with her in the center section, three rows back.  As you know, I always sit in the first row with Dave, but it's not my first choice of where I would want to sit if my husband wasn't the pastor.  When we first came to New Life, Dave would play the piano with the worship team besides speaking on Sunday mornings, so that meant he was on stage the whole morning.  This was great for me in some respects because I was free to sit anywhere I wanted.  I would sit in a different place each service, and I was able to meet and connect with different people each week.  Once David wasn't needed on the worship team any longer (which took quite a load off of him), he began sitting in the front row on the left hand side of the main auditorium.  I didn't even think to sit with him at first, but I began to realize that it might look like we were in an argument or something if we didn't sit together.  So began my front row sitting days.  :-)

So, when sitting in the third row with my friend today, I experienced the worship service from a slightly different angle, and I LOVED IT!  I think everyone should sit at different places around the auditorium every once in while just for a change of pace.  I sat looking at the wonderful Christmas set, praising God for all of the talented and selfless people who gave of their time and energy to put it all together.  I loved the rustic, natural, and simplistic look of the set filled with plenty of lit pine trees and a rough-hewn stable of sorts, along with the beautifully painted canvases of a night sky spotlighted with blue lights.   I am blessed to be a part of such a creative church body.

This afternoon, David and I visited for a few hours with a woman from our church who has just lost her husband.  We had a wonderful time listening to her memories and learning more about her life.  I have always had a special place in my heart for this fun, feisty, and God-filled woman, and after learning a few new things about her, I admire her even more.  It will be a hard adjustment for her to learn to navigate life without her lifelong love, but she knows that even though it won't be easy, God will be with her.

David and I also had our board members and their spouses over for dessert this evening to let them know how very thankful we are for their faithful service and Godly example.  Although there were some that were not able to make it, we had a fantastic time of visiting, praying, and celebrating God's provision and vision for us at New Life.  We were so very grateful God has allowed us to serve under such Godly leadership; we are blessed.

It's been a busy day, but I sit here this evening filled with gratitude for all that God has done and is doing.  I loved the verse of a song we sang this morning which said, "Not to us, but to Your name be the glory."  Yes, all glory belongs to Him!

(The photo used in today's blog post is not of our church, so don't get confused; it's just a representative photo.  GL)