The Last Move

It's 7:50am on a Wednesday morning. My house is a complete disaster - boxes in every room ... some full, others waiting to be packed. Every room has stuff everywhere ... and if I look around and think about it for just a second, I end up on the verge of a panic attack. But the tiniest begged to watch Madeline, and the older tiny just got on the bus for her next-to-last day of school, so I am ignoring all the mess and using the time to write. Just write.

We are about to close yet another chapter on our "Rowes Move to Boston" adventure.  We hope this is the last ... and that the next chapter becomes it's own book. It's been a long road - one that has many twists and turns. It's been a lot of wandering. A lot of wondering just what we were doing. A lot of questioning just what in the world God has in store for us here.

It was almost exactly two years ago when we received the call inviting us to come to Boston for the first time. We planned a vacation around my husband's interview - knowing that this would be a huge move, and a decision he wouldn't be able to make on his own. I remember that week so vividly. The hotels we stayed in. The adventures we had. The Boston Common, the Public Gardens, Copley Square, Boston Public Library, Franklin Park Zoo, Historic Lexington, the Boston Children's Museum ... it was one of the best vacations we've taken as a family. I could live here, I told him.  I think we'd really love it here.

The day of his interview I took the girls to the most amazing playspace I had ever seen. They were so tired by the end of the day that I ended up walking half a mile from the bus stop to our hotel wearing a sleeping A on my back and carrying a sleeping E in my arms, while also carrying our bag for the day. What was supposed to be a 2-hour interview turned into 5. We took that as a good sign. 

I can remember our conversation that evening as clear as day - we were on the T, headed to dinner.

If this happens, we can't say no. It's an incredible opportunity. There's no reason not to take it. Massachusetts is one of the best places to raise kids. You can go back to school for very little cost. This is a no-brainer.

And then it happened. He got the offer. We said yes. And it wasn't until we had a buyer for our little Grant Park bungalow that the reality set in for me. We were leaving everything I had ever wanted. Grant Park was my dream. I had fabulous neighbors. I lived across the street from a beautiful park. An incredible farmer's market was just blocks away. We could walk to one of the best zoos in the nation. We spent our free time at art museums, botanical gardens, history museums, parks. All of our memories were in Atlanta ... and we were giving it all up. 

I remember a friend telling me it would all be okay. You guys build community wherever you go. You'll find your village. You'll find your tribe. And so with those words in our mind, we left our home in search of a brighter future. 

We never thought it would be easy, but I can't say we expected it to be as difficult as it has been. Building our village here has been so hard - and so slow. We've made incredible friends - yet this place has never really felt like home.

When we last visited Georgia as a family, we were wrecked. When we walked through the park, I sobbed like a baby. This is my home. I want to come home, I said. I cried out to God ... literally ... in tears as we went to bed at night.

God ... please ... I want to come home. This is where I want to be. Please. Please. PLEASE! I'm begging you.

We made a plan. We decided D would look for jobs and we would hope to be home by Christmas. We contacted friends and neighbors who may have leads for openings. He called old companies, sent in proposals, updated resumes. With as big a network as we have, and as skilled as he is, we thought it would only be a matter of months before we had an opportunity to go back South.

And then I had lunch with a dear friend of mine. She was the first friend I made here - and quickly became the best friend I've had in all my adult life. As we watched our kids play together, I told her - I'm not sure I'm ready to go back. I don't want to stay. But I don't know that I want to go back. She's so wise - this friend of mine. I will be crushed if you leave. But I want you to be happy. And I don't think you're happy where you are. Are there places here that you could live that you might like better than where you are right now? 

So while we were looking for opportunities back home, we also started searching for a community here that would be more like home. We looked at train lines. I talked to people. Summer came - finally - and we ventured out to find beaches and splash pads and all things outdoors. We discovered Beverly. And as I drove through it for the very first time, it reminded me of home. It was gritty - and yet beautiful. It was historic - and yet slightly urban. It had beaches. Parks. Playgrounds. A splash pad. Coffee shops. Museums. The best Mexican we've had since we moved to Massachusetts. It had sidewalks.

You could say we fell in love. Hard and fast. After just one day there, the girls and I came home so happy that D said I need to go see this place. So we went back. Over and over and over again. And every single time we visited, we were filled to the brim. After just two months, we decided we'd move there. Sure, we had a house to sell - but we felt confident this was a move God was pushing us to make. We felt like this was the answer to our prayers.

God wasn't going to let us move home ... because there is a better home for us here. We just had to find it. 

Stay tuned for the rest of the story - coming one week from today!

EDIT - You can read part two of the story here!

Every Ending is a New Beginning

As I left the courthouse, I went straight to my car and called my mom. As soon as I heard her voice, tears started streaming down my face. I was sobbing so hard I could hardly get the words out. Breathe, she said. Take a deep breath. What happened?

She told me to go back to being a lawyer. She said it didn't matter that I felt called to ministry - if I can't afford my obligations, I should do the very thing that I went to school for. After all, it will pay a lot more, and I won't leave him footing the bill. MOM - IT'S NOT FAIR! I don't deserve this! I thought this would make things better ... but how am I going to survive on my own?? Did I make a terrible mistake??

Some memories are so vivid, you know? If there was ever a time in my life when I thought I had it all figured out, it was then. I was certain God was calling me out of this marriage - a marriage that was destructive to both of us - a marriage that wasn't fulfilling either of us. A marriage that was broken - and one that, when it came right down to it, I just didn't have the energy to try to fix. I was so certain God was calling me out of this little mountain town and into the big city. Calling me out of the lawyering world and into the world of professional staff ministry. Certain that God had provided me with a church community that would sustain and support me through this darkest time of my life.

So, I left the marriage. I moved to the city. I accepted a full-time ministry position. I had it all sorted out.

And then it was over.

Although it was a no-fault divorce, it felt like the judge declared me to be the one solely at fault. The selfish one. The one who didn't care about my marriage, or about the person I was married to. And although they claimed to be neutral, it felt like most of our mutual friends took his side. And to top it all off, not long after, that ministry position I picked up and moved to the city for was eliminated - a mere 6 weeks after I accepted it and began work.

Fast forward 7 years. I'm in a second marriage - a marriage that is incredibly healthy, wholesome, fulfilling. A marriage that builds up our confidence rather than destroys our souls. A marriage that is faith-filled and oh-so-happy. We are a couple that strives for faith-based community. A couple that takes church seriously. A couple, with two children, who is determined to find a faithful place that fulfills the needs of everyone in the family. A family who had it all sorted out.

And then we didn't. A few months ago, we found ourselves in limbo once again - searching for that perfect church home - the one that would offer us everything we hoped for - a place for each one of us in our family to worship, to learn, to grow. Not because we didn't love that new place we found, because we did ... but our tinies didn't. So we found ourselves swallowing our pride, acknowledging that sometimes the voice of God comes in the form of a child's request to return to a place she loved - a place she cherished - a place she considered home.

In the first chapter of her new book, Out of Sorts, Sarah Bessey says this book is

About Jesus and why I love him and follow him. It's about church and church people and why both make me crazy but why I can't seem to quit either.
...

It's a book about not being afraid.
...

A book about how feeling out of sorts leads us to sorting it out.

Amen, sister ... Amen.

Here's to not being afraid. To sorting it out. To embracing church and church people and following Jesus - even when it all makes us crazy.

This post was originally written in 2015, in response to Chapter One of Sarah Bessey's book, Out of Sorts.  

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Eggplant Burgers [Meals Under $15]

This is the time of year when we are stocking up every bit of produce we can find. I feel like a bear - getting ready for hibernation. Last week I found eggplant on the misfit shelf at the farm, so I came home with 10 small ones, 3 medium ones, and 2 from my CSA share. What in the heck do you do with all that eggplant, you might ask?

Last year, we had over 100 of these little things in our freezer before winter. They lasted us about 3 months before they were gone. They are SO easy to pull out and heat up, and they are always a hit. Rather than chicken nuggets, this is my go to easy meal. Not only do we eat them as burgers, but they are also delicious crumbled up and put on pizza. We used to saute them in olive oil, but this week we were making such a huge batch that we decided to experiment with baking them ... and I have to say I liked them even better!

My hubby and I like to put two burgers on a bun with cheese in between them and top them with ketchup. The girls eat them like a veggie patty and just dip them in ketchup. We made a triple batch this week and it costed us less than $10. Eggplant burgers for everyone!!

Eggplant Burgers
Adapted from Weelicious.com

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Olive Oil ($0.25)
1 medium eggplant or two very small ones, cubed (Cost of this varies. I get mine on the misfit shelf at the farm, so it only costed me $0.50. Most of the time you can get eggplant for $2 or less.)
1 garlic clove, minced ($0.25)
1/2 teaspoon salt (pennies)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried) ($0.25)
1 egg ($0.30)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese ($0.50)
1 cup breadcrumbs (free - we make it from leftover bread!)

Total Cost - $3-8, depending on how much your eggplant costs, whether you top it with cheese and a bun, and what condiments you like on them. 

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a large cookie sheet by rubbing it with olive oil or spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

Heat olive oil in a heavy dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add the eggplant and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and salt and cook for 2 more minutes. Add a splash of water (1-2 tablespoons will do), cover and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the eggplant is tender. I typically turn the heat off after 3 minutes and let it sit with the cover on a few more minutes to finish steaming. Then I take the top off and put the eggplant in my food processor to sit a few minutes.

Add parsley, egg, cheese, and breadcrumbs to food processor and process until mostly smooth. 

Using 1/4 cup of mixture, form into patties and place on a cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and firm. We like to flip them after the first 10 minutes so they get brown on both sides. Serve with cheese and a bun or just ketchup on the side. Be amazed at how much everyone loves them!

For a Vegan Version
I can't personally vouch for how tasty these are, but several of you have asked me for a good vegan version. I refuse to give up eggs and cheese, so I haven't played around with it ... but theoretically, you could mix 1 Tbsp flax meal with 3 Tbsp of hot water and use in place of the egg and substitute nutritional yeast for the Parmesan cheese. If you try it out, report back and let me know how they are!

A Final Look at Summer

Where does the time go? It seems as though it was only yesterday that I was sitting in my comfy chair typing out a post on how dreary spring was ... and now we're on the cusp of Fall! Summer is my favorite in New England. The weather is mostly glorious, beaches are everywhere, and we pretty much get to spend all of our days outside. By the time winter is really over around here, summer is well deserved ... and this year we vowed to soak up every moment of sunshine we can.

We did a lot of biking. Around playgrounds, campgrounds, rail trails, driveways ... just about anywhere we could bike, we did.

We learned how to pitch a tent. And we camped all over Cape Cod. 

We found our favorite beach. And drank a lot of Ningxia Red.

We found our favorite town in New England. And we went there at least once a week - sometimes twice - to make sure we really did love it as much as we thought we did. We talked to people, we tried out restaurants, we rode bikes, we went to the library. We drove by houses on the market in our price range. We went to Open Houses. We fell in love. Over and over and over again.

So we decided to sell our house.

The girls and I flew to Georgia to spend some time with family and D stayed in New England to get the house on the market. The plan worked. We were under contract before we even came home. It was, quite possibly, the most stressful and hardest two weeks of the summer. But in the end, the right decision. And it was SO good to see all the cousins play together. That just doesn't happen often enough.

We came home at peak harvest season. So we shucked a lot of corn. Over 100 ears to be exact. And it's still coming. I've now resorted to giving some to friends each week. 

We ended our summer with one final camping trip. This time to Maine with our best buddies. We found Grant Park. And hiked (a little bit) around Acadia National Park. We fell in love with New England a little bit harder, and decided Acadia would be a place we went back to again next year. This time for longer than just a day.

We said farewell to Walden Pond. The place that made us initially think that maybe life in New England wasn't so bad after all.

And in the final weeks of summer, we found a house in our new beloved town, we gave more hugs and cherished more moments together as we prepared to send the oldest off to Kindergarten.

The Summer of 2017 .... it has been the most fun summer I can ever remember as a little family of four. And perhaps the most life changing as well. Here's to new beginnings!

On Starting Kindergarten ... and Riding the Bus

My sweet Autumn Grace,

You are starting Kindergarten today! I can hardly believe we are already at this place ... and yet at the same time I'm not sure I ever thought today would come. I'm not even sure you starting Kindergarten is what I'm so emotional over today ... I think it's the fact that you rode the bus.

I knew sending you to Kindergarten would be hard - but I thought I'd still be in control of getting you to school. I thought I'd be able to take you myself. Give you a hug. Pass you off to your teacher. Say goodbye and get in my car to drive back home. But that's not what you wanted. You wanted to ride the bus. You were SO excited to ride the bus ... and man - I wasn't prepared for that.

This may be our biggest milestone yet. You were so brave getting on that bus this morning. I saw the nervousness in your eyes, but you stepped right up like you've been doing it all your life. You - my sweet baby that wouldn't even go to the nursery at church - you rode the bus. You are teaching me so much about being brave when you're scared. About just putting one foot in front of the other to do the things you know you need to do. About letting your excitement fuel you when you're feeling nervous and scared. About having faith that you will be taken care of. And about knowing how to speak up for yourself when you need to.

And when you weren't even on the bus 5 minutes, you told the bus driver to make sure not to hit your daddy who was riding his bike to the train station. You are only 5 ... and yet you are such a leader. 

I'm so very proud of you my sweet girl. So proud of the independent little lady you are becoming. The independent little lady you already are.

Your Daddy and I have tried to live our lives in such a way that we give you two gifts as you grow up ... one is roots and the other is wings. Today was a good indication that we're doing a good job.

But I can't say I was quite ready for you to use those wings to fly.

My heart swells with pride and love for you my sweet Autumn Grace. We've come a long way from bouncing on an exercise ball at naptime ...

CSA Adventures: Summer Week 1

This week's CSA pickup included:

5 quarts of strawberries (half of one got eaten on the way home!)
1 head of Bok Choi
1 head of lettuce
Crimson Rhubarb
1 bunch of radishes (with the greens!)
1 bunch of Kale
Some parsley and cilantro from the pick-your-own herb garden
1 dozen eggs

And then because I always feel bad for the poor sad misfit vegetables, we also got two HUGE bunches of rhubarb, 2 big bunches of collard greens, 1 bunch of green onions, a bag of spinach, and 8 quarts of jam grade strawberries.

This was plenty of food to feed our family for a week, and it may be one of the smaller week's shares of the season. I know when the harvest really begins we're going to be loaded with fresh veggies and I'm just so excited to be able to stock it all up. No more grocery store for me! Hurrah!! 

Here's how we used it:

Strawberries & Rhubarb
We ate two quarts of strawberries the first day, and at least a quart a day since then. I also made three loafs of this Strawberry Rhubarb Pecan bread, this Strawberry Summer Cake, these Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp bars, Strawberry Rhubarb Soda Syrup, Strawberry Lemonade, Strawberry Milk, Strawberry Popsicles, a few breakfast smoothies, and Roasted Vanilla Strawberries (recipe coming soon). I'm working on a revised post on what to do with strawberries, but you can check this one out in the meantime. You really can never have too many strawberries!

Bok Choy
I blanched this the day I picked it up so I could cook it quickly later in the week. We're using it for Fried Rice for tonight's dinner.

Lettuce
I had big plans to make lettuce wraps, but in the end, we ended up using this for salads. I had two lunch salads and then we made a huge salad for dinner. My favorite salad was this Steak Salad! I used lettuce and strawberries from this week's share, picked up some tomatoes and cilantro when at the stand today and made mango salsa to use instead of dressing. Then we topped it with a grilled beef strip steak from last month's meat pickup. The only thing that might have made it better was crumbled blue cheese on top. And maybe some pecans. Next time!

Radishes
I made radish butter with this bunch. It's so surprisingly delicious. I mixed the greens with some basil to make pesto and stuck it in the freezer for later use. For more radish ideas, check out this post on For the Love of Radishes.

Kale
I love this easy pasta dish because it comes together in no time. I altered it just a bit this time around, cooking 2 slices of bacon at the beginning, then using the bacon grease to cook some green onions and spring garlic (from my garden!) instead of leeks. I had picked up some seconds roma tomatoes a couple of weeks ago and slow-roasted them, so they were patiently waiting for me in the fridge. It's one of my favorite staples to have in the fridge, especially this time of year.

Using the rest of the Kale, some spinach and some seconds potatoes that were hanging out on my counter from a couple of weeks ago, I made these twice baked potatoes and stuck them in the freezer. We didn't have a chance to eat them this week, but it's one of my FAVORITE meals ... and I love being able to pull it out for a fast side or main course.

Parsley and cilantro - This went in my mango salsa for the Steak Salad.

Eggs - We go through at least a dozen eggs a week ... sometimes more. This week we boiled some to take to the beach with us, made a breakfast scramble with some, and used some in all the strawberry rhubarb pecan loaf that I made.

It feels good to be back in the swing of CSA-land. We can hardly wait for this week's pickup!

For the Love of Radishes

Radishes are what I call an "almost instant gratification" crop. You plant the seeds and the babies are ready to harvest in just a few weeks. It's really kind of amazing! My mom used to eat radishes right out of my Gramma's garden when she was pregnant with me, so it's no wonder that I just simply adore them. If you've never had one, go get some! They are super crisp, amazingly fresh, and have a peppery bite to them that will surprise you.

Radishes are usually grown during the cooler months, but they will grow all summer if you want them to. The greens are edible too - although they are kind of prickly, so I'm not a huge fan of eating them raw. Besides just eating them right out of the garden, here are a few of my favorite ways to use them up. 

• Slice them thin and put them on a salad. I love pairing them with whatever fruit is in season. The fruit is sweet, and the radishes are spicy, and it just ends up to be perfection on a plate!
• Make Radish Butter! I know it sounds strange, but it's so amazingly delicious on a big crust baguette. 
• Or if butter isn't your thing, make a Radish Dip. Mix 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with one small bunch of radishes in a food processor. Throw in a pinch of salt and a few basil leaves. You can dip crackers, pretzels, or other veggies in it. I brought this to a farm potluck once and it was gone within a matter of minutes.

And don't forget the greens! My favorite way to use the greens is making a pesto with them. It has a spicy, peppery flavor that is unique in pesto. you can spread it on crusty bread, put it out on a Bruschetta  platter, mix it with some hot pasta, spread it on chicken ... once you've turned your greens into pesto, the possibilities are endless! This Baked Ziti is one of my favorite ways to use up pesto.

You can also roast and pickle radishes, but I haven't found a recipe for either of those that I actually like. I think they taste best raw.

What are your favorite ways to eat radishes?

CSA Adventures: Springdell Edition

When we lived in Atlanta, we were part of a CSA at a small urban farm and we loved it. It challenged us to eat locally and seasonally and it transformed how we thought about food. We found ourselves stocking up extras and planning to make it the entire year without having to buy produce at the grocery store. I loved sharing our CSA Adventures here on Soul Munchies, and have missed that part of our life - so I am bringing it back to you with a new and improved series ... the Springdell Farm Edition!

We didn't have a CSA last summer, simply because there were so many farms around us and I couldn't choose one. As I explored the farms, I found myself going to one over and over again, so this year we jumped right in and are now proud summer, winter, and soon-to-be spring supporters of Springdell Farm in Littleton, Massachusetts. Beginning this week, we will get 95% of our produce, eggs, and meat for the entire year through their farm and local partners - and we can hardly wait to pick up our first share!

We chose Springdell because of it's variety and because of the size of the CSA. We like that they offer a Winter and a Spring CSA in addition to the common and popular Summer CSA. We love that the land they are on has been a farm since the 1700s, and has been in their family since the 1930s. I personally love that the main farmer is a young woman, not even 30, who grew up on the farm and now has made it her own. Her mom is the main meat farmer - and it makes my heart sing to support a farm run by a mother/daughter pair.

My own adventures in gardening here have taught me that farming is a real art here in New England, and I'm so thankful to have Springdell and its crew to feed my family ... since my crops are mostly feeding wildlife. We will pickup our Summer share on Thursdays, so I'll do meal planning and preparation over the weekend and check in here on Soul Munchies sometime on Sunday or Monday each week to show you what we picked up and how we are using it. I hope you'll come join the fun!

Easy Tostadas

It's been in the upper 90's around here the last few days - which is just crazy hot for New England. I'm not sure how we went from cold and rainy early Spring to super hot summer weather in a matter of days, but this Southern girl sure isn't going to complain about it!

Tostadas are one of my favorite easy meals in the dead heat of summer. I could eat Mexican-style food every single day of the week I think and never tire of it. When I'm not feeling in the mood for any real food, usually Mexican is what I end up settling on. I'm not sure why, but it is like my ultimate comfort food. So it's really no surprise that when I stared in the fridge today searching for something to eat, I came up with this. You can top your tostada with really anything you'd like - be as creative as you'd like!

Easy Chicken Tostadas

Ingredients (serves 1 hungry person!
2 corn tortillas
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 cup shredded chicken (I use leftover rotisserie or roasted chicken)
2 Tbsp salsa
1/2 ripe avocado
1/2 roasted red pepper, sliced
1/4 cup monterey jack cheese
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400. Rub both sides of tortillas with olive oil and place on a cookie sheet. When the oven is warm, stick the cookie sheet into the oven. After about 2 minutes, check the tortillas to see if they are brown on the bottom. You may see them start to bubble up - that's a good thing! When the bottom is brown, flip them over and bake them another 1-2 minutes or until golden and mostly crisp. They will crisp up a bit more once you take them out.

While your tortillas are heating up, mash your avocado with a fork and set aside. Mix chicken with salsa in a small pot on the stove and heat until warm. Alternatively, you can stick it in your microwave for a minute or so. 

When your tortillas are as golden as you'd like, pull them out and put them on a plate. Be careful - they will be hot! Spread 1/2 of your mashed avocado on top of each tortilla. Top it with your chicken and salsa mixture, roasted red pepper, cheese, and cilantro. Enjoy - and make it over and over and over again!

The Importance of Family Worship (and why we don't use the church nursery)

I've been thinking a lot about the importance of family worship lately. I've had conversations with so many parents who think of worship as "their" time with God. Week after week they leave their children in the nursery while they go to worship. If their children are old enough for Sunday school, they sometimes attend worship while their kids are in Sunday school - which means their kids hardly ever attend worship.This post was originally published in May of 2014, when we only had one child and were anticipating the arrival of our second. The words you find on this page are even more true for us today with two children than they were then. Because of that, I have posted it in its entirety without any edits.

It's a topic I thought about and discussed ad nauseum back when I was a full-time Director of Children & Youth Ministry. I was always trying to come up with ways to encourage parents to attend worship with their children, instead of without. But now that I'm a parent myself, it's become even more important to me.

Then today - I just happened to open the latest issue of The Lutheran magazine and found this article. It was, hands down, the best article in the issue. And it echoed so many reasons why I will always worship with my children - and will never use the church nursery.

Don't get me wrong - I'm thankful for church nurseries. The people that work in them offer a special ministry. They offer a safe, caring environment - and truly embody the love and ministry of Jesus Christ. And I totally get it - there are days when parents need that ministry more than any other.

I already shared with you one of the most important reasons we take our toddler to worship. There aren't many ways we can actually experience Jesus Christ through all our senses. Holy Communion allows us to do just that - to tangibly experience Jesus in a way that just isn't possible any other time in our lives. But it's more than that too.

It's the way she asks to say the Lord's Prayer and give thanks to God every night before going to bed.

It's the way she sings How He Loves and Happy Day at the top of her lungs no matter where she is or who is looking.

It's the way she wants to hold hands to pray before we eat dinner every night.

It's the way she dances to the music in that sacred worship space and says to us "Come on! Dance!"

It's the way she opens her Bible in the morning and says "Mommy, read Bible with me?"

It's the way she gets on her knees and folds her hands to pray during the prayers of the people. And how she screams "Amen" when they are over.

It's the way she reaches for the Communion wafer and dips it in the wine. And how she asks for more when she's finished eating it. Because don't we all really want more of Jesus?

It's the way she strains her neck to watch the pastor giving the Words of Institution. Just like her mama does.

It's the way she sings with the songs when I hold her close. She doesn't know the words, and can't read them on the page, but that doesn't stop her.

My two year old is an active participant in worship. Not only do we take her to worship with us every time we go, but we sit in the front row. We sit there because she can see what happens. It makes it easier for her to participate when she can see the musicians playing, the choir singing, the pastor preaching. She is probably a distraction to the people who sit behind us, but so far no one has said anything to us about it.

It's not always a typical worship experience for D & I - we often miss the point of the sermon because we're too busy trying to get A to sit still and whisper. We hardly ever actually hear the names of people that are being prayed for, because we're trying to make sure A doesn't fall off the kneeler. We sometimes miss pieces of worship because we have to sneak out for a snack (often sneaking the snack back into the pew with us as a bribery to her being quiet!)

For us, it's far more important that she experience worship with us than it is that we fully grasp the message of the sermon. It's important that she feels like she's a part of the community - no matter how young she is. It's important that she knows that worship is something we do as a body of Christ together - whether we really feel like being there or not. And it's important that she grows up knowing that the space where we worship is a safe, sacred, holy space. A space where we go when we need to feel God's presence the most.

Because one day she'll be old enough to make her own decisions about church. And when that day comes, I want her to feel such intense love for Christ and his church that she just cannot bear to stay away.

This post was originally published in May of 2014, when we only had one child and were anticipating the arrival of our second. The words you find on this page are even more true for us today with two children than they were then. Because of that, I have posted it in its entirety without any edits.

Photo Credit