I’m sitting in a booth in the corner today.  It was the only way to plug into an outlet.  Power sources are limited here at Merridee’s and my battery is dead because Hutch used it up watching mini-movies on the Lego website yesterday.  We all spent the afternoon on the pull out couch in the family room  after church.  It’s too cold to be outside and Jennifer and I are tired and out of creavitve ideas at home.  We don’t do well in the winter, especially when you can’t even go for a walk.  We are an outside family.  When we can’t be outside we sometimes let the kids bring the scooters inside and ride them around the loop that our foyer, dining room, and kitchen create.  It’s dangerous but fun.   The cold traps the kids inside with us and that makes them crabby, and then we get crabby, and then it all falls apart.  I was a much better parent before I had kids.

A few days ago I was sitting in this same booth watching it snow.  Snow is rare here in Nashville and people get all worked up about the mere prospect of it.  The forcast was for one to two inches of possible accumulation and the parking lot at Kroger was completely full with people preparing for the blizzard.  Schools were canceled the night before and it was the big news story on every network.  Snow did come but only a dusting.  All that hype for nothing.  It was pretty to watch though and gave us all something to be excited about for a couple of days.  Jennifer and I considered taking our Christmas decorations down since we really had nothing else to do but then we realized how much work it is going to be and put it off for another couple of days.  Maybe we’ll just leave them up until next year.  I’d rather sell the house than take them down.  It might be easier that way.  I told Hutch I’d let him play Wii for three straights days if he did it by himself but he wouldn’t be able to carry our tree back to the attic.

It was a good week and a wonderful weekend dispite the blizzard letdown.  Jennifer and I were scheduled to lead worship at church this weekend alongside our other artist-in-recidence leaders Carl Cartee, Ronnie Freeman, and Jason Ingrim.  It was one of the most pleasurable worship music experiances I’ve had.  Leading as a team was so refreshing, so fun.  I know we don’t usually use the word “fun” to describe worship but that’s really what it was.  It was still reverent and serious and spiritual, but mostly it was fun.  Saint Ireneaus said that “the Glory of God is man fully alive”.  I think he was right and I think we see it when we watch our own kids play.  We love to see them enjoy life, to laugh, to discover.  That’s why we tickle them till they can’t breathe.  Because their laughter is like medicine to our souls.  That’s how worship was this weekend.  Light and fun and happy and alive.  And I think Yahweh was smiling and the Glory of His smile filled the auditorium.  Wish you could have been there.

Have a restful week,

Peace and blessings,

Jeromy