Parenting

Not quite awake

/ The Pastor

Sometimes this pastor’s devotion time involves holding my sleeping 3 1/2 month old son while drinking coffee, praying and reading scripture. And then taking time to pound out a few words on my tablet, in case anyone cares what the pastor is doing this morning 🙂

But before you think that I have run out of thoughtful words to share please understand that I am working on 4 hours of sleep and very little coffee up to this point. Trust me, this pastor will be up to full operating capacity in no time and then a more thoughtful post will follow.

And I am guessing that once this first pot of coffee hits my system I may wonder why I wrote this (and posted it).

Oh well

God bless you and I’ll be back with something more thoughtful later 🙂

[I need so much more coffee]

The (not quite awake) Pastor -|—

Theologizing

/ The Pastor

For the past few weeks I have had the growing fear and sadness that my little girl (21 months old) was growing out of wanting to be rocked to sleep.

Our typical bedtime routine is that after she brushes her teeth and gets her jammies on we go into her room to read books (usually she wants daddy to do this, which of course I don’t mind). We read for a while and then pray together (it is uber cute when she folds her hands in mine). I then turn on her night light, start the CD player of lullabies and turn off her light. We then sit in the rocking chair and rock. If she isn’t sleeping by the end of the third song I lay her down in the crib. At nap time, the routine is similar except we just turn on the CD player and shut the lights off and then rock.

Well, this rocking thing hasn’t happened for a while…

…until nap time today.

For some reason my little girl wanted to rock (and who am I to question that). So my little girl curled up in my arms; all comfy in her blanket, and as very quickly off to sleep.

And we rocked and rocked and rocked…

Actually, she was out before the middle of the first song, but I didn’t lay her down then. I just continued to gaze at her and rock and rock and rock…

I didn’t want it to end.

I waited until the full three songs; and probably would had stayed longer if I didn’t need to get back for Wednesday classes at church.

It was such a beautiful moment and I was absolutely thrilled my little girl wanted daddy. But of course this pastor brain of mine started theologizing (I know that’s not a word but I think you get my drift). And it’s hard for a pastor to turn that off. We are always looking for sermon illustrations and teaching points and often times children provide the fodder.

In any case…

There are so many things about that moment today that remind me of God. But, I don’t think I am not going to share them with you.

Nope, I’m not.

I think I am just going to leave the moment as it is and let you imagine ~ and theologize. If you know God through Jesus Christ then you see it. You understand. You know what I am talking about. So I don’t have to say anything. To say anything more risks ruining the moment so I’ll let the Spirit continue where I leave off…

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Be still

/ The Pastor

This pastor so needed the devotion from yesterday; to be still and know that God is God. To be still and listen to the voice of God. To be still and be at peace. I so needed that, but that is not what happened.

———————

My little girl woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. crying,

“I want my daddy! I want my daddy!”

Tired, and a little cranky that I was getting up earlier than planned, I acquiesced to my little girl’s cry. We rocked for a while and then I laid her back down when she seemed to be sleeping, but immediately she started crying for me again. I returned to her room and sat in the rocking chair next to her crib. I then reached my hand through the crib and caressed her head; and she calmed down. Whenever I tried to leave she would cry. Eventually I fell asleep in the rocking chair…

[I’m not sure why she wanted this snoring beast next to her]

…and woke up just after 8 a.m. (I had a 9 a.m.baptism meeting). This was not how my morning was supposed to start. I bolted out of her room: showered, made coffee, ate (all the while my little girl is screaming for me) and got dressed. My wife woke up and help her but she still wanted daddy.

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

All I wanted was to be still and know that God is God.
All I wanted was time alone with God before I started my day.
All I wanted was to hear God’s voice.
All I wanted was some encouragement as I prepared to finish two sermons today.
All I wanted was God.

And God did acquiesce to my request. God gave me a beautiful moment this morning and all I could think about was that it wasn’t what I planned. As a pastor friend of mine told me yesterday in a blog post comment,

“God made the time and gave it to you”

God definitely made the time for me this morning but I missed it.
Oh God, please forgive me for being so selfish and short-sighted.

Definitely carve out moments to get away and enjoy the fact that God is God, but don’t miss the moments that God carves out for you. Don’t be so short-sighted and selfish like I was this morning but rather…

Be still and know that God is God.

…and then actually pay attention and listen.

Holy Father, thank you for the holy moments that you create. May I have the eyes of faith to see them.

Praise be to God and Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Children of Our Heavenly Father

/ The Pastor

Children of the heavenly Father 
safely in his bosom gather; 
nestling bird nor star in heaven 
such a refuge e’er was given. 

Caring for my children is such a joy: feeding them, kissing boo boos, rocking them to sleep, wrestling on the floor with them, and even getting them a drink of water. I just can’t get enough of showering them with my love.

When I do something for my little girl I just love how she says, “Thank you daddy. I love you.” It is the most adorable thing ever. I will then say, “You’re welcome sweetie” to which she will repeat herself and this goes on. So cute.

As children of our heavenly Father, do you ever think of responding to God’s love like my daughter does to me?

“Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”

God longs to shower His children with love and I about imagine He longs to hear His children respond like my daughter does. God is not some distant God but one who gets down on the floor with His children and wrestles with them. He is there to kiss boo boos and he is there to comfort you.

But best of all, through faith in Jesus, we are gathered safely into His bosom forever. What a refuge, never has anything been given like it.

Dear God, thank you, daddy. I love you. Amen.

The Pastor -|—