The past few Sundays have been different from usual. The kids and I went to a different church a couple of weeks ago. I originally wanted to go to the bigger Christian church in town, Westside Christian. Not a single one of them liked that idea. My kids have been raised very differently than I have when it comes to church. I had exposure to a variety of denominations and church styles. They have been Lutheran their entire lives.

So we ended up going to another Lutheran church in town. I wanted to let the kids sleep in, as several of them were coming off a week of night owl. I feel I might be getting my facts mixed up, like I’ve lost track of the weeks and what happened when. Nevertheless it was a nice time and a nice service. I was glad we ended up going to the Lutheran church instead of the other one. It ended up being the right thing to do.

Afterward we stopped by my in-law’s house. Since my father-in-law’s surgery and extended hospital stay, we haven’t been going out to lunch like we usually do. He is still very much in the recovery phase from his surgery. He’s also just more weakened in general these days. Last weekend Josh did not have to preach somewhere, so we all went to the Saturday night service of another one of the Lutheran churches in town.

This Sunday again we did not go to church. Over the weekend our camp hosted what they call a Luther Ball Tournament. Three surrounding Lutheran camps came and participated. Josh did a Saturday night service in the outdoor chapel which made it possible for the various camp staffs to leave earlier Sunday morning, as they all had several hours of travel before them. I like having Sunday mornings off sometimes.

We went over to my in-laws house around lunchtime. Last week we brought lunch to them. This time my mother-in-law had ham, scalloped potatoes, and sweet corn. My father-in-law sometimes plants potatoes that he gives us bags and bags of in the summer, but this year he planted corn. I’m thankful for this family tradition we’ve had and that their home has been a consistent place of familiarity in all of our lives.

Before returning to camp we drove out to the farm. Several of the kids had not yet seen the latest progress on the house they are building. They had originally hoped to be moved in by Christmas but they’re not sure that’s going to happen now. The latest update I have heard is maybe sometime in the spring. In spite of the circumstances they’ve continued on with the plans. It’s sad to me that it’s having to happen like this.

But right now no one really seems focused on that. It comes up in conversation every once in a while but then we go back to talking about the other things. I’m really just a passive observer in this except for the occasional nursing input. There is a common understanding that family is important and things like this make that understanding even stronger and strengthens our faith in the process. Truly he will keep your life.