Day 3...the Testing day
So this has been a hard day to write about which is why its late! Money wise this has really been an interesting day but has, in my head, been totally overthrown by the hardest day as a parent. I will put the 7 hours of tantrums down to Elijah getting up at 5.30 am and not say any more about that...but it was not fun.
So though it nearly didn't happen today we went to Hope City Church. We got there late because of breakfast tantrums but it was worth doing. Money situation no 1. Got to the car park and I found a tenner in my bag randomly! Cool!
Church was great ... I know the children will have a good time in their groups and I know Elijah spend part of the morning in their huge wacky warehouse! This place is massive in every way...its a business as well as a Church and I do love being in an environment where everything is put on to a high standard. As Joel is employed by 3 churches we are limited to where we go to to these 3 and being in a relatively quiet area I do feel we miss out sometimes. We love the people in our church... there are some truly amazing people ... but the Sunday services ca be really hard work. We decided after 6 and a half years (of which Joel or I have been employed by churches and so tied to that one) we'd not really been anywhere out of choice so we made a decision we'd go to Hope City for the 7 week summer holidays. Seemed a good time...there is no childrens work at ours through the school holidays and because of this lots of people seem to opt out of going.
So the worship at Hope is big too... there's a band of about 25 people and a choir or you're led by about 8 singers. The sound is big, there are smoke machines, lights... I love it there. I don't feel I have to sing loud to help the sound along - I know I can sing loud if I like and I have space within all that to really lock in with God. I miss going to places like that. The preaching is challenging and inspiring and for the past 2 weeks the series has been really helping me process some stuff thats going on in GoldDigger and some big issues we are working through.
Money wise I felt a bit unsure what to do when the offering came round... I remembered the tenner I just found but then I remembered it wasn't my church and we don't normally give to places we visit... they normally tell you not to! and I didn't feel full of faith enough to give away my whole new tenner - so I looked in my purse deciding if I could find a quid then that was a tenth of that so I could put that in ... but I didnt so I didnt give anything. And then ashamedly after the service bought myself a coffee ( they have a Starbucks in there) as the children wore me down about buying them some chocolate - so I spend £2.95 - but it went to their business which is a bit like giving it :s ...maybe. Titheing has been a wierd issue for us... maybe that can be the subject of my next post... I don't want to go into that now I dont think...
So went to mum and dads for lunch ... free food ... then when we got home I was doing some craft with Holly when I heard something come through the door ... I checked it a bit later and found an envelope with a card inside that read 'Have a nice week' and £50 inside! Now that's what I'm talking about when I say there are some truly amazing people... all the churches round here have been so supportive to us as a family and have really helped us out. My job hasnt been able to pay me so we've really struggled. For a time in our old house when we were renting our bills would't have been covered by how much we had coming in except that someone regularly put a wadge of cash ...£200 in a plain envelope though the door... and last year when our cam belt went on our car the mens homegroup at our church rallied together and gave enough between them ... not to replace it but to get a better one!
Interesting situation though as normally my reaction to getting money through the door, or finding a tenner in my bag would be to go YAY and stop worrying about our finances. But commitment I have made so commitment I will keep. Having money shouldn't change the way I think about it or how sensible I am hoping to become so a sudden £60 in my life shouldn't change my wholesome new attitude! So other than my guilty £2.95 I have spent no more.
So though it nearly didn't happen today we went to Hope City Church. We got there late because of breakfast tantrums but it was worth doing. Money situation no 1. Got to the car park and I found a tenner in my bag randomly! Cool!
Church was great ... I know the children will have a good time in their groups and I know Elijah spend part of the morning in their huge wacky warehouse! This place is massive in every way...its a business as well as a Church and I do love being in an environment where everything is put on to a high standard. As Joel is employed by 3 churches we are limited to where we go to to these 3 and being in a relatively quiet area I do feel we miss out sometimes. We love the people in our church... there are some truly amazing people ... but the Sunday services ca be really hard work. We decided after 6 and a half years (of which Joel or I have been employed by churches and so tied to that one) we'd not really been anywhere out of choice so we made a decision we'd go to Hope City for the 7 week summer holidays. Seemed a good time...there is no childrens work at ours through the school holidays and because of this lots of people seem to opt out of going.
So the worship at Hope is big too... there's a band of about 25 people and a choir or you're led by about 8 singers. The sound is big, there are smoke machines, lights... I love it there. I don't feel I have to sing loud to help the sound along - I know I can sing loud if I like and I have space within all that to really lock in with God. I miss going to places like that. The preaching is challenging and inspiring and for the past 2 weeks the series has been really helping me process some stuff thats going on in GoldDigger and some big issues we are working through.
Money wise I felt a bit unsure what to do when the offering came round... I remembered the tenner I just found but then I remembered it wasn't my church and we don't normally give to places we visit... they normally tell you not to! and I didn't feel full of faith enough to give away my whole new tenner - so I looked in my purse deciding if I could find a quid then that was a tenth of that so I could put that in ... but I didnt so I didnt give anything. And then ashamedly after the service bought myself a coffee ( they have a Starbucks in there) as the children wore me down about buying them some chocolate - so I spend £2.95 - but it went to their business which is a bit like giving it :s ...maybe. Titheing has been a wierd issue for us... maybe that can be the subject of my next post... I don't want to go into that now I dont think...
So went to mum and dads for lunch ... free food ... then when we got home I was doing some craft with Holly when I heard something come through the door ... I checked it a bit later and found an envelope with a card inside that read 'Have a nice week' and £50 inside! Now that's what I'm talking about when I say there are some truly amazing people... all the churches round here have been so supportive to us as a family and have really helped us out. My job hasnt been able to pay me so we've really struggled. For a time in our old house when we were renting our bills would't have been covered by how much we had coming in except that someone regularly put a wadge of cash ...£200 in a plain envelope though the door... and last year when our cam belt went on our car the mens homegroup at our church rallied together and gave enough between them ... not to replace it but to get a better one!
Interesting situation though as normally my reaction to getting money through the door, or finding a tenner in my bag would be to go YAY and stop worrying about our finances. But commitment I have made so commitment I will keep. Having money shouldn't change the way I think about it or how sensible I am hoping to become so a sudden £60 in my life shouldn't change my wholesome new attitude! So other than my guilty £2.95 I have spent no more.
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