Visiting Churches

As you may have read, I'm a seminary student, so being a church nerd comes naturally.  I love church and have loved church all my life.  I would rather read a church newsletter than People and get excited when I read the titles for the sermons in Saturday's paper.  I know, I'm weird.  But its me and I'm cool with it.  Now I get to not only share my enthusiasm for church with my cute hubby, but with my children as well.

Last week I was the visiting pastor for a church about two hours away.  It is a small congregation and I was told they don't have many children attending.  They do have however a nursery for kids that may come.  Thrilled with the opportunity to have one of my children with me on Sunday (having my hubby would have made me nervous) I offered the experience up to our four year old.  She was so excited!  Even when I told her that her friends wouldn't be there, she was still excited!  I thought to myself maybe another member of the family would be a church nerd too. 

We gathered up on Sunday and hit the road.  Macie was fabulous.  We got to the church.  Again, fabulous.  I thought again to myself how lucky I was to have a child who loved church, any church so much.

This coming Sunday begins my internship and we'll be a two church family for the next three months.  Sometimes we'll worship all together, sometimes we may divide and conquer.  Things will depend on my duties for my internship and/or our church, my husband's duties at our church and maybe the weather.  Macie asked if she could go with me.  My heart swelled...she wanted to go to another strange church with her Mommy.  Then she told me why...

"I just love playing with all the toys at all your churches mommy."

I'm sure there is a theological something in there, but I had to take a Greek exam, tried a new recipe on the family and worked all day so my thinking skills are on low.  The basic lesson for me was, if I want my daughter to love going to church it may just be about the toys.  Sigh.