Dear Friends,
I am running around a lot these days. With an active and growing church, a wife and partner who is in full time ministry, and two boys who are in sports and music, I find myself running from one thing to next all day, every day! The most frequent conversation Bridget and I have most days goes something like this, “Who is picking up Casey? Who is getting Sam to the gym?” I know I am not alone. We have busy and full lives. Most days I am in search of just a little margin–a little margin for myself, a little margin to just be with Bridget, a little margin to just hang out with Casey and Sam.
The other night I was on my way to a meeting at church and Casey said, “Another meeting, Dad? I wish you could just stay home tonight!” A dagger to the heart, right? But here is what I told him, “I should be done by 8:30. I’ll call you on my way home. Meet me in the garage and we’ll go do something!” He lit up like a pumpkin on Halloween!
I know being out with my kids after 9:00 pm on a school night might not qualify me for parent of the year status, but I found a little margin and didn’t want it to slip past. We drove to Little Caesar’s, bought a $5 Hot and Ready, some Crazy bread and a couple of 20-ounce sodas, came home and watched an hour of Star Wars: Rogue One (a movie we have seen at least 3 times already!) For an hour, I put my phone away. For an hour, I put my worries away. For an hour I was just present with my kid (a kid who in just a few years will probably be heading off to college somewhere!). It was exactly what we needed–both of us! It made all the business of the rest of the day worth it. A little bit of margin can go a long way.
This week we start Lent–the 40-day journey to Easter. During this time, I am setting aside some time on Tuesday night to give you some margin. Some margin to think and relax, margin to reflect, and margin to re-engage your faith. It is called Crafted and Called. It is time to just be present with God. This is not meant to be one more thing to try and cram into the busyness of our lives. It is meant to be a momentary chance to set down all the other demands of life. It is meant to be some margin–a chance to let us see where it all fits together.
So, beginning this Tuesday at 7:00 pm, give yourself some margin. Join us for a time of prayer and reflection. It might almost be as good as a $5 pizza and watching Star Wars again with your favorite middle schooler!
Looking forward to this time together!
Grace and Peace,