Okay, this is a dangerous blog post.  On the other hand, what I’m going to say is something that most of you have thought, guessed or experienced anyway.  But still I’m not sure that I should write what I think I’m gonna write. You see I’m a pastor (well usually I’m a pastor, right now I’m just a guy on sabbatical) and as a pastor, my career success is — at least somewhat — defined by how many people show up to church on any given weekend. So for me, this is a dangerous blog post.

Here’s the deal.  I went to church today, but I didn’t go to Calvary.  In fact I didn’t go to a building — it was truly a church without walls.  There weren’t too many of us there, only 6.  But what we lacked in a quantity of people, we made up for with a quantity of time.  We had church for about 5 hours!  There wasn’t any sermon, or children’s ministry, or worship team, or powerpoint, etc. etc.  But if church is all about connecting with people you care about and encountering God, than church was good today.

So where did I go to church today?  Bald Eagle State Park.  A Calvary family allowed us to use their boat and our family (minus one and plus one) spent the day tubing, swimming and picnicking.  Now don’t hear what I’m not saying.  Hebrews 10:25 says “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another...”  I love Calvary.  I miss preaching, worshiping, gathering with my whole church family.  But sometimes it’s good to be reminded that you don’t have to go to 1250 University Drive to encounter God, to find joy, or to hear God speak.

Sometimes we box God up and compartmentalize Him into a weekend worship gathering, or maybe 30 morning minutes a day.  But God invades our days 24/7 and He is waiting for us everywhere we go.  Today I heard Him in my kid’s laughter and the sound of ducks landing in the lake.  Today I saw God in the way the rays of sun poked through the clouds ahead of my and glistened along the surface of the water.  I heard God as I watched Jake and John and Sarah and Josh take the risk of riding in a tube while I drove the boat.  I sensed God saying, “Dan it’s okay to risk when you know your Father is driving the boat, let your life be an adventure with me.”

In Isaiah 29 God makes a complaint against His followers, he told them that they all knew the right words, but their hearts were far from Him.  In October I will be back at Calvary — and I can’t wait — but today I experienced awe and joy at the gifts of God and my heart was not so far from Him.

My question is Where do you go to Church? And asking the question shouldn’t necessarily incline us to skip a weekend worship gathering at Calvary…BUT it could be a reminder that if God is good and God is everywhere… church can truly be without walls.

So I am on a four month sabbatical and wouldn’t you know it… out of four months we could only find ONE week that the whole family could be together.  So a couple of weeks ago we headed to Florida for a week of family vacation.  While we were there a friend of ours from our first church treated us to a day at Discovery Cove.  What an amazing day!  Swimming with a dolphin, feeding sting rays, snorkeling and not only that but he got us this little private cabana, the girls were in heaven.  It was the highlight of our vacation and something that we never would have been able to do on our own.

This isn’t the only time that we have been on the receiving end of generosity.  In fact during my sabbatical, another friend has allowed us to use his mobile fastpass for gas, and another couple gave us the use of their summer cabin for three weeks.   Someone sold me two PSU football tickets for the price of one and another family let us use their boat for a family outing at Bald Eagle.  Nothing we deserved, just grace.

When I was a young man I thought that being on the receiving end of generosity, somehow diminished me, had to make it on my own.  In fact, in the Bible it says that it is better to give than it is to receive, right?  So I wouldn’t let anyone give me anything, till… one day an older man gave me a bit of wisdom.  “Dan,” he said, “It is better to give than it is to receive, so your refusal to receive is stealing the joy of giving for yourself.  If God puts it on someone’s heart to be generous to you, don’t steal their joy by refusing to receive.”

Have you ever been on the receiving end of generosity?  If you are a Jesus-follower, the only possible answer is yes.  Right?  Maybe you’ve never received a day at Discovery Cove, or a free week at a lake cabin, or a free pass at the gas station.  Maybe you’ve received gifts even greater.  Regardless of anything we have or haven’t received from people around us, the most amazing grace any of us have ever — could ever — experience, is the grace of God that we find in everything that Jesus is for us.

You are on the receiving end of generosity.  Don’t say no to Jesus.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a day of tears. Well actually there were a few dropping on Monday as well. (No actually they started the week before when I paid the tuition bill.) Katy’s leaving town. She’s going to Bethel University in Minneapolis MN. Monday was packing day, we left early Tuesday morning. Got all the kids up around 7am and sat in the living room for about 45 minutes with everyone sharing what they would miss about Katy, her smile, singing country music at the top of her lungs, bodily noises at the dinner table, her “looks” (that’s just one of them), her blonde one-liners, her presence at church, and the list went on and on. Then everyone shared what they would be praying for…for her, good friends, do well at school, not be nervous, find a good church, deepen her relationship with God. Then we went around the room and prayed for her. Then the tears started to flow! Good tears.

They continued with the hugs and kisses goodbye. Then they continued the rest of that day as we drove to Minnesota. In fact Lynn fell asleep soon after we left State College and when she woke up, she was crying in her sleep! She walked into a Starbucks at a rest-stop in Ohio — Katy was with her — and the lady at the counter asked her if she was taking her daughter to school…and the tears started to flow.

I told Katy I was going to buy a lottery ticket, so that if we won, we could say that the luckiest day we ever had was the day she left for school! She didn’t think it was all that funny?

So here we are in Minnesota. Tomorrow we move her into her dorm. Bethel is a great school. Lynn and I met there, got engaged there, studied there, made commitments to God there, and even studied there. So I’ve got all sorts of thoughts running through my heart, excited anticipation for what God might do in and through her while she is there and a little bit of sadness that I won’t see her every day.

There will be more tears tomorrow. Lynn might not stop for a few days…but they are good tears, the kind of tears that come because good relationships have been formed, good memories made, and good hopes prayed.

It got me thinking again about the whole God is my Father thing, how sometimes when I want him right there telling me what to do next, maybe He’s letting me go…so that I can grow? I love my kids, each and every one of them is special and God keeps telling me that he loves his kids even more than I love mine. I’m glad I’m his kid. I’m glad my kids are his kids. Good tears.