Of course, we had to stop and eat somewhere. I saw a Steak and Shake close to where the shopping was going on. Hannah Grace and Joel had never been to a Steak and Shake so I took them there for my "first."
They loved it. Hannah Grace had a grilled cheese with fries; the fries had sea salt and cracked pepper. Joel had a burger with cheesy fries. The fries were a bit fancier than usual. It is not fancy dining, but it was a better than our typical traveling food.
After our meal, we decided to splurge and get a shake. After all, it would seem to be an incomplete Steak and Shake experience to skip the shake. When I asked the family if they wanted a shake, the vote was unanimous. There's a big surprise. We are shake lovers around here. Of course, Steak and Shake offers some really unique choices in shake options. We had Reese's peanut butter cup, Mint Oreo, Strawberry, and Peanut Butter Banana. Can you guess who had which? The kids said this "first" was awesome.
Reese's peanut butter cup- Hannah Grace
Mint Oreo- Laura
Strawberry- Joel
Peanut Butter Banana- Me
Guess who assembled the car they gave us first?
It was really tempting to skip the shake on the Steak and Shake experience due to the deadly C's- cost and calories. We don't have a Steak and Shake where we live and it just seemed to fall short of what the experience should be to leave the shake off. I knew I would regret it for the kids' sake. As I type this on a Saturday night, tomorrow is church day for us. I'm reminded of some things that just should not be left off on church day. I love to start the day off in prayer. It seems wrong to expect God to move and speak if I don't ask Him to do so. It somehow seems odd that if we go to church to meet God and then spend time getting ready physically (shower, shave, make-up, etc.) and not spend time getting ready spiritually. If I was going to meet with someone important (pick someone- favorite sports star, author, politician, music star, etc.) I would take time to get ready for that. God is way more important than any of those people.
I also like to try to encourage others on church day. I do that in my preaching. If people are going to give up an hour or two of their time on Sunday, I sure don't want to waste it. I try hard to feed people the truth of God's word in an understandable way. In addition to that, everyone needs to be loved and encouraged so I try to let the Spirit help me to see a few people I can speak an encouraging word to on Sundays (really everyday, but especially when we are gathered for worship).
I also need to try to hear God's voice as He speaks to me. It is easy for church to turn into a spectator event. There are people at the front of the building doing stuff (preaching, singing, praying, teaching, etc.) and others are watching. That seems like a spectator event. It is not supposed to be a spectator event. God is the audience and all the people gathered are the worshippers. That's why when people ask things like, "How did church go?" I honestly have a hard time knowing. That depends on God- was He pleased, honored, welcomed, and obeyed? We can all have a great time but if God was not happy with it, it was not good. Let's seek to please Him and consider if God is pleased on church day (and everyday).
So, steak is good; steak with a shake is even better. Don't forget and leave something off that God would enjoy on your next worship day.
Worshipping in the abundant life
Barry
3 things I thank God for today
1. Shakes
2. Happy family experiences
3. A wife who is willing to do the clothes shopping
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