No big day at church, just another Sunday of gathering together as a community to worship God.  I dropped the hubs & kids off for Sunday School and did my usual “try to overflow this shopping cart in an hour or less” trip to the grocer before I needed to be back in time for services.

Usually, I get cash back when I check out, so we have funds to put in the church offering; and so hubs can buy his favorite brewski after church (stores can’t sell alcohol until after noon in the county we worship in).  However, today, I totally forgot … and by the time I pushed YES on that little debit machine, it was too late to take it back and try again.

So, as I picked up some items from the pharmacy, I remembered to get just enough money for our offering.  No more, no less.  Just enough.  We didn’t have anything we needed cash for, in the near future, and hubs could use the debit card when he got his lager and the dog food.

During church, the kids were restless and I barely heard the Pastor’s sermon.  We had to switch places a few times, so a parent was between as many kids as possible (2 vs. 4 – not good odds for separating them).   I was preoccupied, to say the least.

During one of our praise songs, the kids were looking around the sanctuary and pointing out who was dancing along with them (an inside family joke, as our church here is a bit more conservative than our church in Utah was, where the children were allowed to use hand-held percussion instruments and sing and dance to their heart’s content during services and that raises a few eyebrows in our current church) – when I noticed a couple of guests at the back of one section of pews.  These guests were not sitting with anyone, but the lady had on a skirt and blouse (whereas I wear jeans to church), so it was nice to see some new faces amongst the usual crowd and notice that they dressed up for church. 

(side note)  I am not disrespectful in my choice of clothing for church.  First, my skin allergies are such that I can only wear cotton, and with my limited wardrobe, that’s jeans or cotton slacks.  I don’t wear dresses because I can only wear canvas shoes – with socks, because my feet are usually blistered – a bit tacky, even for me, to wear socks with a skirt (unless it has a poodle on it, of course!).  Second, I don’t believe God cares what we wear to church – we are there to worship Him, not judge the clothing options of others. 

But, as I walked passed the visitors, they were clearly not as clean as we were and a little smelly.  I didn’t say anything aloud, just sent up a little prayer for them.

After church, Pastor came up to my husband and quietly asked him if he had any cash money.  The church office is closed on Sundays, and he doesn’t have access to cash.  Not thinking much about it, hubs said that he always puts “Pastor’s discretion” on our offering envelope, and it was cash, so he was more than welcome to take that envelope, and use the funds, if he could find the lady who counts the monies.  Once the money counter was located, it was determined that she had the safe combination and could get the Pastor the funds he requested.

As I walked to our car, I turned back…in time to see the new visitor I had previously seen following Pastor back to the office.  And when I sat in the car, waiting on hubs, I saw that the man she was with was in a wheelchair, waiting utside, in 90+ degree heat, for her. 

And then it hit me.  These visitors needed some help, and Pastor needed the funds to help them out.

And it hit me again, as I drove over the hill to our home, how awesome and amazing that was!   I don’t know if Pastor asked any questions, but hubs said he didn’t think so (he’s visited with Pastor before about the needs of so many in these hard economic times) – people needed help and Pastor gave it to them.  No matter who they were, he gave what help he could from his discretionary fund.  That’s what it’s there for, and he uses it in the best way he knows how. 

I vowed to pray for Pastor and his wisdom and generosity, and for our ability as a faith community, to help others.  And although we’re not in any way monetarily well-off, next week, we will take Pastor an envelope with some cash in it – an on-the-spot discretionary fund, to be used as he saw fit.

And I prayed again, that I would have the ability to help someone who needed it, no questions asked.