Jim

This past Sunday was week #2 at the “new place” – the “party garden”. Except that, this time, we were in a different building.

So, just so you understand. This place has two main places for events. There’s the big tent out front – the one we were in last time (see – I Came to the Garden (but not alone)). Then there’s the smaller cement structure further in. Which one we’re in all depends on what other events are happening.

So it was the cement structure, this time. In many ways, better. A little quieter, further back from the main highway and from the fountain. But that’s not to say our service was without distractions.

Of course, last time there were distractions too. The dog who stayed for the service (the owner of the place got it some water so that it would feel at home). People walking through, getting ready for the event in the other building. The cars whizzing by on the highway out front.

But the theme certainly continued this week. Within the building, there was some work being done in the kitchen in the back – actually, that didn’t bother me much.

I admit that the flashing Christmas lights that decorated the room did put my brain in overdrive, but thankfully they didn’t flash constantly. They were on a cycle – you know how it goes.

It was a little distracting because of the direction we were facing. We could all see out into the yard in the back. There was a gazebo style tent that we were told we could use for the kids’ Sunday school. So some of us could see the kids while we tried to listen to Rod. But no problem. The kids were behaving.

The kids went into another part of the yard for a special activity, and some men came into the yard (as Rod continued teaching us). What are they doing there? They came up to the kids’ Sunday school tent, where their chairs and table and Bibles were. And they started to take down the tent!

Now the kids were in another part of the yard doing their activity. What is going on? The men talk, hesitate, look around. Someone walks away. They continue. Finally they do indeed take down the tent. Yes, I do remember what Rod was talking about (but it’s a good thing there were notes).

A bird just flew into the room. 🐦 Awww, cute.

Where was I? Ok. We had a break time shortly after this. We had actually brought another tent to use for the kids – which we would have used, if we hadn’t been told we could use the one that was already there. So, many hands making light work, we hoisted it up during the coffee break.

So, on goes the service.

Now, I’m not sure why we set up the room the way we did – maybe we could make some changes. But on the right of the room was a stage, which we weren’t using. This is important.

I was preaching on Sunday, so the time came and I got started. Now, you’ve seen a picture – this room isn’t that small. So why – WHY was this one fly so obsessed with me? It wasn’t just buzzing around. It was on a kamikaze mission to repeatedly crash into my head. It would not be ignored. So I just had to swat at it a few times. But I’m sure we weren’t distracted. Not much.

Then, everyone’s heads went right (my left). It’s the regular quandary of the speaker – do you break the tension, acknowledge what’s going on – or do you ignore it and keep going, hoping not to break the flow of the message?

I went the ignore route this time. What had happened was a truck had come through the back gate (in the yard where the kids were doing Sunday School), and had pulled up to the front right of our building. They were coming in to remove to stage. Kindly, they waited for us – mostly. Although they did come in to start getting it ready for removal.

So when I asked a question and asked for agreement from the congregation, there was a moment of silence as people clued in that I was still talking to them. Someone finally expressed agreement. I think I could have said, “Elephants are purple with pink polka dots, right?”, and someone eventually would have said “Amen!”

Someone got up to move some cups off the stage for the workers. A family had to leave early.

And then – slowly, methodically – a spider began to lengthen its thread and drop down from the microphone in front of me. And completely out of context for everyone else – I laughed. Yes, out loud.

But we don’t get distracted, really. Animals, workers out back, in the kitchen, in the same room. Flashing lights. No worries. Our powers of concentration are amazing.

And yours are even better than ours, if you’ve actually made it to the end of this post. Nice work!