Church
She was amazed when he walked out of the hallway. There really wasn’t anything fancy about the way he was dressed; a long sleeved t-shirt and jeans. He just looked nice. “You look nice this morning.” She liked the way his hair laid. Who did he have his hair cut like? She couldn’t think.
“Good morning.” He sounded a little surprised. “Thanks,” he smiled.
“Mornin’,” she stretched, yawned and rubbed her face trying to wake up.
He extended his hands to help her out of the floor.
She took a deep breath and sighed, “hmm Old Spice.”
He just smiled.
“So, what’s the chance I will get to go shopping for cleaning supplies today?”
He called after her, “none till after lunch.”
When she finally emerged, his heart skipped a beat. She looked amazing in just blue jeans and a royal blue sweater, and her hair was all over the place. It was at that moment he noticed just how amazing her eyes were. They were a pale shade of blue that reminded him of the lake where he spent so much time with his dad.
“Okay then Mr. Patterson, what does one do on Sunday in this town?”
“Please call me Oscar.”
She sat down beside of him on the couch angling her body so she could see him as they talked, “as you wish.”
“One goes to church, stays at home, or goes to the lake.”
“Oh church,” she gasped. “Please don’t let me stop you from going to church.”
“You’re not. The pastor called this morning. Too many of the congregation have the flu so he just called it off.”
“Okay.” That seemed odd but she was in a new place.
“Will you go to church with me some time?”
She smiled. “We can give it a whirl.”
“May I ask what that means?
“I don’t have a very high opinion of organized religion. I believe, I have been saved and baptized, and I try to do what Jesus has commanded me to do. And I know that we are supposed to worship with like-minded believers. Personally, I feel like churches have gotten too segregated. Each church has to have its own playground, its own activity center, they’re like little compounds.”
“But the Bible also tells us to come out from among them.”
“Yes it does but it also tells us as Christians that we are to take the gospel to the people. We can’t expect the people to come to us.”
“So how do you make that fine distinction?”
“I’m not sure. But churches have gone overboard. And what is with praise and worship teams? I rented this adorable little house. At first, I didn’t know that it was right in the middle of two churches. You could stand on my porch and see both of them. It was a contest to see which church could vibrate my bed. I would be lying in the bed at night an honestly, you could feel the bass. Why?”
“He did say make a joyful noise.” Oscar smiled. It was nice to have someone to talk to. How amazing it was to have a conversation. You can’t have a conversation with teenagers, all they do is text. Other teachers complain about work. His family made him feel like crap. Chet and Bell were about the only two people that he had to talk to but sometimes it was all about their jobs. Which he understood that conversations were two way streets, but one can only hear so much about changing adult diapers. And sometimes, though words were not spoken, he was sure Chet was tired of him being sick all the time.
“Yes he did.” Esther brought him back to the conversation at hand. “But he didn’t say; shake thy neighbor’s bed while you’re doing it.”
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