Another Faux Pas

This is a repeat from 2010...still following the theme of Hospitality...Go ahead, laugh at me!


Proverbs 31:18 “She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night.”

Don't you just love that apron? It actually is a vintage relic,
made from a flour sack by my husband's grandmother many
years ago! I still have it somewhere-but it is pretty
well worn-out...lots of biscuit flour and grease
stains worked into that antique! (The apron,
not me!)  This picture is circa 1980

Back in the early days of our life in the ministry,  I was contemplating how I could interpret this portion of the above Proverb about the virtuous woman that says, “and her lamp does not go out by night”.  My first thought was that this woman must always pay her electric bill on time so that her “lamp doesn’t go out by night.” However, in the broader sense, I believe it means that she plans ahead and is always prepared for any emergency. She probably keeps a spare canned ham (do they still have those?) in her fridge or other such easy to fix quick meals in case unexpected company arrives. I learned about that the hard way.

There was a very nice young couple that had recently started attending our church. We wanted to have them over to our home for an evening so we could get better acquainted. Because the man’s work kept him at work late, I thought it best not to invite them to supper, but just for dessert, since our family was used to eating much earlier. So I had prepared a lovely apple pie, had fed the family and cleaned up the kitchen, and was ready for a quiet visit with our new friends. When they arrived, the young man said that when he told his boss that his Pastor had invited him and his wife to supper, his boss gladly let him off work on time. My heart flipped and sank to my toes! “Did you say supper?” I timidly questioned.  He embarrassedly asked if he’d made a mistake. I wanted to fall through the floor and die! I explained that I had only prepared dessert and I was so sorry for the miscommunication. We offered to make them a sandwich, but they very politely refused and said the dessert was all they wanted as they had eaten a very late lunch. The delightful quiet evening I had anticipated got off to a rather frightful start. After many apologies we promised to have them over for Christmas dinner, and I emphasized the word “dinner”. They were extremely kind and understanding, and eagerly accepted the invitation to Christmas Dinner, since they too were living far from their families.

After they left that evening I thought of a million other things I should’ve and could’ve done if I’d only kept a cool head and they would’ve been none the wiser. One idea was I could’ve called and ordered a pizza to be delivered, or perhaps sent my husband out to pick up a bucket of chicken, pleading a bad day with sick kids or a headache or something. Or, if I’d made a practice of keeping that canned ham in the fridge and other quick menu ideas handy, I could’ve whipped up a delicious meal in no time flat.

Oh Lord, forgive me when I do the wrong thing when You know I wanted to do the right thing. And help me to always be ready to serve those who You send my way, no matter what time of day or night. Thank You for your patience with me. Amen.

Ok...let's hear it...I know none of you would be guilty of such a terribly embarrassing situation...what would YOU have done?  Or, maybe I should ask...what HAVE you done in similar circumstances?  Share your words of wisdom with us...I know I still have a long way to go in that regard.  Thankfully, God understands and forgives me for my "faux pax"...I hope my fellow man is just as forgiving.

 
 
(yes, these are very old pictures of me. No, I don't still look like that...)

An Inauspicious Beginning, OR, "Confession is Good for the Soul"...

The Steiner Family Saga continues...stories from "the good old days"

Proverbs 31:12 “She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.”

Yes, we had indeed “moved on up to the eastside”…the eastside of Cleveland, that is, to the region known as The Hills. What a beautiful place this was! Not only was the church a thriving, growing church in the suburbs, but it also had an absolutely gorgeous parsonage! We thought we “had died and gone to heaven” when we moved in! Especially after living in that big old house with the mice and the smelly cellar and the putting up with the alarms, sirens, whistles and bells…this would be divine! But we were soon to discover the truth of that old saying, “All that glitters is not gold.” (“The Merchant of Venice”, Shakespeare, 1596)

In our very first week I just about got us kicked out of that beautiful new parsonage and nice suburban church.

We had come fresh from the country, where people weren’t quite so “up-tight” about their “religion”. We were soon to discover that some of our new church people were the real puritanical, narrow-minded type, who had been schooled in some rather “pharisaical” teachings prior to our arrival. We had only moved sixty miles in the same state, so who would’ve thought that people could be so different?

This was back before contemporary Christian music was used or even considered acceptable in the church services. Once in a while during a youth rally or vacation Bible school or some other such program they might allow some praise choruses to be sung instead of the traditional hymns. Well, here was this dear lady, whom I will call “Eve”, who was immediately my kindred spirit.  “Eve” loved to sing and play the guitar, which I thought was just great! So she encouraged me to help her lead the singing on Sunday night and convinced my husband that it would be just fine. We stood up in front of the church, with “Eve” playing the guitar and me leading the people to sing choruses such as “Allelu, Allelu, Allelu, Alleluia, Praise ye the Lord!” Now, if you are familiar with this chorus, the idea is to divide the congregation into two sides, and have one half stand up and sing the first part, the “alleluia’s”, and then sit down, while the other side stands up and sings “Praise ye the Lord!” This goes back and forth rather rapidly until the end of the song when both sides stand up and loudly sing ‘Praise ye the Lord” together! Simple little song, full of the joy of the Lord, right? Sure! IF the PEOPLE are full of the joy of the Lord!

We sang a few more such songs, and I was wondering why some people just didn’t seem to be getting in the “spirit” of this singing, and were actually glowering at us from their seats with very squinty eyes and crossed arms. I was having too much fun and also too ignorant to realize that I had just stepped on some very prim and proper toes a bit too much! Ouch! The next morning my husband had a line of weeping and wailing women at his study door telling him that they did not like any such singing and that they would not “have a three ring circus” at their church and that I had better not ever do that again! Wow! When he told me what they had said I told him that I would NOT stay at a church where the people felt that way, and that I was too embarrassed to ever show my face again, and that since I hadn’t even yet unpacked all of our boxes we could just pack them back up and move on to someplace else right away! Poor guy! He really had his work cut out for himself at this place…both with the congregation…and with ME!

I wish I could say that I did every thing properly and correctly from then on…but it wasn’t too long after that we had a church social of some kind, and I was helping to serve the beverages to the people. As I went from person to person with my tray of beverages, I came to one of the Elders of the church, another rather “narrow” personage in my opinion, and for some silly reason the only thing that I could think of to say when I offered him a beverage was “would you like coffee, tea, or ME?” Now where did THAT come from? Some movie I had seen somewhere, I guess… I wanted to just fall through the floor and die right there! The look on his face was total shock and then much to my relief, he actually rather blushingly smiled and laughed and said “Wow! I guess I’d better have the coffee!” He kindly helped me get over my embarrassment by not making me feel too stupid. And for that I was very grateful.

I recently discovered a verse that I wish I had known years ago. It could have saved my husband and myself many embarrassing moments. “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3.This verse coupled with my most unforgettable Psalm would make an excellent prayer for every woman when she awakens each morning. The unforgettable verse is Psalm 19:14…

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”

A woman who earnestly desires before God to say the acceptable words and think the acceptable thoughts will be more likely to do good for her husband (and herself!) and not evil all the days of her life.

Thank you Lord, for that reminder! I need to plaster it on my forehead or some place visible every day! Oh, and by the way, “Eve” and I have remained friends to this very day. I can’t even remember who the “weeping and wailing” women were! I think some of them have gone on to their “final reward” (maybe).

Now that I've confessed some of my most embarrassing moments...how about YOU?  Have you ever wished the floor would open up and swallow you? C'mon...'fess up!  It's good for the soul!!!  :)