Choosing to Breathe (#fmfparty)

Nearly Every Sunday in 2016

• 8:25 a.m. to 8:55 a.m. – Shower, hair, dress, and make up.
• 8:55 a.m. to 9:10 am. – Get my guys up, breakfast made, clothes laid out for them.
• 9:15 a.m. – Leave for church without my guys (they are still eating breakfast, brushing teeth, and getting dressed).
• 9:30 a.m. – Setting up classroom for Sunday School.
• 9:45-10 a.m. – Kids arrive.
• 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. – Energetic (and hopefully) exciting games, activities, and lessons from Lifeway’s FLYTE curriculum (which is perfect for preteens because it dives into topics relevant to that age group).
• 10:45 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. – Clean up classroom because it looks like a tornado went through it (this includes smooshed poptarts, mostly full water bottles, and gum wrappers).
• 10:50 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Get instrument ready or practice songs or go over sound board one more time, make sure choir book and music are in the right places for the service, sometimes have time to pray with the rest of the praise team.
• 11 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. – Special (depends if it was praise team week or not), congregational song (play or sing depending on week), choir song, congregational song, sometimes an offertory (play or sing with group), congregational song, special (which is my cue to get off the stage and go breathe for a minute unless I’m at the sound board and by that point, my brain is fried and I’m stressed because the monitors are never loud enough on stage but those in the pews are being blown away. Despite the texts and stares for monitor adjustments, I always give them the best that I have. Didn't realize I had been holding my breath all through the last song as I was adjusting the faders just right).
• 11:25 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. – This is the first time I get to sit down all morning and try to breathe, but my heart is pumping with too much adrenaline from all the excitement of Sunday School to the pressure and nerves that come with doing music. This isn’t enough time for me to breathe until I run back to the sound board in a few minutes.
• 11:55 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. – Covering at sound board during invitation, after service music, and making a CD of the service.
• 12:30 p.m. – Home.
• 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. – Making and eating lunch with my family.
• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. – I’m flat out exhausted and my introverted self must recharge if I'm going to be personable tonight (aka nap).
• 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – Back at church for choir practice.
• 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Playing or singing for evening service (A LOT less hectic than morning service).
• 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Either practicing for an upcoming special, doing something church-related, or socializing (which was rare).
• 8:15 p.m. – Make it home just in time to put child to bed (it feels like I've hardly seen him because I’ve been at church all day and then too tired to enjoy family time).
• 8:30 p.m to 10 p.m. – Totally wiped out and need time to rest and recharge before cleaning the house and getting everything together that we need for school and work.
• 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. – Second wind hits so I tackle my seminary reading and homework.

Sundays in 2017

• 9:30 a.m. -- Everyone gets to sleep in plus we have time for a family breakfast.
• 10:30 a.m. – Ride together as a family to church.
• 11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. – Worship together as a family at church (we actually have time to sit together because we aren’t off in our various areas serving).
• 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Lunch and then a quiet afternoon together as a family to b.r.e.a.t.h.e.

My Sundays in 2017 are about CHOOSING what is better for me and my family … CHOOSING to breathe! Sometimes choosing to breathe means letting go of performance-based beliefs, relationships, and environments that keep me from truly breathing. When I’m not breathing, I’m not living--I am merely existing. God has called me to more than existing!! But in order to step into His calling, I must learn to breathe, fully breathe so I can fully live and fully serve! I want to exhale those refreshing breaths of Him rather than exhaling the short, adrenaline-filled breaths that never refresh and satisfy.

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42

Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes.  No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart.  To find out more, visit http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/.  This week's word is "BREATHE".