Church Life and Relationships

I had an employee tell me the other day… Dr. Perkins, I’ve worked for you 15 years and I’ve seen you laugh and I’ve seen you cry. I’ve seen you happy and I’ve seen you sad. I know what you think is funny and what you think is not funny. I’ve seen you angry. I know when you get mad at me you won’t stay mad. I can read your face and tell you what you are thinking.

I don’t know why she told me that but what I find funny is that I have attended church with folks for thirty or more years and whom I love dearly who don’t know those kinds of things about me. And to be fair… I don’t know those things about them either.

Whenever we have people into our home I tell Julie we need some kind of activity. I found out that if we’re just sitting around talking (and I am mainly listening) that I get a little bored and start yawning which is embarrassing for me.

Julie tells me that I feed on emotions… when we’re sitting around talking… I’m starving but when we have an activity and when people are laughing and joyful and embarrassed and sharing their life with me then I’m… not starving… I’m forming the rudiments of an attachment.

I’m really kind of a loner. After I’ve been in the clinic and am inundated with social interaction with clients I like to go out to our place in Paplote and just be by myself driving a tractor or working on fence and feel best when I come home exhausted.

However to be the kind of Christian I need to be I invite church people to come out and work with me to show them a life that perhaps they are not used to and somewhere along the way we become close friends (if they keep coming).

I had a young exhausted Christian man tell me one time… Mr. Perkins I hope one day I’m as in as good as shape as you are. Stay busy young man work is your friend... TV is your enemy.

I never planned on that employee knowing me that well but that’s what happens when you share your life with someone. If we’re ever going to be closer as Christians we’re going to have to figure out a way to do something together that is not associated *only* with the church building