5 a.m., Tuesday morning

When my alarm rings at 5 a.m. Tuesday mornings, I’ll admit, I hesitate for a moment before crawling out of bed.

I think, “Maybe this week, maybe this morning, it’s not worth it.” But then I walk to the closet, get dressed and get ready to go.
Tuesday mornings, 6 to 7 a.m., is my church’s men’s Bible study. Since December, I’ve been attending the weekly meeting at a local McDonald’s as often as I can, and now I hate to miss it.

 

Sure, there have been a few mornings when sick kids the night before means it’s probably safer that I sleep in than hit the road in what is still the black of night. And of course, there have been those Tuesday mornings when I’m just not in town, but for the most part, you’ll find me Tuesday mornings with a small group of men hungering to study the Word.

I say hungering because who in their right mind gets up any morning at 5 a.m. unless they either have to or it’s really important to them. And nobody has to do Bible study.

Although we should. And doing it with a group of men who, because of their various backgrounds, have different insights than I do only adds to what I take from this one hour each week.
What also makes this group special is that this Bible study isn’t just for the men. Many of us bring our boys whether they can join the discussion or even read.

At first, I wasn’t sure how beneficial that could be. But in today’s world, just having any time with your boys, even if it’s at the crack of dawn, is worth it. And the conversations we’ve had with the rest of the family around the breakfast table upon our return tells me that even the littlest one with me has been listening and learning.

In a few months, we’ll be moving to Tennessee, and as happens with any long-distance move, we’ll be looking for a new church. Finding a church with a good pastor who speaks straight from the Word, and a congregation that also hungers for their faith to continue growing tops the list of what we’ll be looking for when we move.

But taking into consideration the men’s Bible study will now also be an important factor. Thanks to the men at Word of Grace Community Church, I’ve got a Tuesday morning commitment I don’t want to lose.