MY FAVORITE SUNDAYS

     IT HAS BEEN THREE MONTHS NOW, THREE MONTHS SINCE WE RECEIVED THE INSTRUCTION RE: NOT HAVING GMMS RIGHT AFTER WORSHIP SERVICES. SINCE, WE'VE BEEN HOLDING OUR MONTHLY MEETING AT A BROTHER'S HOUSE LIKE DAYS OF OLD. ATTENDANCE HAS CHANGED DRASTICALLY, GARNERING NEARLY HALF THE NUMBERS AS BEFORE, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, THE QUALITY OF OUR GMMS HAS INCREASED GREATLY, FOR WHICH I'M BOTH GRATEFUL AND SURPRISED, VERY SURPRISED. I KNOW THAT BEING IN A HOUSE (AS OPPOSED TO THE OUTDOOR PATIO OF THE HALL OR INSIDE THE HALL) CHANGES THE DYNAMICS OF THINGS, ALLOWING FOR A MORE AT-EASE, CALM, OPEN ATMOSPHERE, A BIG FACTOR NO DOUBT. HOWEVER, THE CONTENTS OF THE MEETING HAVEN'T BEEN COMPLEX AT ALL--THEY'VE BEEN SIMPLE, REALLY--NOR HAVE THEY BEEN THE FLASHIEST IN TERMS OF PRESENTATION IF AND WHEN PRESENTATIONS ARE INVOLVED; SOMETIMES, THERE AREN'T MANY SPEAKERS; SOMETIMES I'M THE ONLY SPEAKER (NOT THAT THE MEETINGS JUST CONSISTS OF "TALKING" FOR THE WHOLE MEETING, MIND YOU HAHAHA); IN ADDITION, I ADMIT THAT I NEED TO PUT MORE TIME INTO PREPARING THE MATERIALS, TO INVOLVE MORE PEOPLE AND NOT BE LAST MINUTE WITH THINGS; ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE ALL THE MORE REASON FOR MY BEING SURPRISED BY THE SUCCESS OF OUR GMMS, SUCCESS BEING DEFINED AS THE BRETHREN'S ENJOYMENT AND BENEFIT, MADE EVIDENT BY THE SMILES, LAUGHS AND MORE. WHILE I CAN SAY THAT I HAVE LEARNED MUCH WITH THE SUCCESS OVER THESE LAST MONTHS, THE SUCCESS IS BECAUSE OF AND COMES FROM NONE OTHER THAN GOD. THOUGH I'M FAR FROM BEING A GOOD PRESIDENT, THOUGH I OFTEN PROCRASTINATE AND NEED TO DO SO MUCH MORE NOT ONLY FOR MYSELF BUT FOR OTHERS MOST ESPECIALLY, GOD SEES ME TRYING; GOD IS WITH ME; I KNOW IT; I CAN FEEL, WHAT A JOY IT IS TO KNOW THAT GOD IS BY MY SIDE, UNDESERVING AS I AM OF SUCH A GRACE. WITH GOD'S HELP, SOME BRETHREN WHO DON'T NORMALLY ATTEND OUR MEETINGS ARE NOW STARTING TO, I'M GETTING CLOSER TO BRETHREN I HAVEN'T BEEN CLOSE TO, THE BRETHREN ARE BETTER ENJOYING OUR MEETINGS AND I, MYSELF, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF BEING PRESIDENT, AM LEARNING AND FEEL LIKE I'M ACTUALLY "GETTING IT" NOW--ALL THESE SUCCESSES ARE GOD'S DOING, GOD'S GUIDANCE, GOD'S GOODNESS. UPON CLOSING A MEETING, ASIDE FROM EATING MORE OF COURSE, WE'VE BEEN WALKING THE WALKING DEAD AND OR PLAYING GAMES. TODAY, WE WATCHED THE WALKING DEAD AND THE EPISODE AND LIKEWISE THE LIVING ROOM WE WERE IN WAS FULL OF TENSION. WE JOKED, LAUGHED, SCREAMED TOGETHER. WE HAD A GOOD TIME. I CAME TO THE MEETING TIRED, HAVING PICKED UP BRETHREN AS WELL AS SOME FOOD BEFORE, DRAINED ALSO BY THE USUAL SUNDAY SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCE IN BOTH ADULTS AND CWS SERVICES AS WELL AS PRACTICES, ATOP GENERAL PRACTICE THIS PARTICULAR SUNDAY. DURING AND AFTER QUALITY TIME AND FELLOWSHIP WITH BRETHREN, RENEWED IN STRENGTH, THE FATIGUE WAS GONE. I KNOW FULLY WELL WHY SUCH A GRACE HAS BEEN GIVEN; IT COMES WITH ANOTHER BLESSING, ONE OF THE GREATEST ONES RECEIVED, A BLESSING RECEIVED THE SAME MONTH THAT THE NEW INSTRUCTION WAS TO BE IMPLEMENTED. KAD. GMM SUNDAYS, THE SECOND SUNDAY OF THE MONTH IN MOST CASES, HAVE BECOME MY FAVORITE SUNDAYS...