Andrew had to try, right?

My husband was asked to preach at our church tonight. He preaches every so often and the kids love to hear "Daddy" preach too. He hasn't pastored in several years and we quit traveling to other churches alot like we use to for him to preach. We really felt like God wanted us to keep the kids in a stable place for church so that the kids with RAD and autism knew what to expect and did better. So now he just fills in at our church here and there.

The kids had a good day for the most part. This mornings church service was wonderful. It was one of those times that you can just feel the Spirit moving in a service so much so that you are surprised that you still can't see Him. I was so excited to get back tonight too.

Andrew must have been able to feel everyone elses excitement and joy. That had to have been part of the thing that made him want to disrupt it all. He decided that he was not going to listen to me, close his mouth, listen, stop, or anything else that he knew was going to have to happen.

He was finally told that when we went in, he would need to sit in his seat with his eyes closed for the 10 minutes or so before the service was to start. My goal was for him to get his "obedience" back into check, but also for him to regain some composure and reregulate so that he could enjoy the service as well. He declared that this was not going to happen either. He threw a tantrum outside of the church and I took him back to the van. This leads to his other motive. He truly had himself convinced that he would get away with it all because Brent was preaching and I had to take care of ALL the kids.

He sure did have another realization coming his way. I let him know very clearly that he WOULD do exactly as I told him. I explained that someone else could watch the other kids inside if need be and I would devote my full attention to him. I also let him know that the consequence of any further misbehavior at church would be him being grounded for a week.

We got back out of the van and entered the church very quietly. He sat for the entire service with his head on his lap. That is what I call "Timeout Church Style"! He is a humbler bumble this evening. He has learned an important lesson: "I am not embarassed when children have behaviors that are not my fault. I will not be embarassed by allowing such behaviors either. I will give consequences no matter where we are and I will follow through." I hope he keeps that in mind next time he thinks that I can be defeated in a RAD WAR.

I'm so glad that I have a loving God who can hold my hand through this journey. I'm also thankful for a wonderful church family who supports us and didn't even feel bad for my little RADish while he sat with his head in his lap. God is good all the time!