05/22/2026
When I was in middle school, I attended Tabernacle Baptist Church in Carrollton, Georgia - in what I lovingly call “the glory years” when it still sat off the town square.
Our youth minister was phenomenal. His name was Bill Christian, and I still remember one lesson he taught us nearly 40 years later. We were sitting criss-cross on the floor when he talked about the importance of falling in love with someone who loves the Lord. At 13 years old, I soaked it up like a sponge. But last Sunday morning? I finally understood exactly why it mattered.
I woke up at 7am already mentally behind. I needed to make pasta salad and cheese dip for Mother’s Day by the pool. I needed to unload the dishwasher, pack Bo’s lunch, make homemade bread, drink my coffee, and stare silently into space while contemplating my entire existence.
By 8:45, I had already missed the 8am church service. The 9:30 wasn’t looking promising either. The 11:15 was technically doable, but my guests were arriving at 1. I’d be cutting it close. That’s when my husband spoke up.
“What are you doing?”
“What’s it LOOK like I’m doing?” (And yes, I already had tone.)
“Are we not going to church?”
“I don’t know.”
“We need to go.”
Then I gave him my full TED Talk about everything I still needed to accomplish. And that’s when he hit me with, “Well, your priorities are screwed up, and your butt needs to be in church.”
Rude. Accurate. But rude.
So I fired back with, “I talk to God every day. I’m in the Word every day. I think I’m fine.”
And then he said the line that shut me completely down, “But this isn’t about you. Our boy needs to see us in church.”
Whew. I wanted to argue. But he was right. I’ve written before about Mary and Martha, and I quickly realized something. I am Martha down to my core. Busy. Distracted. Scurrying around trying to make everything “perfect” while missing what mattered most. And that’s exactly why who you marry matters.
Because left to myself, I would’ve skipped church without a second thought and justified every bit of it. But a Godly spouse pulls you back when life starts pulling you away. Not with perfection. Not with legalism. But with accountability.
I’m convinced the downfall of America is happening quietly within the walls of our homes. We won’t miss ball practice, a dance recital, our gym time, hair appointments, vacations, dinner reservations, or company parties. But somehow, worshipping God together as a family is now “optional.”
And whether we realize it or not, our children are paying attention. And, one day they’ll build homes that look a whole lot like the ones they grew up in. Let’s make sure they build on solid rock.
Signed,
Mighty Convicted
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
