if it wasn't for church bells...

..a deep slumber would ensue.
...Jamie would be late.
...children wouldn't hear how valuable they are.

Okay, so here's the story and I feel really dumb but I thought I'd share it anyway. It all goes back to last week. I tried to go to bed at a decent hour each night and sometimes I was successful. However, other times I was not, especially Friday night. We had movie night at church and watch Napoleon Dynamite and The Princess Bride. We were done and home by 9:30pm. Then we invited Angie and Mark to come over and play Shrek 2 with us on our game cube. We really get into this game and can play it for hours and that is exactly what we did. We played till 2 or 2:30am. We just kept going and going. After they left I tried to go to bed fairly soon but couldn't fall asleep right away. I think I saw the clock at 3:30. Then we got up at 9:00 the next morning...Greg had brass practice and I went and exercized. Then some of my friends came over and we scrapbooked. Saturday night Mark and Angie came for dinner and then we watched a movie. They left around midnight but I still had to plan my children's message for Sunday. So I was up till at least 1:30am. Planned on getting up at 6:30 on Sunday moring to finalize things for the message and to make sure Bible class was completely planned out. Well the alarm went off at 6:30 and I was like I can totally get up I'm not tired. But I hit snooze. Then never heard it again. So at 5 minutes to 8:00am the church bells ring and if it's wasn't for church bells a deep slumber would have insued...I would have been late and children would not have heard how valuable they are. I heard the bells, looked at the clock and got ready faster than ever before. I was at church in time for the message. It's about 1/3 of the way through the service so not at the very begining. So it was okay. Only a few people know that I was late...until now. The message went great. I did the whole money message where I show them a $20 bill and ask them what they would like to buy with it. Then crinkle it in my hand and ask if I could still use it to buy that, then make a small tear, and then squash it with my foot...all the while telling them that it is still $20 and we can still buy something with it. Relating this to them by telling them how valuable they are to God. Then using the beatitudes as well to explain some other things to them. I hope they got the message...that they are loved and valuable no matter what! So, that's my story. I hope you liked it. It happens to the best of us but thank goodness for church bells.