Falling asleep in church

[Lanolin]

I was only joking when I said 'party all night long' I can barely keep my eyes open past 10pm these days. Actually, thinking about it, I was a complete horror. Which I'm not proud of. But weirdly, neither of my boys drink or smoke or do drugs. I know many parents say this, but I AM the parent who would know! Maybe they're too busy keeping an eye on me, to make sure that I'm not doing the aforementioned! If so, good.

Praise God that I'm the one (by finding Christ) who's broken the cycle. I hope so. If there's only one thing that's come out of my messed up life, i'm glad that my kids don't partake in drink, drugs and cigarettes.

Thats great praise the Lord.
I was never really into it though some of my friends were heavily into the party lifestyle. One girl got into it and didnt survive, I always am wary about parties where drink and drugs are readily available. So many bad things can happen at parties. I now tell her story as a cautionary tale, but thing is Jesus saved her soul from worse things that could have happened in the flesh had she lived. And by her death the police were really raked over the coals for basically ignoring her pleas for help.

Thing is if one is partying all night on Saturday they going to be too hungover to make it to church Sunday morning.
I have some neighbours who are really bad. They seem to be up all night playing doof doof bass till 7am in the morning, keeping half the street awake. They dont seem to realise that at night time most people like to sleep! I wouldnt mind it so much during the day.

 

[Annie]

Uugh, there will definitely be no doof doof bass in my little corner of heaven

 

[Siloam]

You know, long sermons (and falling asleep) is not really a new phenomenon. Apparently, Paul used to speak at length:

Acts 20:7-12 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted.

 

[Lanolin]

You know, long sermons (and falling asleep) is not really a new phenomenon. Apparently, Paul used to speak at length:

Acts 20:7-12 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted.

What Paul kept on talking until dawn?! Ok he must have had a lot to say. I remember Eutychus falling asleep and falling out the window, but dont remember that Paul just carried on talking...

 

[Annie]

You know, long sermons (and falling asleep) is not really a new phenomenon. Apparently, Paul used to speak at length:

Acts 20:7-12 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted.

Thank you Siloam for posting this! It made me chuckle. Indeed I had to go and check Acts to make sure that you weren't making it up lol. How could I possibly have read Acts and not remembered that! Clearly more study is needed on my behalf. However, this particular section will now be etched permanently into my brain!

I will also be avoiding any open windows during future work meetings (my boss has a tendency to go on.. and on..).

 

[ProdigalSon]

Has anyone done this?
I confess I have, the other week, its kind of embarassing. I was really tired, it wasnt that the sermon was boring or anything!
our pastors son-in-law was preaching, and he was saying when he was young, as he grew up in church, he wouldnt be listening it would be in one ear and out the other, sometimes even falling asleep. The sermon was about listening to God, and talked about Samson. Samson didnt really do what God told him to do, he broke all the Nazarite vows, even though he was raised as one from birth.

I got that, but then I kind of nodded of. But at least the sermon didnt go on for hours like Paul did one time and someone fell out of the window.

How long can you sit still and listen to a sermon for, and how long are the sermons and services in the churches you go to? For me, its usually an hour and a half tops. I think its half an hour of sermon with the rest music, notices, prayer. If a meeting goes on for two hours or more, I will either fall asleep or tune out, and this goes for any meeting, not just church ones.

I call it "checking my eyelids for holes". It happens, and lets face it, not all pastors are gifted speakers, but God bless them for being there. Public speaking can be tough, even downright scary. I remember one church I visited and the sermon sounded as if he was reading an academic paper. Could I have done better? Probably not.