Our Second Home

By Paul Nauman, vice chair

For years Claudia and I have weighed and discussed the pros and cons of owning a second home. We have dreamed of a place we could go to on weekends and during the summer months. It would be located in a place that is scenic, uncrowded and quiet -- a place where we could get away from the cares and concerns of our life at our primary home in Libertyville; a place where we could play and walk and pray. We have talked with friends and acquaintances who have made this step and asked them about their experiences:

• How do you deal with the ongoing maintenance of a second home?
• Who watches over it when you're not there, which is most of the time?
• Is it a wise use of financial resources?
• Have you considered co-ownership?
• Do you really go there as often as you thought you would, given the obligations and activities that constantly arise at home?
• What about Sunday worship?

Our current position on the matter is that, at least for us, the reality of a second home would probably be considerably less attractive than the ideal of which we have dreamed. Consequently we are no longer actively searching for another home. That doesn't mean, however, that the issue won't spring to life, full-sized, the next time we go on a vacation to a place that we really like. Ah, the struggle of being middle-of-the-roaders!

I recently had an interesting insight on this issue, which is what prompted me to write this article. As I was reviewing some financial records I happened to notice the bottom line on the donation record that we got from Libertyville Covenant Church at the end of last year. As I looked at the figure a voice in my head said, "Wow -- that could be applied toward a mortgage on a second home!" I was just about to push that thought aside as a selfish temptation when a second thought hit me: "Hey! It is!" The more I thought about it, the more I realized just how appropriate the analogy is and, if we view it in this light, perhaps our participation in God's work at LCC will satisfy some of the longings that we have projected into our image of the perfect second home. The most obvious parallel, beyond the financial impact, is the frequency of our trips to the church. We are there almost every weekend, year in and year out, plus many midweek visits. We certainly could never achieve such a record at a second home. In addition, the length of the drive is quite reasonable.

Our ideal second home is a place of quiet and refreshment; a place to pray. Libertyville Covenant is certainly a place where we pray, frequently, but our most common experiences are Sunday worship, which is a corporate experience, and the attendant fellowship in the narthex, which is definitely not quiet. The worship and fellowship are wonderful, and we could never hope for such experiences in a second home, but perhaps we need to spend some more quiet time at the church to draw strength and refreshment from God's presence there. The church is located on a beautiful property which we seldom explore. We could also spend some more time outside of the building to enjoy God's handiwork that surrounds us.

We are blessed with a facility and staff at Libertyville Covenant that we could never have afforded on our own. this is because we share the costs of these with many other like-minded people in our extended "church family." True, we probably would not have hired a pastoral staff at our second home (an interesting notion), but what a blessing to have the benefit of their insight and leadership at LCC! Similarly we probably wouldn't look for a second home with a sanctuary, complete with organ, choir loft and pulpit, but how beautiful it is to gather with our extended family to sing praises to the Lord and to hear His word proclaimed! My only small complaint is that I haven't yet found a good place to take a nap. Perhaps Brian has some insights there.

So maybe Claudia and I can finally dismiss our perennial longing for another home, knowing that we are already invested in a place much more fulfilling that we could have hoped for anywhere else. And to top it all off, we get to enjoy it with you! We look forward to seeing you soon at our second home.