There have been many churches I have called home in my life. Some have aquired that reference due to time spent in the pews and others because of the community I benefited from. But none the less, each has made its mark on my life in both encouraging and challenging ways. There have been worship leaders that have stirred in me a healthy reverence of God through use of sound and since I lean more toward the artistic side of life, I'm initially compelled to seek this first. There have been teachers that have caused me to pause, try to rub feeling back into my tired writing hand and be humbled by the knowledge of the Bible I lack. These are the ones that keep me wake in church, hungry for His Word and yet unsatisfied by my own times studying. There have also been buildings in which I have joined many friends on Sunday mornings to recap events of the week, cry tears over current struggles, and retreat back to my daily life knowing that I am loved and cared for. But what I haven't found much of is the blending of all three.Over a cup of Starbucks, I discussed this idea with a friend of mine. She talked a little bit about what she has learned about deciding on a church to attend and I've begun to understand why some churches have their places in my life and some do not. Outside of doctrinal stances, a church can move you intellectually, emotional, and even physically at certain seasons in life. And just as seasons come and go, so do my home churches. Not that the past churches didn't have good enough worship or the pastor wasn't a world renown speaker but that they had their place in my journey and now that is somewhere else. So why is it that I find myself looking at other churches as "not as good as mine" when it's really based on finding a home? Shame on me.
But after much searching over the past year, I have found the one I currently call home. It's not whether or not I will be at church on Sunday but which service I will go to. God has used each service to touch me in a special way - worship, teaching, and community combined. I've found the Lord to be more real to me than ever before because of the time I've spent there. My heart is overflowing! I've been able to meet with God in the presence of many other believers today. What a blessing God has given us when He gave us church!
1 comment:
Glad you found "home". We went through the same things when searching for a church family here. Is it that it's hard to find a church that has it all or is it that we expect so much these days that it is hard to satisfy us? Nice blog. Love you!
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