He LOVES Us

Today was another Sunday for me to visit a new church.

As you may recall, last week I visited a church that I thought was one that my co-worker attends. Service was great although I realized on Tuesday when she returned to work, that I had the right name, but wrong location. No worries.

So I decided to try again today.

I got it right this time!

Still didn't see my friend though. And that's okay. She may have attended the 9:00 service and I was at the 11:00. I'm still on public transportation so making service at 9:00 was a bit of a stretch. Those buses don't run as frequently on Sunday as they do the other days of the week. 11:00 was perfect.

Even though the churches that I have been visiting (and still plan to visit) are those that my friends attend, I don't visit with the intention of actually seeing them. If I do...great. If I don't...great.

Even though I know days in advance where I will be attending service, I never reach out to anyone and say, "Hey...I pulled your church's name out of my bowl...so I'll see ya on Sunday."

Nope. I never do that.

I want my visitation experiences to be as authentic as possible...with God in FULL control. At least on my FIRST visit. So I show up when I show up. Sometimes I see friends...most times I don't.

As with all of the other services that I have attended at previous churches, I enjoyed the experience. Just as with last week...I didn't know a single song during Praise and Worship because they sing Contemporary Christian songs (like you'd hear on The Fish 95.9) I am much more used to Gospel, which we sing at my church and pretty much every other church that I have visited.

This location was a bit more diverse than the one that I attended last Sunday. I was still just a sprinkle of pepper in a sea of salt, yet when we come together for God's glory, all HE sees are His children.

Today's message was #8 in a series titled, "Pray Like This." Basically forming our prayers as Jesus modeled for us in Matthew 6:9-13. In doing so, our prayers will be more effective.

In all that Pastor Larry mentioned during the message, one thing really hit home with me. He was talking about problems and how we often fail to correctly treat a particular problem because we deal with the "symptoms" instead of the "cause." As an example, he mentioned how he used to mow his lawn when he was a young boy and his Mom would ask if he had taken care of the dandelions (pretty as they may be...they're still a weed.) He assured his Mom that he had because he had "mowed" them down. She then corrected him and told him that mowing them down wasn't the same as "taking care of them"...and that they'd be back in two weeks. Why? Because in order to have truly "taken care of the dandelions," he needed to get down to the roots. He hadn't done that. So...as expected, they came back.

This is what so many of us do, and it is especially what I do. I deal with the "symptoms" of my issues, but rarely the "causes/roots." Now that I know better, I will do better.

So you see...for those who may question why I'm doing all this "church hopping"...I am doing it because (A) God instructed me to, and (B) because it has made my worship and learning experience FRESH again. By the way...I personally don't think that "visiting" is the same as "church hopping." I think "church hopping" is when you become a MEMBER here, then leave, then become a MEMBER there, then leave, and continue doing so. THAT, to me, is "church hopping." I'm sure that there are others who will disagree.

Yes...I love my home church. That is family for me. Yet I didn't feel that I was always giving God my best. I had fallen into a routine. God has done too much for me to give Him half-hearted praise, so I knew I needed to change. Now...I go into churches not knowing what to expect. Only knowing that it is a Christian church that is Bible-believing. Those are the only two things that I ever know going in. So far, I have come out better with each visit than when I went in. Learning things from a different perspective...and giving God my best.

With today being Father's Day, we gave praise and honor to God as we THANKED Him for being such a "Good Good Father" to us. Interestingly, I had never heard this song before until last Sunday. Today, I heard it again. It's so very fitting, as He definitely is a "Good Good Father". If you've never heard it before...please take a listen.

Oh, one more thing -- you're probably wondering where I visited for the past two Sundays (I can't remember if I mentioned it last week.) Well...last Sunday I attended Light and Life Church in Downey. Today, I attended Light and Life Christian Fellowship on Downey. BIG difference between those two words, in and on.

Oh, wait -- one more more thing -- on this day, "30 Days of THANKFULNESS: Day 6 - I am THANKFUL for God's LOVE. Love UNCONDITIONAL. I fail DAILY, and yet...He continues to LOVE me. I will NEVER be perfect, and He knows this. All I can do is my best to be BETTER today, than I was yesterday. This is my goal, each and EVERY day.

Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you listen to Contemporary Christian music? If so, who are your favorite groups?

Talk to me!

Til next time...