Change of Plans

As some may recall, I was visiting churches a while back and on a fairly regular schedule. My schedule got a bit "detoured" but now I am back on track.

Last Sunday (and the Sunday before), I had the pleasure of attending a church that I had never even heard of before, but due to some recent circumstances in my life, I found myself there.

They were quite welcoming (as churches should be), and I enjoyed the service. Two ladies in particular were exceptionally kind...Miss Katrina and Miss Marilyn. If you ever attend service there, be sure to give these ladies an extra-special hello.

Anywhoo...the church I visited was Bethlehem Temple, where "God Is In Control."

Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever found yourself on the way to one place, only to find yourself at a different place?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Over The River and Through The Woods

If  you've followed The Dialogue Den for the past few months, you know that I have been visiting various churches (and enjoying the experience.)

My last church visit was on October 9th when I visited the church that "Joe's" brother attended. That's how it ended up in my "bowl."

To date, that church had been the furthest that I had visited as it was all the way in Irvine. On my first visit, I attended the 8:00 service, and on my second visit, I attended the 10:30.

I gotta tell ya...a WHOLE LOT has happened since that last visit. That afternoon I took a nap and when I woke up, my life changed in a way that I wasn't expecting. Wish I could share what happened, and I will...in a book one day.

Anywoo...things changed.

One really big change from then to now is that Joe's brother is now the pastor of a church other than the one I visited in Irvine. I had no idea that that was coming. I'm happy for him though and know that he will do well in leading God's people. I haven't yet added his new church to my bowl yet, but one day maybe I will.

For the following three Sundays, I attended service at my own church. Again...for reasons that I can't get into right here and now, but will explain one day in a book.

After those three weeks, it was time for me to visit again. So I prayed, reached into my bowl and pulled out what has now become the furthest church. This one was in Moreno Valley. Until my visit I don't think I had ever even been to Moreno Valley.

That church made it into my bowl though because my cousin Kevin (whom I haven't seen since I was about seven years old) attends.

I arrived and as he was singing with the Praise Team, he noticed me. Once they were done singing, he came over and gave me a great big "cousin hug." It was great! I mean really...I haven't seen him in DECADES, but thanks to good ol' Facebook we were able to connect a few years ago.

I enjoyed the service and...as I always do...I went back today for my 2nd visit. I really enjoy the love that this church has for the community. They don't just "do church" inside the walls of the building, but they take church outside by serving. That's what Christ wants His followers to do.

If the church weren't so far I would definitely visit again. For now though, I can say that I'm glad I went and my soul was blessed.

If anyone is in the Moreno Valley area looking for a loving, Bible-based church to visit or join, I would recommend Renewed Life Fellowship.

Now, Let the DIALOGUE begin: How are you feeling after last Tuesday's presidential election?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Over the Riverand Through the Woods

Well folks, here we are again. Another Sunday, and another Sunday that I have visited a church during my "Season of Visitation."

I enjoyed service where I worshipped today (which was also where I worshipped last Sunday.)

The church was quite welcoming, warm, friendly...and far. I think it's the farthest church I've visited yet. I just "Google Mapped" it and the distance was 32.8 miles from my home.

Aside from the fact that the message was good, (the theme was Transformation to Triumph with each of the past 3 weeks focusing on a different area of focus. The first week was, prayer. Last week was thinking. And this week was Holy living. All based on Philippians 4:1-9), I enjoyed the fact that the church's congregation is predominantly Black while the location of the church is in Orange County, which is far from being predominantly Black.

This church ended up in my "bowl" because "Joe's" brother goes there. Plus, I've heard the Pastor on the radio a few times so always knew that I wanted to visit even before knowing that Joe's brother attends.

I saw Joe's brother last week during the "Meet & Greet" portion of the service. He asked what I was doing, "way out there." I told him I was visiting...which I was.

I saw him again today (he actually greeted the visitors), but we didn't speak this time. Didn't want him to think I'm "stalking."

All in all I enjoyed the experience. I especially admire all of the work that they do in the urban communities. Although the church is located in Orange County, they do LOTS of service in areas outside of Orange County. I think that's highly commendable and exactly what Christ would want.

So, in case you're curious and would like to pay them a visit, the church was Christ Our Redeemer in Irvine. I urge you to stop by if you're in the neighborhood.

That's all for now. I look forward to where God will have me go in a couple weeks. I'll keep ya posted

Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: What's the farthest distance you've eve driven to church?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Keepin' Up with The Times

This morning I made my 2nd visit to one of the churches from my "bowl."

How I came to visit was a bit interesting.

For those who have followed The Dialogue Den for the past few months, you know that I have been enjoying a "Season of Visitation" with regard to where I have been worshiping on Sunday mornings.

For those new to the blog I'll give you a "Cliff's Notes" version and let you know that I have a church home where I have been a member for over twenty years, yet for the past three years or so God has been urging me to visit other churches. I ignored the urge for a couple years and finally, this year, I decided to be obedient...and visit.

To be 100% clear, I am not looking for a new faith as I strongly proclaim my faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. Nor am I looking for a new church home, because I'm happy where I am currently.

I am however, enjoying the various styles of worship, and Scriptural messages that I have heard at churches other than my own.

How do I decide where to go?

I'm glad you asked.

I pay attention to where my friends "check-in" on Sunday mornings and I place the names of those churches in my "bowl." On my designated week to visit, I randomly pick a church from "the bowl" and that's where I head the following Sunday.

So what made today's (and last Sunday's) visits interesting was that this church was the most recent one that got added to my "bowl." That's never happened before.

A few weeks ago one of my friends noticed that I'm visiting churches so she invited me to hers. I thanked her for the invitation and told her that I would add her church to my list (didn't wanna have to explain 'the bowl') and that I wasn't sure when I'd be there, but that I would be one day...at Gods' "go."

Well, wha'da'ya'know...hers was the church that I pulled to visit last Sunday.

I enjoyed service there.

They don't have a building of their own yet so they have service in a middle school auditorium. That was just fine with me. I've always said that I can worship at the beach or at a park...as long as God is being praised and His word is going forth...that's all that matters. I even told her about my own church and how we were "homeless" for 18 months before we finally got a building of our own. So for those 18 months we shared a church building. Our service would begin at 8:30 and we would be finished in time for the other church to have their service begin at 11:00. Yep.

So I'm sure that soon enough they will be in a building of their own.

In the meantime, the worship was solid...the preaching was solid and God is getting the glory.

One thing that I noticed today was how "young" the church was. I mean, I was probably the oldest person in attendance and their use of technology was an example of how "young" the church is.

At my church, we have a "Meet and Greet" portion during the service where we go and say hello to each other, and preferably say hello to someone we've never seen before to make sure that visitors feel welcomed.

At this church, they have what's called "Tweet and Greet." You find someone to say hello to, take a "selfie" with them, and then post it to social media. Yep.

Where some churches frown upon the use of cell phones in church, this one actually encourages it...at least during that part of the service. I thought that was pretty cool.

Overall, I enjoyed my visits to Kingdom Culture Worship Center. Now I'm looking forward to where God will send me next.

In the meantime, Let the DIALOGUE begin: Are you on Twitter? If so, what's the last thing you tweeted?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

There's No Place Like HOME

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

I gotta tell ya...this experience was the most "interesting" of them all thus far.

As I have mentioned before, I have certain criteria that I look for in a church before I visit.

It MUST be a Bible believing, preaching, teaching church.

The church's beliefs about Christ must be the same as mine -- that He is God, He is the Son of God, He lived, was crucified, buried, rose again on the third day, and is coming back.

The church must believe that Jesus is Lord and that He is the ONLY way to salvation.

Those are all pretty standard as far as Christianity goes so in every church I've visited thus far, and even the one I visited today, the criteria has been met.

So...what made today's visit "interesting?"

1. There were no instruments. No piano. No organ. No drums. Nada.
2. There was no choir. There was a "song leader" who directed us to which songs in the hymnal, (yes HYMNAL) we would be singing.
3. Communion was served (today...4th Sunday).

Ok...so even though those things were "interesting," they didn't negate any of the criteria that I look for when visiting...so I was good with the service.

After service though, things became "more interesting."

One of the ministers spoke with me and asked what I though about the service. I pointed out that things were done a bit "different" that what I am accustomed to, but overall, I enjoyed service.

He then proceeded to ask me what was "different."

So I mentioned the fact that there were no instruments or choir. He didn't really address that, and then proceeded to ask me about anything else.

I told him that I wasn't used to having Communion on 4th Sunday. He then asked how often we have it at my church. I told him once a month, on 1st Sunday.

He asked me why.

I told him that that is just how often we do it, and told him that it didn't matter how often we did it as long as we did it in remembrance of Christ.

He then sat me down, opened his Bible and showed me that I was wrong.

We took a look at 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 which he explained to me just tells us WHAT Communion is and WHY we take it. He said that it does not state there WHEN or HOW OFTEN we are to take it.

In order to determine that, we went to Acts 20:7.

Based on that passage of Scripture, he told me that we are to take Communion EVERY "first day of the week," which is Sunday. So instead of just ONE Sunday a month, we are to be taking it EVERY Sunday.

He told me that there are five parts to WORSHIP:

• Praying
• Preaching
• Giving
• Singing

and

• Communion

Then he said, "If we only do 4 of the 5 each Sunday then WORSHIP is not complete."

Hmmm...

Then he moved on to the subject of baptism.

This got even "more interesting-er."

I noticed during service that the baptismal pool was ready, and that the ministers were ready to baptize anyone who came to receive Christ TODAY...as in before they left to go home, they could (and should be) baptized right then and there.

He proceeded to tell me that this is what they also believed (based on a Scripture that he pointed out, but I didn't get a chance to jot down.)

In a nutshell, he told me that believing, confessing Jesus as Lord, and repentance does not provide salvation. He said that unless one is baptized (after doing the above mentioned of course), only THEN are they saved.

So I asked, "So you're telling me that if someone believes, confesses Jesus as Lord, and repents of their sins, but does not get baptized...and dies...then they won't go to Heaven?"

He said that's correct.

Well that floored me.

As far as I understood (and still believe), baptism is simply an outward confession of an inward faith. If someone does everything I listed above (yet doesn't get baptized), they are still saved.

The minister told me that that was wrong because unless one "dies" (as in goes under the water), and is "resurrected" (as in comes back up out of the water) as Jesus did, then that person is not "like Him" and is not a new creature...therefore, NOT saved.

I don't really know what to say about all of that except that it has made me really want to dig deeper into God's word...to find out which is correct.

I am tempted to ask my pastor about it, but he doesn't think I should be "visiting" other churches for this very reason, because it may cause confusion.

Interestingly, I really thought that this church I visited today was one of the same belief as mine. Once I got there though and followed along with the service I realized that "denominationally speaking" it's a bit different. The PRIMARY principle (or doctrine) is the same, but other things are not. Had I known that, I may not have gone.

So...we'll have to see what my study and research uncovers...and most importantly, what God says about the issues of baptism, salvation, and Communion.

Normally I list the name of the church that I attended but today I'm gonna leave that out.

I will say this though...so that I could adhere to my "two visits per church" rule, I did go to their evening service today as well, so I won't be going back.

The message came from Deuteronomy 30:6-11 and was about making up one's mind to obey God.

I enjoyed the message, just as I enjoyed the one this morning. Both were "Scripturally sound."

It's just those parts about needing to be baptized (and I'm not talking about being "sprinkled"...I'm talking about "full immersion") as a REQUIREMENT, and Communion EVERY SUNDAY that I need to look further into.

Anywhoo...

Let the DIALOGUE begin: What's on YOUR mind today? Doesn't have to be church related. It can be ANYTHING.

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Thursday Night Service

So this was interesting.

Last Sunday I visited another new church...you know...one that I pulled from my bowl. I arrived a bit late so I missed Praise and Worship, but I was in time for the message so that was good. I told myself that this coming Sunday ('cause you know I always attend the "visiting" churches two Sundays in a row) I would be on time. That was definitely my intention.

While I attended service last Sunday I noticed that there was going to be a special musical guest tonight. That peaked my interest so I decided to go. I arrived on time, and ready for a night of "worship through song." Now...where that came from, I couldn't tell ya...but I had it in MY mind that that's what tonight was going to be. WRONG!

Yes, the special musical guest was there, but that's not what this night was about. Tonight was the regular Thursday night service. You know...CHURCH on a Thursday night. And the place was PACKED! That's a BLESSING!!

Once I realized that that was what this was, I grabbed my stuff to leave. PSYCHE!!! No I didn't!

I simply readjusted my expectation and prepared myself for whatever message God wanted me to hear this evening. Gotta tell ya...tonight's message wasn't one that left me with "warm fuzzies." Tonight's message was one of those "convicting" messages that really causes one (in this case I will say ME) to look within themselves and determine if he/she is truly living a life that is RIGHTEOUS as God has called Christ's followers to be.

Yep...there were a few "ouch moments" tonight, as there should be.

So...was it a mistake that I thought I was going for a night of musical praise and worship only to realize that tonight was an actual church service? Certainly NOT! God knew what tonight would be...I just didn't.

Interestingly, tonight counts as my 2nd visit, so I will share with you that I attended Calvary Chapel South Bay. The experience was different than what I'm used to. I didn't know a single song that was sung, and the membership was tremendously diverse. Both good things. Gives me a glimpse of what Heaven will be like.

As always, I am looking forward to where God will send me next. I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey thus far.

For now, Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever gone to church on a Thursday night? I'm not talking Bible study, or a special worship service, but I'm talking actual church?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Dear God, I'm Listening.

Today was my second visit to the latest church pulled from my bowl. 

Once again I was reassured in knowing that God's Word is going forth in FULL FORCE, and there are MANY great pastors delivering His message. 

Today's church was the smallest of all that I've visited, but the Praise and Worship was just as mighty as you'd find at any "Megachurch."

Before service begins, the pastor greets and shakes hands with the congregation. After service, he stands outside and again greets folks as they are leaving. That's such a nice personal touch. 

Today's message was one that I needed to hear. It was titled, "Knowing the Voice of God," and although I haven't shared many notes before, I wanted to share a few that I jotted down today. 

"My obedience to God is predicated on being able to hear His voice."

"In order to KNOW His voice, I must BELONG to Him."

That's makes total sense! For example...my kids know MY voice because they belong to me and have heard it all their lives. On the flip side, I know my children's voices because THEY are mine. 

When they were small we could be at a park, or any place with lots of children, yet when MINE called out, I knew exactly whose voice I was hearing and knew to go to them. Same with God. Because I am His, and BELONG to Him by way of His Son, He KNOWS my voice.

This next one is HUGE...

"Knowing the voice of God comes by knowing the Word of God."

Yes, yes and YES!

Because God speaks to us through His Word, I must stay IN His Word (studying/reading/meditating) in order to hear from Him. 

"Observe ALL of what Jesus Himself spoke and taught."

That simply means, pay attention to all of the "red letter" wording which represents Jesus speaking, and do all that He has commanded and instructed. 

"When I am unsure about whether I'm hearing from God, or myself, or the enemy...PRAY."

Yes...PRAY and ask for WISDOM as stated in James 1:5-6. 

That passage of Scripture hit me like a ton of bricks. It reads like this: 

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

The key is, "...you must believe and not doubt..."

God knows when I am doubting Him, so why would he grant me what I am asking if He knows that in my heart I don't believe He will do it. 

Instead, I must ask in FAITH and NOT doubt. 

So yeah.

That was my visitation experience at Arise Christian Center. I hope to go back one day. 

Oh, and now that I have recently learned how to add links to my posts, I'm going to go ahead and add the links to the other churches that I have visited thus far. I may not have them in the right order, but they're all here.

• Rhema Word Bible Church - Long Beach, CA.
• Carrollton Avenue Baptist Church - New Orleans, LA
• Victory Institutional Baptist Church - Hawthorne, CA
• City of Refuge Church - Gardena, CA
• Faith Tabernacle United Holy Church of America - Washington DC (no website)
• Glory Christian Fellowship International - Carson, CA
• Light & Life (North) - Long Beach, CA
• Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church - Los Angeles, CA

That's all for now. 

I am greatly looking forward to the next church that God will lead me to visit (by way of my bowl.)

It's late, so Let the DIALOGUE begin: When was the last time YOU heard from God...and how did you KNOW it was Him?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Moving Forward

Today I attended service for the 2nd time at the church that I visited last week.

I must say...with every church I visit, God reveals something new to me. And I really feel that He's saying, "You're doing the right thing. Don't stop. Keep visiting."

For those who've followed The Dialogue Den for a while, you know that I was reluctant to embark upon my "Season of Visitation" because my pastor has always warned against "eating from too many spiritual tables." He says that the result can lead to "spiritual diarrhea." So for that reason, I waited at LEAST two years before I began my journey. What I realize now though, is that I'm not actually "eating from too many spiritual tables." I am still "eating" what is being served by Christ, by way of The Bible.

Now maybe if I were visiting places of worship of other faiths, then perhaps I would get "sick" and confused. But I have been attending CHRISTIAN, Bible-believing, Bible-teaching churches...so it is well with my soul.

Interestingly, I believe that I am actually growing SPIRITUALLY in ways that I would not have been had I not decided to do this.

So...back to today's visit.

This one actually has a story behind it. That story centers around "Joe."

As you may recall..."Joe" and I had a bit of a "falling out" and I hadn't seen nor heard from him since May 24th. Something happened that I was having an EXTREMELY difficult time forgiving him for.

There have even been times when I wanted to write a SCATHING letter to him...telling him how I felt, and a whole lotta other stuff that wasn't very "Christ-like." I never wrote it though.

Oh, I wrote, and re-wrote it HUNDREDS of times IN MY HEAD...but I never put the words to paper. Didn't mean that I didn't WANT to...just meant that I hadn't gotten around to it.

So we fast forward to the Friday before last which was the day that I selected the next church to visit from my bowl.

Wouldn't you know it. The church I selected was the one that "Joe" pretty much grew up in. Attended service, sang in the choir, etc.

I went last Sunday on what I think was the new Pastor's very first day of delivering the message. The church is 66 years old and he is only the 3rd Pastor they've had there. That's pretty good as churches go.

I enjoyed the message, and looked forward to returning this Sunday.

Days passed and I went on about my merry way. Still no word from "Joe"...and I still hadn't written the letter.

On Thursday night though..."something" happened. I actually posted about this a couple days ago, but I'll briefly recount it here as well.

Before our "falling out", I prayed for "Joe" DAILY. Asking nothing less than for God to BLESS him. Since the "falling out", those prayers became less and less frequent until I finally just stopped praying for him altogether. I didn't pray for any harm to come to him...I just stopped praying PERIOD.

Until...last Thursday night.

I was tired, but couldn't sleep. Found myself up waaay later than I should have been for a work night.

I eventually headed to bed and before I got in, I knelt down beside it and prayed...for "Joe." Even though I didn't know where he was or how he was doing...God knew. Interestingly, I found myself once again praying for him to be BLESSED.

Now if you knew what he had done to me, (and only THREE people do), you would say, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!? You really want God to BLESS him?!?"

I know...it doesn't make sense in a "worldly" sense, but from the Christian standpoint, I had to forgive him, and...ask that he be BLESSED, not CURSED. "The world" doesn't understand that, and never will. "The world" is all about hurting them as badly or worse than they hurt you. "The world" is all about VENGEANCE.

Christ however, understands it fully, and since He is the ONLY one I need to answer to, it behooves me to do things as He would do, and not "the world."

So, I said my prayer and went to sleep.

Hours later, the phone rang. I didn't get to it in time. I looked to see who it was, and rolled back over.

It rang again. It was "Joe" and I didn't answer. I didn't know what to say, nor did I want to hear what HE had to say (at least I didn't think so.)

It rang again. This time I answered.

I didn't say much. I may have only said "Hello."

He did most of the talking. As he spoke I realized that the call was as much for him as it was for me. Maybe even moreso for him. As I listened to the words flow from his mouth to my ears, I realized then why I hadn't written the letters. I realized then, why I had forgiven him even when I didn't know if I'd ever hear from him again. I needed to release the anger, bitterness and hurt, so that there could be room for love, kindness and understanding.

I wish I could share all the things he said, but some things are only meant for the two parties involved (and God.) All I know is that it changed things...positively.

I don't know where he and I will go from here. I just know that wherever we go, either separate or together...we can go with forgiveness and love leading the way.

Was it an accident that "Joe's" church was the one that was pulled from my bowl? If you know me, then you already know my answer.

Maybe God needed me to sit in the place where "Joe" once did, so that I could feel a connection...ANY kind of connection that would soften my heart toward him. What better place to be re-connected than in the same place where he once praised and worshiped God. With God, there are no mistakes, or accidents. Everything happens for a reason.

As I do each time I visit, I'll have you to know that today (and last Sunday), I attended Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Who knows. Maybe today wasn't my last time. Perhaps one day I'll go again...with "Joe."

On this "30 Days of THANKFULNESS: Day 27" - I am THANKFUL Christ being the PERFECT example of FORGIVENESS.
Without His example, I'd be holding on to a WHOLE LOTTA stuff that would slowly be eating me up inside. That my friends, is simply no way to live.

Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: Is there anyone you need to forgive. Or are you harboring unforgiveness because in YOUR mind...what that person did to you is simply UNFORGIVEABLE? Think about that before you answer. Then think about ALL that Christ has forgiven YOU for. Then answer.

Talk to me!

Til next time...

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...

Accidental Visit?

Today was my Sunday to visit another church.

Last Sunday I attended my "home" church, and the two Sunday's before that (which were my designated "visitation Sundays") I stayed HOME.

My daughter said that on those two Sundays I was attending "Bedside Baptist."

Now I wouldn't go as far as to say all that. It's not I, like I stayed in bed all day on those days, because I certainly didn't. I just chose to worship God in my own way.

Some Sundays I want to sleep in.
Some Sundays I want to spend with friends and/or family.
Some Sundays I just want to read and meditate on God's Word in the comfort of my own home.
Some Sundays are simply "played by ear", and I think that's okay.

I don't HAVE to be in attendance in a physical building in order to praise and worship God. If that were the case, then all of the praising and worshiping that I do from Monday through Saturday would be in vain.

I do however attend services in an actual building on most Sundays in obedience to Hebrews 10:25: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

It is important for believers to meet together, praising and worshiping God corporately. I actually look forward to it, and I am in attendance far more than not.

Today's church visit was interesting.

I thought I was attending the church of a co-worker (pulled from my bowl -- see previous posts) however I didn't see her there and no one knew of her when I asked. The church is pretty small, so I'm sure that if I was at the "right place" they would have known of her. I have a feeling that there are a few churches with the same name and I may have had the city wrong. I'll ask when I see her at work.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed service today. It was different than what I am used to because most churches that I have visited have been predominantly Black (as is my own church). At this church, I was one of only two Black people. Yes...this is something that ALL Black folks notice. We scan the room, venue, etc., to see how many more of "us" there are. I can't explain it, it's just something that we do.

Anywhoo...the members were quite friendly. The pastor even stopped and greeted EVERY SINGLE PERSON as he walked in. A very warm and kind greeting.

I enjoyed "Praise and Worship" even though I'd never heard any of the songs that were sung. They were all "contemporary Christian" and I lean more toward Gospel. Although I do love Casting Crowns and Mercy Me, which are two contemporary Christian groups. I sang right along though (thanks to the words on the screen), and gave God my best in song as if I'd been singing them forever.

The sermon was right on point. It came from 1 Kings 17:1-24, and was titled "Staying Power." In a nutshell, I need to STAY in situations until God tells me to MOVE. And when He tells me to MOVE, I need to be obedient, and MOVE. That hit home with me because there is a situation that I have been staying in for far too long, even though God has been telling me to MOVE for YEARS. I haven't listened, and as a result, things are quite a mess right now.

Thankfully, our God is loving, merciful, patient and kind (just to name a few of His attributes), so I know that if I let go of "self" and follow His will, instead of forcing my own, He will redirect me and steer me toward the blessing that He has waiting.

So you see...even if I was in the "wrong" place, and that church actually wasn't my co-workers church...God still had me in the "right" place, and for that...I thank Him. Nothing happens by accident.

Now, Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever found yourself thinking that you were in the "right" place, only to realize that you were in the "wrong" place...but it worked out anyway?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Blessed!

Today was Mother's Day. The second one without MY Mom, yet there was still joy as I spent it with my three kiddos.

We started our day by attending 8:00 worship service at the church that I visited last weekend. I tell ya...that church sure knows how to break this sista down.

Last week I cried like a baby, and today...I cried, but held back because I didn't wanna have a meltdown in front of my kids.

There's so much LOVE at this church, and their musical selections are so moving...giving great honor to God. Mind you...some of the songs we actually sing at MY home church too, but they just ministered to me differently at this church.

This morning, there were great songs and a BEAUTIFULLY POWERFUL praise dance. I mean...WOW!!!

The two women MINISTERED through dance to Shekinah Glory's song "Yes." I would try to describe the experience, but words wouldn't adequately express it. There was such a connection between the two. They were so "in sync."

After the dance, the pastor mentioned how pleased he was by the performance. Turns out that the two dancers were mother and daughter (that broke me down right there), and one of the two doesn't even live in the state. Somewhere along the way they had to have practiced their dance, because it came together in a way that gave God ALL the GLORY.

Once the singing and dancing were over, we moved into the Word and the pastor delivered a great message on motherhood.

All in all...my visits to this church have been so REFRESHING and HEARTWARMING. Although I love my church family and have been a member for over twenty years...my soul has been REPLENISHED by visiting that just wasn't happening at my own church. I love fellowshipping with God's people in NEW places and I believe that He approves of my decision to FINALLY do what He'd been urging me to do for YEARS.

Not sure where I'll end up next...my bowl is still FULL of church names. But I can truly say that my heart was made glad these past two weeks my visiting Glory Christian Fellowship in Carson, CA. Once I've made my rounds to all of the other churches, I will DEFINITELY be stopping by THAT one again.

Now...Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever been in a praise dance ministry? If not, would you like to be? If you'd like to be, what's keeping you from doing it?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Come On In!

Hmmm...I seem to have gotten a bit behind on sharing with you all my church visitation experiences and thought that today was a great day to catch up.

Although I visited a new church yesterday morning, the one that I will write about at this time is the one that my daughter and I visited during our recent travels to Washington D.C.

Finding a church to attend when traveling is a bit trick for me because I don't know anything about the churches, so I pray and ask God to lead me. That's what I did in New Orleans, and that's what I did in Washington D.C.

So on the morning of Sunday, April 17th, my daughter and I headed to what I believed was the church where God wanted us to worship. We hopped on the train (which I absolutely LOVED due to its convenience), got off at our designated stop, and walked about a mile or so to the church.

We finally arrived at "A" Street, which was the street and continued to head toward Capitol Hill Baptist Church.

On the way to that church we passed another...very old and beautiful.

We stopped for a minute and looked. I read the name and told my daughter,"This isn't the one." We proceeded to keep walking.

We may have taken TWO steps and woman opened the door and said, "Come on in. Pastor told me to come out and get you two."

I wasn't sure what to say. This wasn't our planned destination.

I politely thanked her for the invitation and let her know that we were heading just up the street and were running late..."but thank you."

It was about 10:45 at that time and she responded with, "Well...our service doesn't start until 11:00. So if you come on in you'll be right on time."

At that point, who could say no?

My daughter and I walked up the steps and into the church. As we entered, the woman (Elder Renee) gave us some history about the church, letting us know that Frederick Douglass was a member, and she encouraged us to look around. We did, and then headed upstairs to the sanctuary.

I tend to have an issue with churches who have services UPSTAIRS because it doesn't allow for folks with "mobility challenges" to attend.

I was very impressed to see that this church had a motorized seat that could transport folks up and down the stairs. That warmed my heart.

Service began with Praise, Worship and Prayer.

There were some things that were a bit different than what I'm used to, but I understood that although I was in a CHRISTIAN church...I was NOT in a BAPTIST church. We were in a PENTECOSTAL church and as I said...worship is just a wee bit different from what I'm used to.

Eventually, the Pastor began delivering the message which I enjoyed. It was Bible based (which they should ALL be, yet many are not).

The church members were very welcoming, and the Pastor even spoke with my daughter and I before we left, praying for God's traveling grace on our return home.

My "Season of Visitation" continues and I am STILL enjoying it. I love attending the various services, praising and worshiping our Lord with folks I don't know, yet we all have ONE purpose in mind...to give glory to God. That always leaves me thinking, "this is what heaven will be like. All of us together, praising and worshiping our Lord." Hallelujah!!!

That was my Washington D.C. worship experience at Faith Tabernacle United Holy Church of America (pictured). I'm glad we went.

Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: How old is the church that you attend? Has anyone older than Frederick Douglass ever been a member?

Talk to me...and feel free to shout out your church so that I can visit one day!

Til next time...

Another Visit Down...MANY More To Go!

Last Sunday I visited another church.

I gotta tell ya...I am REALLY loving this "Season of Visitation" that I am in.

Although I got the urge to visit YEARS ago...it wasn't until this January that I FINALLY decided to be obedient to what this is that God wants me to do and just DO IT already.

My visits have been absolute BLESSINGS and my worship just feels so FRESH now. I believe that God is pleased.

As I have written before, I have a bowl full of churches that I will be visiting. On my designated Sundays for visiting, I reach into the bowl on the Friday before and whatever I pull is where I go that following Sunday.

This time around I let my daughter Lauren pick. Wouldn't you know it...she picked a church that I've already been to before. You may be wondering, "If you've already been before then why is that church in the bowl?" I'm glad you asked.

You see...I've attended 6:00 EVENING service there before, but had never attended MORNING service. Now that I have attended BOTH, I can say that the experiences are similar, yet different. One HUGE difference is that evening service is only an hour long. Morning service (I now know) is MUCH longer.

I went last Sunday to their 9:00 am Easter Sunday service and had a great time in the Lord. Because it was Easter (which I prefer to call Resurrection Sunday), they did a theatrical production which showed the love of Jesus to ALL...no matter WHAT one's past or present situation is. At one point I found myself in tears because the performance was so moving.

As the performance went on I began to get just a wee bit concerned as I wondered if the theatrical production was going to be the WHOLE service. I hoped not, but wasn't sure.

Well...my curiosity was quickly quelled when I saw Bishop come out and take to the podium. Soon thereafter he directed us to the passage of Scripture that he would be coming from and I realized that YES, there WOULD be a sermonic message given on that day. The service was great and I looked forward to returning on today.

Although the preaching and teaching are great, one thing that I noticed in all the times that I had visited during evening service, and again LAST Sunday, was that visitors were not acknowledged. I guess I noticed that because at MY church, we go to great lengths to make sure that visitors are GREETED and made to feel WELCOMED.

As I returned this morning to 11:00am service, we sang, praised, worshipped, and again I wondered, "What about the visitors?"

Well TODAY, visitors WERE acknowledged and it turns out that the church even has a special song that the choir sings directed SPECIFICALLY toward the visitors. That warmed my heart.

After all was said and done, it was time for the Word. That's where things got a bit interesting. Apparently, everyone was expecting Bishop to preach except...Bishop didn't make it to service today. From what I understood, he's not feeling well and/or has back pain of some sort. Let's lift him up in prayer.

I was curious to see what would happen next.

Well...God ALWAYS has a "ram in the bush" and one of the other ministers had a sermon prepared and ready to go. Praise God!

One thing I found interesting was when he said, "Well...I know that y'all came to hear Bishop, but you're gonna get ME today instead."

You see...THAT is where spiritual maturity comes in. The "mature" saints go to service to simply hear the Word, no matter WHO'S delivering it. Yet some folks will LEAVE service as soon as they hear that the person they EXPECTED to preach, isn't preaching. THOSE folks need a bit more GROWTH. Thankfully, pretty much EVERYONE stayed. That was great to see.

It used to happen all the time at my church. Folks would come to church, see that Pastor's car wasn't parked out front, and they would drive themselves RIGHT BACK HOME. That doesn't happen anymore, but boy I sure remember the days when it did.

Anyhoo...back to TODAY'S visit.

All in all I can say that I have enjoyed my visit to City of Refuge. I've got LOTS more churches to visit but I am glad that I stopped by that one.

Oh...and at the end of service (I don't know if this happens EVERY Sunday, or if it's a sporadic thing), the church was giving away FREE pies. Apple, Pecan, Pumpkin. YUM! I knew that I didn't need one, but I stood in line for a Pumpkin ('cause y'all know I LOVE me some PUMPKIN pie). The gentleman handing them out gave me TWO and that just seemed gluttonous (even though he was giving EVERYONE two), so I found someone in line to give my extra one to. I thought that was very nice of the church though. And you didn't have to be "low income" or anything to get a pie...you just had to go out there and get one.

One other thing I enjoyed was the sign language interpreter. Gosh, I wish my church had them! Today, I learned how to say HALLELUJAH in ASL. That makes THREE words that I now know as a result of my church visits.

Ok...that's it for now. You never know...one Sunday I just may show up at YOUR church. I'm looking forward to it.

Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: How far, by car would YOU travel to visit a church?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

SINGin' and SIGNin'!

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to visit another church (pulled from my bowl).

This was the 2nd that I've visited this year during my "Season of Visitation."

Pretty much ALL of the churches that I will be visiting are churches that my Christian friends attend. As I scroll through my Facebook feed on Sunday mornings, I make note of who's checked in where, and in the bowl it goes. I make it a point to not tell anyone that I'm visiting their church. That may sound odd, but I just want my experience to be as organic as possible...so if they happen to be there when I visit...great. And if not...that's okay too.

The church I visited this morning begins worship service at 9:00. A little early for my taste, but before my church had our own church home, we held service at our "sister church" and began at 8:30. So 9:00 isn't that much of a stretch.

I arrived, walked in and was immediately and warmly greeted by a woman whose name I now know is Doris.

She asked if I was a visitor or a guest. I said visitor.

She asked how I'd heard about the church and I told her that I have a friend who attends with his family.

She told me that she hadn't seen them yet, but encouraged me to go on in, have a seat, and join in as they worshiped the Lord.

I did just that.

Found a place to set my things and joined right in with Praise and Worship. I immediately sensed the presence of the Lord in that house and my spirit knew that this would be a great experience.

One thing that particularly moved me was the sign language interpreter. She signed those songs TO THE GLORY OF GOD! It was BEAUTIFUL!!!

At one point, we sang a song that had alto, tenor and soprano parts to it. To my wonderful surprise, there was not just ONE sign language interpreter, but THREE...each singing and signing their own part. Can you say POWERFUL! That's exactly what it was...POWERFUL!!!

I kept watching trying to catch words here and there. I learned "forever" and "Jesus (which is pictured here)." Just watching them made me want to learn. They did so much more than just stand there and move their hands. Their facial expressions showed their awe for God. The way they moved their bodies to emphasize certain words showed their awe for God. They were simply AMAZING.

After Praise and Worship was over, the Pastor took to the pulpit, greeted the congregation, covered some things pertaining to various ministries in the church and ultimately got into the message. One thing I noticed while listening to him discuss the ministries within their church was that they are a Bible-believing, Bible-led church. And if anyone is in a ministry leadership capacity there, they MUST devote time to studying God's Word. In hearing that, once again, I knew I was in the right place. This Pastor's stance on ministry leadership matches that of my own Pastor. How can one lead spiritually, if they don't have God's Word in them? The short answer is...they can't.

The message came from Matthew 6:31-33, and the title was "Seek first the kingdom."

In a nutshell, there are so many things that we desire, and none of them are a surprise to God. But if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then those things we desire will be added unto us, as long as they are according to His will.

So that was my visitation experience this morning to Victory Institutional Baptist Church. I am happy to say that God was truly glorified.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you know how to speak American Sign Language?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Sunday Visits

***This one's kinda long. You've been warned.*** :-)

I have been a member of my current church for the past 23 years.

I don't remember the exact day that I first visited, but I do remember (like it was yesterday) the events that led me to my current church.

I had already been a member of a different church, Revival Time Church of God in Christ. One Sunday morning, as usual, I got my daughter Lauren, and myself ready, hopped in the car and headed to service.

Lauren may have been 2 years old at the time.

We arrived at the church, I unfastened her from her car seat and we headed inside.

Before we got to the door, I had a prompting in my spirit that said, "Get back in the car. You won't be worshipping here today."

That was odd, and I didn't understand what was going on. But the command was so clear, I chose to be obedient.

So I secured Lauren back in her seat, got in, started the car and asked, "Lord, where am I supposed to go?"

The answer, "Drive, and I'll tell you when to stop."

So I drove down the street for about ten minutes, not knowing WHERE I was going. Then, "Here. This is where you will worship today."

I was too far down the street to even see the name of the church I was going into. Parking went down the entire block. I just knew that at the end of the block there was a church. I got Lauren out, either carried her on my hip or held her tiny little hand (it was so long ago I really can't remember) and we headed inside to what I discovered was Doublerock Missionary Baptist Church.

We returned Sunday after Sunday, and all these years later, we are still members. Although the church has since moved, and now has new name, it is still our "church home."

It's a great church, lead by God first and foremost, whose message is delivered through our fantastic Teaching-Pastor. I have learned (and continue to learn) so much under this man's teaching and preaching. An example of that is in the way that I now attend service for different reasons than I did in the beginning.

I cringe to even say the following words, but they are the truth, and thankfully I've grown since this time, so...I'll go ahead and say it.

In the beginning of my spiritual walk, I went to church for the MUSIC. Our church had one of the BEST choirs in the city. My my my!!! They were "off da chain" as was the phrase back then.

Although I'd stay for the message, it was always the MUSIC that got my attention. I made sure to be on time for church so that I wouldn't miss any part of "Praise and Worship."

After all that great singing, the message just seemed dry and without any "umph."

Over the years, my spiritual "likes" changed. I didn't care nearly as much about the singing, and had begun to time my church arrival until AFTER "Praise and Worship" was over. I would arrive just before the message was to be delivered, because all I cared about at that time, was the Word.

Awful...I know.

Oh, but God!

I'm sure that there were many-a-Sunday when God would just watch me and shake His head. Thankfully though, like clay on the potter's wheel...He kept shaping and re-shaping me until I began to look and behave the way that He intended with regard to worship.

One day I finally realized that Praise, Worship and the Word ALL go together. They are all a vital part of the service. I needed to arrive at church ON TIME for ALL of it. Now, I do.

After having said all that, we move to "present day" and what I have tagged as my "Season of Visitation." The interesting thing is that I don't know how long this "season" is going to last. Only God knows.

As I said earlier, I have been a member of my current church for 23 years. And I am under the direction of EXCELLENT Bible-Based preaching and teaching. Even with all of that though, for the past two years (maybe longer), I have had a prompting in my spirit to VISIT other churches. I was reluctant to do so because my Pastor has often cautioned against "eating from too many spiritual tables" as one may end up with "spiritual diarrhea." For that reason, I stayed put.

But there is SOMETHING about the Holy Spirit. When He wants you to do something, He will continue to poke and prod until you finally OBEY and follow His direction.

So after two-plus years of hemming and hawing, I finally decided to be obedient and have declared 2016 as my "Season of VISITATION". I have NO IDEA what God has in mind for me in all of this, I just know that it's what He's been wanting me to do, and as I do so, I believe that He will eventually reveal to me what the purpose is in all of it.

I haven't visited too many churches yet, but the three that I have gone to have provided me with wonderful experiences.

When I visit, I go with these things in mind:

Is the presence of God in this place?
I know that may sound like a difficult question to answer, but all I can say is...I've been in services where I knew without a doubt that the presence of God was there, and I've been in others where God was no where to be found, and wouldn't come near the place with a ten foot poll. You can tell...really, you can.

Is this a Bible-believing church, and is the Bible where the message is coming from?
I understand that a lot of preachers are great story-tellers, and they will often tell a story that will lead into the biblical message. I get that, and think it's great. What raises my antennae are preachers who ONLY tell stories and NEVER open the Word of God. For me, that's a "red flag."

How welcomed do the members make me feel?
At my church, I know how important it is to our Pastor that we make visitors feel welcomed, and after the "meet and greet" portion of our service, he actually asks our visitors if they had been made to feel welcomed. He also follows with, "If anyone made you feel unwelcomed, I wanna know." And he means it!

I understand that it may be a bit easier to be greeted personally in a smaller church -- I have a few large churches on my list of churches to visit -- so I'm curious to see how that will go when I visit them.

So far this year I've visited the following:

City of Refuge in Gardena, CA
Carrollton Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, LA
and
Rhema Word Bible Church in Long Beach, CA

I have had great experiences at ALL THREE, and for different reasons.

Although this year was not my first time attending City of Refuge -- I've attended their New Year's Eve Watchnight services in the past, but added them to my list because of the option to attend evening service at 6:00 pm. Some Sundays I wanna sleep in, or do other things during the day, yet still hear a word from God. City of Refuge allows me to do just that.
It is a bible-believing church, and although they don't have a special part of the service where they acknowledge visitors (unless I've missed it along the way), I feel welcomed when I'm there. Actually, a more accurate term would be that I "feel at home" when I'm there.
I've only had one experience that I wasn't too keen about which was during "Praise and Worship" at one of the services I attended during their "Revival Week." The Praise Team leader kept referring to the Holy Spirit as "it" versus "He." Throughout the ENTIRE song, she kept saying "it." That bothered me because I know that the Holy Spirit is He, not it. As a "Praise and Worship" leader, I would've thought that she would've known that too. But hey...we're all at different places in our spiritual maturity, and I pray that one day she will come to that knowledge.

When I visited New Orleans last month I knew that attending worship service on Sunday was a MUST. Being in the city for the first time, I had NO IDEA where to go. I googled churches, even found a few within walking distance but was still unsure about where God wanted me. So I prayed on it. He finally directed me -- to a church that I had to take a taxi to -- Carrollton Avenue Baptist Church.

From the moment I walked in I was IMMEDIATELY greeted and welcomed. I took a seat and shortly thereafter we moved into "Praise and Worship." Many of the songs were familiar and some were new. I loved that.

After "Praise and Worship" it was time for the Word. Pastor Webber reminded me a lot of my own pastor in his preaching style. His message wasn't filled with a bunch of "Whoopin' and Hollerin'." Instead, I could tell that he had STUDIED in order to deliver a message that God's flock could learn and grown from.

Overall, it was a wonderful worship experience, and when I go back to New Orleans (yes...I'm going back!) I will be sure to worship there again.

Now we fast forward to the past two Sundays.

In case you've been wondering how I decide where to go -- my method is quite scientific. Okay, not really. My method is the old "pull a name out of a bowl." That's what's pictured here.

Over the past few months I've asked friends where they worship, and have added their churches to my bowl. Other times I'll see a Facebook "church check-in", and I'll add that church to my list. So the list is fluid and continues to grow.

Three Sundays ago, I pulled a name out of the bowl and was on my way. Before heading to the new church though, I headed to my own to take care of a few things. Well...the quick stop at my church resulted in me staying for the entire service. That was a-ok with me. God's plans ALWAYS go before my own. For whatever reason, God said, "Not today" that day.

Last week I decided to try again. I had a church in mind, but couldn't get ready in time to make their 9:00 service, which is the only service they have. So I went with my second draw, Rhema Word Bible Church and was able to attend their 11:00 service. What a GREAT decision! Last Sunday was Valentine's Day and we began service by singing "Love Songs" to God. It was BEAUTIFUL.

After our heartfelt serenades to God, Pastor Johnson delivered a message on "God's Love Language" which made us reflect on how we show our love to God and more importantly, how God WANTS us to show our love for Him. It's all in His word.

I enjoyed the message so much last week, along with the welcoming spirit of the congregation, that I went back THIS morning and attended the 8:00 am service. I was hoping to see a friend there who attends that church, but I don't think she was able to make it as I didn't see. The church is small enough that you can easily see who's in attendance. Overall, RWBC is a wonderful place to worship. Once I've gotten through my list of churches to visit, I may very well drop in for another service one day.

In case anyone's wondering...NO, I am NOT leaving my current church. At least that's not MY purpose for this "Season of Visitation." Although, as I said before, this is not about MY will, this is about God's will. There's a reason why He kept prompting me to do this, and I won't know what His purpose is until He reveals it to me.

Yes, I am still a faithful member of my current church, I contribute financially even when I am not in attendance, and I still serve in ministry. So this is in no way, my way of looking for another church home. I am simply moving as the Spirit leads.

Whew...that was a lot! Going forward, I will simply write about each church individually as I visit. One thing's for sure...I am excited about this journey!

Now, Let the DIALOGUE begin: Where do YOU attend church? Tell me, and you never know when I may show up. :-)

Talk to me!

Til next time...