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...

Thankful for Leftovers

Last Sunday morning I had intended to go to service at my regular church as that wasn't one of my "visiting" Sundays.

My plans got changed at the last minute and I didn't make it.

My church doesn't have an evening service but thankfully (based on my recent visits), I knew of one that does, so I went there.

The minister spoke from John 6:5-12...you know, the one about the five loaves and two fishes (yes, it says "fishes" in The Bible).

The title of his message was "My Life Is Not A Waste"

Well...that got my attention because mine has been feeling like one lately.

After reading the verses I understood that there were "leftovers" and that the fragments were to be collected so as not to go to waste. What I didn't understand was how those fragments were to tie into my life.

As I listened I wrote down a few points that jumped out at me.

The first was this, "FAITH has nothing to do with FACTS."

Boy, did I need to hear that. I mean...I already knew, but hearing it again just gave me reassurance. You see, if folks were to fully understand my "current situation," they'd tell me that I should be worrying and running around like a chicken with its head cut-off.

Yes, I agree that my "current situation" is not "ideal," and very few (if any) folks would want to be in my shoes right now. Yet my FAITH in Christ tells me not to worry. He already knows what I need before I even ask, and His track record is FLAWLESS. God has NEVER failed me before and I am 100% certain that He's not about to start.

He may not come through for me until I am down to my VERY LAST PENNY, but I know without a doubt that He WILL come through.

And for those who may be wondering...NO...I'm not just kickin' back eating bon-bons waiting for something to "magically" happen in the meantime. I am diligently taking steps to improve my situation. I have simply made a conscious decision to not worry about it.

The second thing that the minister said which caught my attention was that, "the pain in my life is not because God wants to BREAK me; it's because He wants to DISTRIBUTE me so that I can bless others I encounter."

That made my ears perk up because I have been in a number of situations that I felt I didn't belong in. What I later realized is that even though I didn't want to be there, others were blessed by the fact that I was.

So in my "current situation" I pray that I was a blessing to those in my past, and that I can be an even greater blessing (by being "distributed") to wherever God will send me next.

Then the minister tied the fragments into the message. He said that God wants to "get the fragments of my life and bring them all together. He is going to use EVERYTHING I'm going through to be a blessing to someone else."

Like I said before...I needed to hear that. It put things into perspective and left me with a more clear mind-set with regard to what I'm going through at this juncture in time.

As the benediction was given and we proceeded to head to our respective destinations, I knew that missing service at my church was no accident. It was divinely orchestrated and God meant for me to attend evening service where I did. He is an intentional God and makes NO mistakes.

I look forward to gathering up my fragments and sharing them with as many as I can.

Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: What do you do with leftovers? Do you eat them until there are no more left, or do you toss 'em right out?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Saturday...In The Park...

Ahhh Saturday. My FAVORITE day of the week!

I love Saturdays because my time is COMPLETELY my own...and I don't have to dread the impending Monday (as I do EVERY Sunday).

This morning was FANTASTIC!

I woke up and awaited the arrival of one of my church members to come pick me up (still don't have a car...but soon...very soon).

She picked me up and we headed over to church.

Today was my regularly scheduled Saturday to help CLEAN the church. Once cleaning was complete, many more church members arrived and we began another work.

We made sandwiches and stuffed bags to be distributed to the homeless nearby. THIS is the kinda stuff I absolutely LOVE doing. It makes my heart EXCEEDINGLY glad!

We stuffed 160 bags and headed to a nearby park.

Got to the first park and there were NO homeless because the police had run them off. That particular park is heavily frequented by children so the officers make sure that it's kept safe. COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE, and as a parent (although MY children are all ADULTS), I am thankful. The safety of children should ALWAYS be priority.

So here we were with all these sack lunches and the DESIRE to give them away.

We hopped back in our cars and headed further south.

Arrived at a different park and IMMEDIATELY knew that we were at the right place.

We unloaded our cars and it seems that as soon as the first bag was handed out, ALL of the other park occupants caught on and awaiting theirs.

I am OVERJOYED to be able to say that we had enough for EVERYONE. Some folks even got TWO bags. PRAISE GOD!!!

As we gave them "nourishment for their bodies", we also provided "food for their souls." Two ladies that I spoke with even asked me what church we were from. I told them, and one asked me for the address. I wrote it down, and told them that I hope they can join us soon.

How AWESOME!

This for me is what "church" is about. It's NOT about getting all dressed up on a Sunday morning, heading to a building for a few songs, a message, and then heading back home. At least that's not ALL that it's about. Yes, fellowship with one another is essential...yet there is so much MORE to "church".

What it's about MOST, is sharing the LOVE of Christ with as many as we can. And we don't have to be "preachy" about it. We simply need to show LOVE to others...letting them know that Jesus LOVES them, and that they MATTER...just as they are.

So yeah...today "the church" went BEYOND the four walls...out into the streets. Bodies were fed, and hopefully lives were changed for the better by our very small act of LOVE. I greatly look forward to doing this again, and again, and again...

On this day, "30 Days of THANKFULNESS: Day 12" - I am THANKFUL for being allowed the OPPORTUNITY to SERVE others.

I have been in some fairly dire situations financially (even RECENTLY) and any one of those folks in the park could have been ME. I am no better than they. They are no worse than I. We are all HUMAN, and that's ALL that matters.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: What are you favorite organizations to volunteer with?

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...

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...