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Thanks for visiting! My name is Lori and I am married to my high school sweetheart and have 2 beautiful girls. What is 'Life With Sugar & Spice'? It's a blog where I will share everything from my faith in Jesus Christ and my girls (sugar and spice) to thrifting and decorating! I started it as a way to showcase our everyday life to family out of town!
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Monday, November 19, 2012

Our Church Home

When we moved to the Atlanta area 6 years ago, we left behind the only hometown I'd known.  I spent nearly 30 years in the same 10 mile radius.  My parents and grandparents live in the only homes I can remember.

We also left behind the only church home I knew.  The church I gave my life to Christ in.  The church I was baptised in.  The church married my best friend in. And the church I dedicated my babies in.  This church home was where I learned to become a Godly wife, mother and friend.  It's where I found the most amazing friends that showed me what it was like to have a family focused on the Lord and his word.

These dear friends, though older (hee hee sorry girls), were much wiser and meant more to me than I could ever express.  We shared our early married years together, stories and aches of pregnancy, and navigated life as new mothers with babies and toddlers.  I truly don't think I would have survived those first years without their constant support, encouragement, and girls night outs!

So when we moved to Georgia, I agonized over finding a church home.  I thought we would never find a place where we'd feel at home.  Where we'd get connected.  Where we'd find amazing Godly friends.

We visited lots of churches.  The Hubs visited several while the girls and I still lived in Orlando.  One morning he called and said he had visited one, but didn't even get out of the car.  He just knew it wasn't for us.  I mean seriously, after attending a mega church, where do you go?

We even visited one church for 6 weeks and decided it wasn't for us.

So while at Chloe's first fall festival at her new school a sweet woman handed us a balloon and announced she was from Cedarcrest Church.  I quickly said, well, tell me about your church.  I'll never forget the first words from her mouth: "well, we meet here, in the school gym, and that's our pastor over there."

I thought seriously?  The elementary school gym?  No way!

Setting up and tearing down?  Are you kidding?  Let me assure you that other than the free coffee and donuts, this church had very few of the luxuries we were accustomed to.  (yes, I realize how bratty that just sounded).

Welp, God started moving me to visit that church that met in our school gym.  When I told the Hubs I'm pretty sure he laughed.  Nonetheless, we visited and after the initial shock of sitting in a small gym with maybe 100 people (2x the size of our previous sunday school class),we began to enjoy that small church.

At some point we knew that it was where God wanted us.  We had been searching for a large Baptist church and obviously that's not what God wanted for us.  And I'm so glad we followed his lead.

We joined that small church at a time in which they had just raised money to purchase property.  The chance of being a part of what God was doing was exciting.

Over the past 5 years (plus), God has grown the Hubs and I more than I could ever had imagined  He has used this small church to move us into places of ministry we never dreamed of being.  He has blessed us with incredible friends that have carried us through immense trial and heartache.  He  has given us friends in unexpected places that have become more like family.  He has taken us out of our comfort zone.  He has worked in the hearts of my girls.  He has taken the Hubs into the mission field.

Yes, he could do all this at any church he so chooses.  I'm just so thankful it happened to be one in our own backyard.

I'm thankful he moved us to attend the church in the tin can gym (as I so lovingly called it).   I'm thankful for the imperfections and how I've learned what truly matters most in ministry from them. 

I can't wait to see what God does as he prepares His church and His people for our new building.  I can't wait to see how he grows us and molds us for his glory. 


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