Coming Home

It's no secret that I have not been in love with our church here in Pennsylvania. (Though I have very much loved and appreciated the people in it.) It just hasn't been my church. My church is in Georgia - the one with the songs I love and the people I love and the small group I love. And did I mention the songs I love? This church in Pennsylvania is David's church - where he grew up and loved and learned and worshiped. But, it hasn't been mine.

Until this weekend.

This weekend was Convention. I had no idea what that entailed beyond some guest preachers and some extra services and some meals eaten at 9:30 or 10:00 at night. (Yes, there are meals - entire meals - served after every service. I never heard of a covered-dish dinner at 10 pm before, but now I have. In fact, as I type this at 12:32 am, David is not home from the service I left at about quarter till midnight. It was near wrapping up then, but there was still food to be had afterward.) I had been to plenty of church services and had even heard plenty of speakers here, but I have heretofore held out little hope of ever falling in love with this church.

But, sometimes God shows up when and where you least expect Him.

When I entered the sanctuary Friday night for the first service, I had an immediate feeling of being in the presence of God like I have not felt in a long time. I am not one to cry or get emotional during worship very often, but I felt an instantaneous overflow of emotion from the first word of the first song. (Which happened to be a song I've sung at least thirty thousand times since I was about five . . . so I don't think it was because of the song.) I continued throughout the rest of the weekend to feel a peace that I have not felt in this church before.

Tonight as I looked around at the people with whom I was worshiping, I was literally overwhelmed with love for them. I watched them use their individual, unique gifts to praise our Savior. I watched them pray for one another for hours, crying with some and rejoicing with others. Experiencing each others joys and sorrows. Sharing each other's burdens. And, I loved them. What was David's church became mine.

In the course of a weekend, God graciously took the one thing that has kept me from feeling completely at home here, the one thing I have lamented, and turned it completely around.

I feel like I have finally come home.