Church

I was thinking about church earlier.  Thinking back to when I first moved here and we started looking for a new church home.  We tried a couple of churches in the area but they didn't seem to fit.  We came from a bigger church so we thought we might like to try a big church here.  Whoa!  Too much.  Not to hating on the bigger churches but attending this service made me wonder how you could really become part of a family in this church.  Would you ever know everyone in the church?  Would they know you?  For all the people around us knew, we'd been members of the church for years.  No one was out and out rude, but they weren't friendly either.  I took the boys to visit Parkway Baptist one Sunday and there were smiles to greet me and I met Brother Chris at the sanctuary doors.  Very friendly and welcoming.  I explained how we had just moved to town and were visiting churches looking for a new church home and he replied "Well, we'd sure like the job!"  So after a few months we had our new church home. So now we're part of this family.  We are involved in a few activities and have forged some good friendships along the way.

When I originally thought of church today, I was actually thinking of the worship service, or "big church".  I enjoy going to church and listening to Bro. Chris but do I really listen?  Can I remember what the last message was about?  So many times my mind seems to wander, or I'm telling one kid to sit down or another he can go to the bathroom.  Sometimes I'm distracted by other things.  I don't want to be.  I want to learn.  I want to soak up as much of God's teachings as I can.  I've taken a couple of small group bible studies and was amazed at what I learned, that in conversation about the topic, that I could actually participate, that I knew what I was talking about.  More importantly, I was learning God's word. 

I guess this is on my mind because our Women's Retreat is this weekend.  I love being part of events like this.  It always brings to the forefront my desire to be a child of God.  I always feel my spirit becomes renewed.  But alas, I allow life to get in the way and that fire gets doused a little.  In typing those last words this came to mind: "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.  This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.  Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine".  Is your light burning bright for all to see, or are you like me and it's barely flickering sometimes?