{We tried a new church...}

The past two Sundays Nathan, Mason and I visited a new {to us} church. I have really felt the Lord pressing on my heart to give this church a try and, well, we did just that...

And??

We really, really enjoyed it. All.three.of.us.

In all transparency, we missed a lot of church lately. We were gone almost every weekend this summer whether it was a family vacation or just a weekend getaway.  If I am being honest, my Grandmother's sudden and unexpected death really shook me up. I withdrew from almost everything but my closest friends and family. And I wanted to get out of here as much as we could. So any time an opportunity to go out of town came up I couldn't say yes quick enough. Anyhow, in that time I have been praying that the Lord would lead us where wanted us and that he would help us "get back into church". It's so easy to get out of a routine of going and so hard to get back into one. It's like you're waiting for that perfect moment, but you just keep waiting and waiting. Anyhow, during that time I felt the Lord putting this particular church on my heart. And then I started seeing signs that confirmed that He truly was calling us there. I will go into detail later on that.

The Saturday before last while watching college football a friend tagged me in a Facebook post made by this church saying something like "This weekend is a great weekend to bring someone new to church! We are starting our series on James, “The Struggle is Real.” See you there!". I told Nate about it and that I keep feeling the Lord calling us to try this particular church. Nathan didn't oppose and even obliged. And then we discussed it with Mason. He was excited, but a little apprehensive too. His 9-year-old worry was leaving our current church and not seeing his best friend anymore. We told him that we were just going to try it and go where the Lord leads. I texted my friend that we were going to come and we worked out all the details of meeting up and such.

That Sunday morning came and all three of us woke up excited and anxious. We got ready and left the house in plenty of time to make the 9:30 service. This church saves the front row parking for first-time visitors and then they have a member show you the ropes. Our friends also met us at this time. The kind gentleman that helped us was a Jeep owner/lover as well. So, you know we all hit it off pretty well. He told us about the church, showed us around and helped us get Mason all signed in. Then we took Mason to the children's church building. Mason is so much braver than I ever was. He ran right in and sat down in a circle of kids! Mercy, I love that boy. Nathan and I walked into the main building to meet our friends. Nearly as soon as I sat down I texted Mason to see if he was okay. He replies "yes." followed by a "don't reply". haha! He didn't want to keep texting during church. The worship started and oh my stars. The only word I have for it is amazing. Think Bethel or Elevation worship. It's that good. And then the pastor came out to begin a study in James. And it was just what my heart needed to hear. Conviction isn't ever easy, but it's needed.

The struggle is real...

A fire has been lit...

...to be continued.