How to Find a New Church - Part II

So earlier this week I was sitting with a friend James and chatting about what God has in store for us in this next chapter. We wandered on to the finding a new church topic. He's moved a couple of times and was sharing his thoughts. It was all building on what I had in my last blog about being comfortable in a church vs. being in the church God wants and allowing Him to make you comfortable. James had a slightly different but very cool take on things.

He shared that the worship, the people and the sermon do matter some but really have very little importance at the end of the day. As he explains every church, no matter what the denomination or style, has a common and unifying characteristic...God is there expecting us and He has invited us.

So rather than trying to be comfortable and find the perfect worship and pastor...just show up with a big appetite and be prepared to be fed.

James talked about our relationship. We can talk on the phone and it's good communication but not really personal and close. We can meet over a table in a coffee shop and we become closer but when we invite someone for Thanksgiving dinner and the feast and festivities that comes with sharing that meal it changes our relationship and draws us even closer together.

Going to church is like God's invitation to Thanksgiving dinner with Him. He has prepared the banquet feast just for us with all of the fixins.

So rather than seek out the best of everything or the place we are comfortable, we just need to show up hungry and ready to dine with Him. With that as the expectation, He will meet us there and He will quench our appetite and we will be drawn in closer to Him.

The Message - 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.

How do you pick a church..this isn't rhetorical...

So one of my biggest concerns around our relocation is finding a new church home. I have been at Lambrick for most of the last 16 years or so...there was some floating in the middle because I was upset with some things that were happening - with the church and with me - but it has been home.

I sit in the same section week after week and often even in the same seat. I wouldn't ever consider myself a seat warmer but there is no doubt I am comfortable there.

What the heck am I going to do? Will I ever find a place in another church that is as comfortable as Lambrick is for me.

Erin and I had a chance to go to Airdrie a few weeks ago. It was a house hunting expedition and that came with its own up and downs but that is another blog topic.

On the Sunday morning we were able to check out a church. I will premise this by saying it's not Lambrick so you know I wasn't comfortable. I find it very hard to relax in this situation. I am nervous about people looking at the newcomers and in my shallowness I am looking around the room and analyzing everyone I see. She's too big, he's too small, the worship band is too loud, the screens too high, the pastor's too...you get what I am saying!

We walked into this church and I will say it felt warm. The people were friendly, almost too friendly...a lady hugged me and I didn't even know her! Next a guy walks up and says "are you Pete and Erin?" We nearly flipped out but found out a friend knew the pastor and had texted him that we were going there. Turns out the guy was this pastor. While talking to him, an older couple welcome us (this was when I got hugged). Seems they were newcomers only a short number of months before. We chatted with them some and realized they were also from BC. Anyway...the people were lovely.

Next I had to critique the worship. I need/crave/desire amazing worship. I know that and have very high expectations. Lambrick has always led the way and Glad Tidings (where I was prior and in between) did too. So my comparing started....well Lambrick would do, these guys to...etc. I realized that this church would push my level of comfort in terms of how charismatic some were with their worship. Overall it was pretty good, but it wasn't Lambrick.

Next up...coffee time right after worship and before the sermon...interesting...it's not Lambrick (but I did like this).

Sermon time. The pastor [not the one we met] (and I won't say his name because I don't think I should identify the church) spoke on the "new seven deadly sins". Today's topic was on the love of money. The message was well delivered and most important was rooted in scripture and came with a challenge on applying the scriptures to my life. I would have given this sermon a 10 out of 10 if we were grading. But it is still not Lambrick (Bob nails 10 out of 10's often).

Soon after the service ended we were milling around and the pastor we had met comes up and invites us to a breakfast the following week...I like food...unfortunately we wouldn't be there so I plan on collecting on the breakfast another time.

So my experience there is almost over...I survived and I learned that it isn't Lambrick. I am messed...there will never be another Lambrick. I will never be comfortable again.

Just before leaving I was speaking with the fellow, the recent newbie from BC, and he shared one of those nuggets you just never forget. We were talking about Airdrie churches and he was sharing about their search and the struggles he'd had. Every church was different...some had this, some had that. I asked him how he eventually chose this church. He said to me that it took some time but that he eventually realized that he would never be comfortable in any of them (greaaaat...doesn't that bring peace of mind...it got better though) . None of them were his old church in Kelowna and none even remotely close actually. Then he said "so I knew that it wasn't about what church I could be comfortable in but knowing what church God wanted me to be in. If He wanted me there, then He would make it comfortable."

WOW...wow. I never would have thought about this. All my thinking and my prayers (when I prayed about this topic..which hasn't been often enough) had been focused on where will I be comfortable, where will I find the place I fit, that we fit. I had it all backwards.

THANK GOD those churches aren't Lambrick as He desires something even more, even greater than we had here. God, show me where it is you want US to be, where you can use us and where we can grow. Who cares about comfort, we know that if you call us there, the comfort will come.

I don't know if this is the church we will land in. We will likely check out more when we are there and see where God leads. I do know that these are God's people and good people and I hope the regardless of where we end up that we have a chance to be in relationship some of them.

Peace out!

Out of Date

If you follow my wife Erin's blog you will know she blogged every day in November. Me, I opted for the opposite and didn't blog once in November...or should I say NO-vember.

It wasn't that I didn't think about it or didn't have something to say. I actually had a few different topics, I just never got to putting them on paper.

So much is going on in our lives these days as we prepare for our move. We know we are following God's will for us but some days are just plain harder than others.

We've had our house on the market for about a month and a half. We've had tire kickers but nothing serious. We've even had two second showings which are usually a good sign but they haven't led to offers.

We did make a trip to Airdrie and found a place we liked very much. We put a offer on it conditional on the sale of our house. We knew there would be some risk but we were okay with that. It's a slow market and December is usually even slower.

Unfortunately it's only a week since the offer and we received word last night that they had called our condition. They have accepted another offer and we now have 24 hours to remove the condition for the sale of our house. Obviously without an offer on ours, we can't remove it so as disappointing as it is, we will lose that house.

Erin and I are okay with that. We saw many houses there and know there are many lovely places. This one just seemed to fit us. We have decided that while it might delay us a bit in the end, we plan to wait until we have a firm offer with no conditions on our place before we go look again.

It's been a roller coaster for sure going through the process and dealing with all of the financial stuff but through it we just want to keep trusting Him and listening for His direction.

If you are into praying, please think of us. We'd love to have things settled, to know when we are going so we can start planning. Please pray for patience and for peace. It is tough living here but not planning into the future beyond weeks, as well as knowing we are going there but not being able to plan or invest ourselves there.

Somebody shared this verse with me the other day and it is so appropriate for right now.

Isaiah 26:3-4

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.