Journaling the Journey

I need to preface all of the forthcoming posts regarding our search for a new church to call "home". I don't want any of this to be construed as anything remotely opposed to the church we are leaving behind. I want to word everything just right, you know? We loved and worshipped there, together with friends as family, for over seven years; we've known and loved many of the people there for longer than that, and I hope we can continue in kingdom-fellowship for some time to come. I'm not looking to tarnish the community reputation of the church, or to bring any division or derision to anything still moving forward there. Our prayers are with them as they go into the upcoming events: end-of-the-month eKIDS Extreme Outreach next weekend, Marriage Conference 09/11, Cleansing Streams ministry starting off tonight. We would still be a part of all of that, and we wouldn't want to be hindered in ministry by bitterness or whining offsite. I brought pain and hurt into the equation - I don't want to add to the mess, but move on and learn from it.

{The only "pain" and "hurt" I wish to inflict from here on is in kicking tail and taking names in the fantasy football league set to kick-off in a couple of weeks. Are you listening, boys - Scott, Andre, Danny, Carlos? Bring it on!}

Having said that, anything I write about any of the churches we visit from here on out is also not going to build one up in order to tear the former down. If anything, we're looking for a church home that'll be just as welcoming and just as alive as what we've left behind. "I like this about this church" should not be taken as "I like this so much better than over there" - it's a simple "I like this", and that's all. There's no comparison - if there had been, we wouldn't have been there. It's a great place to grow - if you live in downtown Columbia and want to be a part of a place that's ready to minister healing to your family with the work of the Holy Spirit and the study of the Word of God, I'd point you to CWO.

Many people are looking for churches, or looking for new churches, for whatever reason. That's why I want to share our journey, so that we might be able to shed some light, and so others can comment and share their insights back on us. We're not letting bitterness or despair have its time in us; this is just something we need to do as committed followers of Christ in the kingdom-life we've been called to. We need another place to be planted, to grow, and to bear fruit.

I moped most of the weekend, and slept through most of it, too, in a daze of sorts. But I realized that I needed to move on, not hold back in looking for a new church to connect with. So Vicki and I went online over the course of the past few days and found a few young churches we'd like to check out. I'm not putting out applications - to be honest, any ministry to come will come from within a church body as it has before. But I'm sure we'll find a place to serve with our gifts, and to be ministered to by the body. So we're not looking for a "place that needs us", but like I said, for a place that's probably alot like our former church home. Over the coming weeks, we'll share what we find, and we appreciate any prayers or feedback from anyone else who's just journeying alongside.