We Are FAMILY!

This morning at church, I had an overwhelming sense of being HOME, of being surrounded by FAMILY.  A couple of weeks ago, our pastor even broke out into that song during his sermon.  He didn't do any singing today, but I most certainly had the lyrics running through my head, and my heart, all over again as I couldn't help but feel a closeness to those around me.  I am not related to anyone at church, except Lawrence and the girls of course, but we are definitely still family.  Those of us who are believers are ALL covered in the BLOOD of Jesus and brought into relationship with God as a result.  And that common bond, that common love for Jesus that we share, seemed to stick out to me more today than usual.

Numerous people wished me a happy birthday and asked how our house dedication party had gone last night.  For one reason or another they hadn't been able to come celebrate with us, but they were still thinking of us and excited for us as we begin this new journey.  It's so comforting to know that as we set out to make Jesus known in our community, we have the love and support and prayers of our Desperation Church family.

As we walked to the girl's classrooms, Kellah didn't hesitate a second before waltzing on in and beginning to play with the toys.  She didn't cry or cling or even look back at me.  We have come a long way in the past 6 months!  I am so thankful that Kellah feels safe and comfortable in her class.  I too feel confident "dropping her off," knowing she will be hugged and loved on while we are in the service.

Next, we came to Coralyn's room, but her teacher hadn't arrived quite yet.  We were just sitting down to wait when Miss Glenda came in and apologized for being late, that she had been chatting in the lobby.  She immediately went over to Coralyn, who by this time was holding a little brown bear and a big, huge panda bear bigger than her.  Miss Glenda excitedly gave all three of them a hug, with Coralyn's face lighting up as she embraced her teacher in a bear hug (pun intended).  I walked away smiling, thanking God for putting such amazing people in our girls' lives.  I know Coralyn is learning about Jesus and seeing Him at work in so many different people's lives, and I LOVE hearing her tell me about what she did in her class each weekend and Wednesday night.  Whenever we are getting ready to go to church, Coralyn gets excited and exclaims, "I LOVE going to church!"  Oh, my heart!

We found a spot in the "sanctuary" and just as we sat down, a lady came over to ask me about how I had gotten my nose pierced.  She had seen the pictures on facebook and was curious about the process, especially the part where the needle was sticking through my nose.  I joked with her that I figured if I could have two kids without any pain medication, then surely I could handling getting my nose pierced.  "Well," she told me, "I think I really like it."

As soon as I had thanked her, some of our good friends asked if they could sit beside us.  We immediately fell into conversation about parenting our young children.  What comfort to know that we're not the only ones with kiddos who misbehave and act out in public!  How reassuring to know we aren't in this "raising our kids to know and love Jesus" adventure alone!

Before long, Pastor Michael got up and made the announcements -- usually Pastor Jon's job, but he was watching his daughter at a gymnastics meet.  Even that made me smile.  As I pictured tiny Ayana flipping and twisting and turning, I thought of how that might be Coralyn some day.  And I would certainly want to be there cheering her on.  I am so glad that Jon was able to go and share that special moment with his family.

Already overwhelmed with the love all around me, we started singing.  I watched as Isaac, Pastor Bil's son rocked out on the guitar towards the back of the stage.  Even as he played and focused on getting the notes right, I could tell he was worshiping his teenage heart out.  I, then, glanced around the room and saw countless others praising Jesus with raised hands, bowed heads, and lifted voices.  A few minutes later when the offering bucket was being passed, the usher (arms covered in tattoos and ears pierced) touched my shoulder, as if he was silently letting me know, "I love ya, sister."  I don't even know if I could tell you his name; Lawrence probably could as he knows more of the men than I do.  But still, I could feel the bond between us, as we were both pouring our hearts out to Jesus and enjoying our time together in God's presence.

After the last song, the younger kids were dismissed to head across the hall for their age-appropriate classes and the adults had time to chat and catch up with each a bit.  I took advantage of the opportunity to run to the bathroom, letting Lawrence know, "Now that I'm old, my coffee just goes right through me," as this was the second time I had gone to the bathroom since getting to church!  On the way to and from the restroom, I got more waves and hellos and birthday wishes.

Pastor Michael began a three-part message on the story of the Prodigal Son.  Talk about God's Word being where I am at in life!  He shared with us about the relationship between the father and son in Jesus' parable, comparing that to the way God interacts with us today.  Again, I was blown away with God's great love for us, despite how unworthy and undeserving we are of being His children, let alone being in His presence in the first place!

After church, I went to pick up the girls and was greeted with smiles.  From Coralyn and Kellah, but also from their teachers and the many other parents getting their kiddos.  We made our way back to the sanctuary to find Daddy, but he was talking with some friends.  I saw Lori, whose boys have come to camp, and jokingly asked her if she too would be coming to Ponca this summer.  I was delighted with her response, "I'm really thinking about it."  Her son, Jeffery, wants to be a junior counselor, but he'll have to wait another year until he's 16.  STILL, my heart jumped with joy knowing that he wants to serve in that capacity at Ponca!  Our conversation then turned to It Works, as Lori is a fellow distributor, and our friend Jennie had just tried a wrap for the first time.  She was so excited about her results (which I can't share, but if you know Jennie Brown, you should ask her about it).  Lori and Jennie went on to explain how the supplements they've started taking are making a difference too.  I was getting goosebumps as I heard them sharing about how they were working hard to get healthier and enjoying the process!  Health is a passion of mine, and knowing that my friends are making significant strides in developing healthier lifestyles filled my heart with joy.

I turned around, only to have Allison ask me if we could meet sometime to see how It Works could help her with some things she wants to work on in improving her health.  I simply could not contain my excitement.  I happily talked with her about getting together and getting her started.

Her older son motioned for her that it was time to go home, and I needed to run and get Kellah as she was making her way towards a coffee cup left on the floor.  I quickly told her, "Kellah, we need to throw that away," and to my delight, she picked it up and didn't try to drink from it.  Instead, she started to make her way to the trash can at the back of the sanctuary.  She didn't quite get there before Valerie, Pastor Bil's wife, picked her up and helped her the rest of the way.  I shared with Valerie how I had enjoyed watching Isaac play the guitar earlier.  We talked a bit about her kids and how they are growing up so fast.

Eventually, Lawrence made his way back to us and we got the girls' capes on so we could rush out to the car in the rain.  We strapped the girls in their car seats and drove away, my heart full of the love I had experienced from the moment I stepped inside the church doors until the second they closed behind me.

I am so very thankful for my Desperation Church family.  I love my blood relatives, very much, but I am also blessed to have numerous brothers and sisters in Christ, to worship with them on a weekly basis, to live side by side as we all do our best to know Jesus more and in turn make Him known to those around us.

As I close, I am getting ready to head over to a friend's house from church.  I won't be able to stay at her house very long, as we have Ponca Bible study tonight.  It's as if I am going from family to family to family all day long!