Good evening! I don’t believe I mentioned it, but this weekend we visited the church we used to attend in Arkansas. It was SO SO good to see all of the people there. They all have such smiley faces and great hugs! More importantly they are some of the most genuine Christians I have ever met.
Since we’ve been visiting churches I’ve gotten to see into a lot of different ministries and the people the people that make them up. Probably over 90% of the churches I’ve visited are filled with zombies…Okay, not brain eating zombies, but their faces are solemn and expressionless. They mill around nodding the presence of others, fill into their seats, and then sit there blankly while God’s Word is being presented. When we visit a church I like to look around at the people and see how many of them are actively listening to God’s Word. Unfortunately most of the time I see the zombie faces. Well, today when I looked around at the faces of the people in Arkansas, and I saw people that were engaged in the message. I saw people whose lives weren’t easy, but people who were wanting to become more like Christ! The struggles that these people go through are indescribable, but yet they still love the Lord and don’t let their circumstances control their joy.
Speaking of joy, the message that Pastor spoke on was about joy! I plan on listening to rest of the message on the church website. As we all know consistent joy is something that I wish to actively pursue!! It’s something that I see in the lives of the people at church and in Rich and it’s something that I want too!
Speaking of Rich, going back to my church in Arkansas meant seeing him again. He is doing well and is maturing in amazing ways! We got to talk some and it was so good to connect with him. He also is actively pursuing God and it is so great to see the way the Lord is changing Rich to be more like Jesus.
Blessings are overflowing. It’s really what this blog is all about. God doesn’t take us through the valley and leave us void of His presence. He walks along-side us and gives us the blessing of sweet fellowship with Him. He is so good to us!
Today’s Blessings:
Love, hugs and smiles from my Arkansas church family!
The genuine Christianity they display despite the hard things that come their way. (If you ever doubt that Christianity is alive today, just spend a week with them. You’ll see!)
Getting to see Rich again and seeing how well he is doing!
-Christy
Blessings in Waiting 