Church Shopping

Most people that know me, know how important my church community is to me (if you don't, I apologize that we have never gotten in to a discussion that might indicate as much).  Growing up as a pastor's daughter, I always had a built-in church community and the bar was always set high to find a pastor that could live up to the expectations I had (because dad was the best pastor in my eyes).  Once I entered college, I found myself in a position where I was going to have to find my own church home.  I found places that were alright for a time but nothing I really sank my "teeth" in to for long.  When Tim and I moved to Seattle, we found a church to serve in for a couple of years but then decided that commuting to Bothell from Federal Way (or even West Seattle once we moved there) wasn't quite the community experience we were looking for.  It took us 3 years to find Bethany Community Church but once we found it, that was it.   We spent 10 wonderful years with Bethany and the last 5 probably had the most impact.  I had finally found a church community that lived up to my high standards, especially once we started our West Seattle satellite branch.   We connected with many wonderful people in our neighborhood and found some very, very dear friends.  We also found wonderful leadership in our pastoral staff.

Our last Sunday there was especially poignant and emotional for us as we had the honor of serving communion and saying good-bye (or see you later as I prefer to think of it) to the church community that was our family.  It was (and is) very difficult knowing that we will not be sharing community with them on a regular basis in the same manner we have.

Now that we are in Austin, I recognize  the task we have ahead of us - finding another community where we can invest our time and our talents and that wants to invest in us and the community around us.

I always thought "Church Shopping" had a bit of a crass sound - and I still think it does.  Really it is better categorized as searching for a community to share faith and life and share the Good News with others.   That search started today.  It may or may not be a long road.  Tim found a church to try out so we went and at the beginning of the service, I prayed for discernment and that we would be able to find the right place for our family.  Once again, the bar is set very high.  Within the first 5 minutes, I found myself comparing everything.  Finally, it dawned on my that I will never get anywhere if I compare everything.  In the end, we liked it enough to go back another time.  We'll try out some other churches, I'm sure but we did enjoy our time there.  My prayer as we search for a church home is that we find a place where our family can serve, be ourselves, learn more about Christ and what it means to have Him in our lives and that we can share His love and mercy with others through the community.  It might take us a while so I also pray for patience.  I ask you to pray for us too.

Fortunately, I know there is a place for us.

Licensed To Say Y'all

When I set out to get my car registered with the state today, I didn't expect the wave of emotion that would come with changing my license plates.  Don't get me wrong, there is typically some type of emotion associated with process and procedures related to renewing car tabs, etc.  However, it is usually frustration, relief of another task done or surprise (you are asking me to pay how much?).  I walked in to the title office, met some nice ladies who quickly processed me, presented them with the appropriate documentation, wrote my check and handed it over.  In turn, the nice woman handed me my registration sticker and new license plates and said "Welcome to Texas".  I immediately teared up.  They were very sweet about the unexpected reaction.  I told them I was going to have to Facebook about this and she said she wanted to be my Facebook friend so she could see what my friends said about me crying at new license plates.

While we are settling in quite nicely and our apartment quickly felt like home, this was a big step in realizing that we are not simply on some extended vacation.  We are here.  We have been led here, and after a very long journey, our dream is a reality.  This was just one more step in that process and I can't wait to see where the journey takes us.  My car is officially Texanized. I'll still hold on to my pretty Washington plates so I can still see Mt. Rainier when I want.

Silence Is Not Always Golden: Letting The Perfect Be The Enemy Of The Good

Don't get me wrong, in a house with two boys age 7 and 3, I definitely welcome it when I get a silent moment.  However, the silence I'm talking about is mine.  I started this blog in 2009 and I have published very few posts and after 2010, I went radio silent.  I even wrote a couple that went unpublished but at the time, I thought they were not quite perfect enough so I didn't post.  As I look back on those posts, I discovered they weren't half bad and wondered, why didn't I hit "post"?  Well, after moving half-way across the country and having left some very dear friends in Seattle, I have decided I need to post more so I can communicate in as many ways possible.  Whether or not anyone reads it, I don't know, but it will be out there. It may not be perfect but at least I won't be silent.  More to come...