Time Between Times

The time period between Christmas and New Years is always a wierd time. We are never sure when to take down the tree, what to do with out time, etc. Today we went over to the hospital in St. Louis to visit a friend. She is such a trooper! Hmmm.. what else is going on? Not much. I (Ryan) hung a big wall of dry-wall the last two days. Feeling a little sore from that. Amy went to the doctor's office yesterday. The baby is doing fine. Amy's belly measured right, and the baby's heart beat was normal. We are believing for good health for both Amy and the baby. We still have not picked out a name yet. Amy is leading heavily towards "Ruthie." However, I have known people named "Ruth" before who, shall I just say, that I didn't enjoy their company. My first choice would have been Gabrielle, but that was probably just my fascination with this character from an old (and bad) sci-fi show. Of course, "Ruthie" probably comes from Amy's favorite show. At any rate, this child is probably going to be named after a tv charater. Is that wierd?

Pictures at Grandpa's

Here are a few more pictures! Feel free to leave comments down at the bottom.

1083 People

This is the post I was trying to post yesterday, but the computer simply would not work! Again... technology!

Today is Christmas day! A lot I could probably write about. We had a wonderful time opening gifts with Cassidy this morning. We decided to not do the Santa Clause tale with her. Basically, if she picks that up on her own, we will not tell her any different unless she asks. However, we have read the story of Saint Nicholas to her, and I think that even at three she understands. Some people asked her this year if Santa was going to bring her gifts. She just looked at them funny, and said, “No, Mommy and Daddy are getting me gifts.” Before we opened gifts this morning, we read the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke. We explained to Cassidy that the reason we give gifts is celebrate the birth of Jesus, who was God’s greatest gift to mankind. Not sure she understands it all now, but she will.

On Friday night we went to the Christmas program at Orchardville. Wow! There were 1083 people there! They had people outside parking cars! We got there about 15 minutes early, and were almost not able to sit together. We could not find two seats next to each other. Finally, some people in a whole role scooted down so we could set together when they realized we were sitting apart. The program was amazing. I still can hardly believe what this church can do. I am glad to be part of it. Only wish it were closer.

What else is going on? Not much really. Finished up the semester. Glad to have these days off. When I think about all the time I get to spend with my family, I am really glad I went into education. That is about it. To anyone who is reading this, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

More Tech Problem and Narnia!

Well, I had another fit with technology again today. Wouldn’t you know it, on the last day of the Sunday school class, we were not able to get the screen projector to work. I put the disk in, had it set, and once we were ready, it simply did not work. So I restarted the program, and still nothing. The program kept telling me it was not responding, and asking me if I wanted to send an error report. What a deal!

In other events, we watched The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe last Sunday night. It was great! I read that book when I was younger, and even then was able to see the symbolism. Now, I saw it so much more. The part that really stuck with me was when the kid betrayed his family for sweets. I had to wonder, is that what it is like when we sin? Are we, in a sense, betraying The Kingdom of God for nothing more than a moment of pleasure? If we could see it from the outside, from God’s point of view, it would be much the same I do believe.

On the way home, Amy and I had a very good discussion about the movie. I have a very unique view on life, as some of you may know. I tend to think that the very fact that we are able to image something, somehow, some way, proves that it is possible. Let me give an example. Years ago, Gene Rodenberry created a show called Star Trek. In the original series, Captain Kirk often uses what looks a lot like today’s cell phone to call the Enterprise (i.e. “Scotty, beam me up!”). I could go on and on proving this, but my point here is that, is it in some way possible, that a land something like Narnia really exists. Not just in our imagination, but for real. Perhaps in another dimension, perhaps in a parallel universe. Maybe it is somewhat like what Heaven will be like. I know this sounds strange, but maybe, just maybe, there are real Centaurs, and real Fauns. And real creatures that we cannot even dream of. Watching that movie, I had the same feeling I that I got when I first read the book…the feeling that I had perhaps been to that place…a long, long time ago. Maybe, if it were possible, a time before I was born. The feeling that…I belonged in that place. That it was my real home, and someday I would return. I kno

Technology...gotta love it!

Here is a an ultrasound picture of our new baby. Amy is due in March. And another picture of Cassidy and me (Ryan) in the snow. We had lots of snow, but it is all melting off today.

Technology is supposed to make our lives easier. For the most part, this is true. However, all too often we find that instead of owning our little technological toys, they, in fact, own us. Case in point; A friend of mine teaches a Sunday School class (hi Fred). He has asked me to help out with running the screen projector and DVD he uses. Without fail, every Sunday morning we are faced with a seemingly insurmountable task of fixing a new technological problem. Sometimes it is a button that we neglected to turn on, sometimes one we forgot to turn off. Sometimes a cable is not all the way plugged into the back of the computer. Sometimes the computer must be restarted, sometimes it won’t read the disk, and nearly always, the little black box has to be turned back ON to turn out the lights at the end (and I always think, “why don’t they go off when I turn the box off the first time?”). On the other hand, technology produced this wonderful scull-like picture of my our new baby above. Wow, I hope she looks better than that when she gets here. I'm sure she will!


Hmmm..what else is going on. Went to lunch with my cousin Chris on Friday—one of the better parts about teaching is that you get “snow days.” Yeah! And we had a wonderful time with our friends Bobby and Janice at lunch today. And tonight, we are going to see "The Lion the Wich and the Wardrobe." I read that book when I was like 9 or 10. Looking forward to seeing the movie! That’s about all in our world!

Winter Has Arrived

Well, I must say it is down right COLD outside. Brrrr. So, what is going on with us? Well, today I taught Sunday School at church. My good friend Fred was celebrating his anniversary today, so he asked me to fill in. Now the class that he teaches is really interesting! He is doing a seven part study of the Christian Virtues as outlined by C.S. Lewis. However, he is using The Andy Griffith Show to bring about the study of the virtues (along with Scripture, of course). I was really afraid that the program was not going to work today, and it almost didn’t. In the end, it worked out fine, and everyone said it was good. Here is something we made up to help with the virtues:

People (Prudence)
Talk (Temperance)
Just (Justice)
For (Fortitude)
Fun (Faith)
Happiness and (Hope)
Conversation (Charity)

Last night our good friends Bobby and Janice came over. We had a delightful time. Other than that, not a lot is going on. We played a lot with Cassidy today. She wants to play all the time. I’m getting to the point that I am getting bothered by this, but then Bobby reminded me of a song called, “Cats in the Cradle.” In the song, a guy puts off playing with his son. He is always too busy to take the time, and keeps telling him, “maybe tomorrow.” One day, he realizes his son is now grown, and he wishes he would come to visit him. The boy grew up to be just like him, and can’t find the time to visit his dad. It is a rather sad song, but it makes you think about making the most of every moment.

This, in turn, reminded me of a poem by Eugene Field written a long time ago. For anyone reading this who has children, I think it might help you to understand the brevity of life.

The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and stanch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new,
And the soldier was passing fair;
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.

"Now, don't you go till I come," he said,
"And don't you make any noise!"
So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,
He dreamt of the pretty toys;
And, as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue---
Oh! the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place---
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face;
And they wonder, as waiting the long years through
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue,
Since he kissed them and put them there.

Wonderful Weekend!

This weekend was a great weekend. On Saturday we went to the zoo with our friends Bobby and Janice, and their little girl. I really don’t care too much for the circus, but this was not bad, and Cassidy loved it!

The Sunday service was great. Pastor Mark told the story of Jonathon’s son Mafibasheth. He also brought light to the 23rd Psalm that I have never thought about. According to the pastor, there was a time in the Jewish history that if a person was running from their enemies, and were able to make it to the Kings tent, then the King would give them sanctuary. He would even “prepare a table for them” in the presence of their enemies. When I thought about this, I remembered that I had been praying for something similar. You see, the “precious” that I have wrote about before has come back into my life several times. Just recently, I once again got rid of it. I realize that my enemies would enjoy using it to destroy me. My prayer is that God would protect me from my enemies, and even from myself. I want to rest under the shelter of God’s wings. I want Him to prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

After the service, we had a wonderful visit and dinner with our friends Nena and Gary. We were once close to them, and then, as friendships sometimes do, drifted apart. I have been praying that we would once again enjoy sweet fellowhip with them. Perhaps this is the beginning of that, and if not, it was great to enjoy this day. After all, THIS is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in IT. And that is just what we did.

Good Time, Bad Place

Well, we spent Friday night in Paducah, KY. We had a good time with some of our friends. However, the place we stayed at had really gone down hill since we were there last. Oh well, it was terrible. We would have went swimming, but the water was way too cold. We did go to a nice mall, and Amy and Cassidy liked that. On the way home we stopped at a toy store, and Cassidy liked that also.

Not much else going on.

Thing are Going Good

Things are going pretty good right now. We had a great time last night with a wonderful friend (Hi Cyndel) who came over for supper. Some of our other friends have invited us to go with them to Paducah this weekend, so that should be nice. Things at church are going really good also. I (Ryan) have started helping a friend with his Sunday school class (Hi Fred). This makes me feel like I am contributing something to the church. Amy and Cassidy look forward to going each week now also.

Fun in the Leaves

It's (going to be) a Girl!

It has been a while since we have posted. We are still here. Not a lot to say. Now that we have found a church, this blog really needs some direction. If anyone has any ideas, please let us know.

Baby

Amy had her sonogram the other day. It looks like we are going to have a baby girl! The picture was amazing. I know this will be another life changing experience! Perhaps this is what the blog should develop into?

Just Stuff

We are settling in to going to Orchardville now. It is nice to not be asking each other, “Where do you want to go to church Sunday.”

Other Stuff

Hmmm, not much else is going on. Have been dealing with major “Precious” withdrawals, but I suppose is to be expected.

Amy and I have been spending a great amount of time here lately trying to figure out what exactly God has planned. Honestly, most of our lives we have felt like we really don’t fit in anywhere. I know that everyone goes through this from time to time, but this is more than that. We talk a lot about moving away, perhaps to a Chicago suburb, or maybe O’Fallon, or even a long way away to someplace like Alabama or Texas. Making that jump would require a lot of faith, but we know that God would take care of us. I think we both might be more happy, but who knows.

Orchardville It Is

It looks like for now that we will make Orchardville church our home. I wish I could say that we both feel an overwhelming peace about this decision. However, we do not feel "drawn" to any church in particular. Orchardville seems like a very logical place to be for several reasons. Perhaps God has another place for us somewhere down the road. But until that time comes, it would be best to stay in a place that we can be fed spiritually, and grow in the Lord. That is not to say that we will not be faithful at Orchardville. We plan to support the church with our time, talent, and treasure to the best of our abilities.

"Thank you" to anyone out there who actually reads this blog. And if you said a prayer for our journey, thank you for that as well. As of now, we still plan to update the blog on a weekly basis if possible. Please comment if you have the chance.

Another Visit to Church of the Harvest

Today we once again visited Church of the Harvest. We have pretty much decided that our journey will end for now at either Orchardville or Church of the Harvest. There may be other churches in the area that we could visit, but we have found peace at both of these churches. Honestly, either one would be a good pick. There are advantages and disadvantages to both churches. When it comes down to it, we must decide where we feel it is best for us at this particular time in our lives.

The Sunday service was great. There was good preaching, good music, and we truly felt the presence of the Lord. Decisions are sometimes tough, but we both feel confident with either choice.

Fire at MVTHS

Another exciting day at MVTHS. There is really never a dull moment. It all happened during 5th block, which is right after lunch. I was giving a test to my Earth Science students, when all of a sudden the fire alarm rang. “Darn,” I thought. Somebody has pulled the alarm, and now my students will have trouble getting finished with this test. “Let’s go people, down the stairs, across the street…stay as a group.” As we were exciting, I could tell from the look on Mr. Well’s face that was no ordinary drill. “Move it, move it” shouted Mr. Wells. As I got down to the bottom level, I could see smoke billowing through the downstairs hallway. I could then see students visually upset and shaken. I ordered my students to gather, made sure they were out of the street, and began to take attendance. I still do not have a good handle on who is who (shame on me), so I got another student to quickly help me take roll. After watching administrators running with fire extinguishers, the fire department trucks pulled up. These guys were amazing! They really took control of the situation. Unfortunately, I was unable to watch much, because we had to move all of G-building over to the gym. Imagine trying to keep 350 teenagers under control after this excitement. All in all they were pretty good.

So how did the fire start? I appears that someone lit fire to a toilet paper roll. What a mess! The smoke damage is unbelievable. Looks like we will be off school for at least one day.

The image above is of the floor in the bathroom. I was trying to sneak a picture when I discovered that this was not a good time to do this--several administrators were right around the corner looking at the bad part. Maybe I can get a better picture later.

Another Visit To Orchardville

Today we visited Orchardville again. At some point in the near future, we may stop using the word “visited,” but as for now that is still what is taking place. We finished up the “Let’s Get Acquainted Class.” We actually started on what is normally the last Sunday for the group, and have been playing catch up. Today was the day to take the grand tour of the church. I was most impressed with the abundance of ministries for kids at Orchardville. It is totally amazing. I really wonder what it would have been like to grow up in a church like Orchardville.

Tonight we went out to eat with a friend. She is a former student and student assistant of mine (Ryan) who has become a close friend of ours. She once told us that we had made a positive impact on her life, but honestly it is the other way around. Whitney, if you are reading this, you’re the greatest!

On a side note, something was spoken at Orchardville a few Sundays ago that has stuck with me. The pastor spoke about the sin in our lives that is the “My Precious.” He referred of course to the signature line of the character Gollum in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The pastor kept asking, “What is it in your life that has become ‘My Precious.’” I knew as soon as he said this what it was in my life. It has taken me this long to make a decent attempt to rid myself of it. I am going to do my best to get rid of it…I want it out of my life.

Another thought that goes along with that is something that was said at Church of the Harvest several weeks ago. “The Holy Spirit can take you places that your character cannot keep you.” My prayer is this, “God, help me to get “my precious” out of my life once and for all. Let my character and integrity become such that, with your help, I am able to reach the place that you would have me to be. Guide our family to that place, and keep us there with your strength.”

Heavily Leaning Towards Orchardville

On Sunday we visited Orchardville for the third time. Once again we had a wonderful experience. Quite honestly, we were unsure weather we would visit there again Sunday or not. The final decision was not made until the turn off of route 15 came up. It was either make the turn, or keep going and be really early to another church that we have visited.

For those of you who read this, sorry I did not post on Sunday afternoon like usual. It was a really good day. After church we went to some wonderful friends house to have tacos and brownies. They were both incredible!

So where are we at in our decision? We have come to believe that Orchardville has so much for Cassidy. At the present time, this is weighing heavily in our decision. Plus, we enjoy the music, the preaching, and I think we could both become involved in ministry there. The only problem is that I am just not “feeling” the confirmation that I want to feel. I’ve come to believe that major decisions should not really be based on our “feelings.” So when it comes down to it, we will make our decision based on sound logic, but I really wish that confirmation feeling would present itself.

Orchardville offers a wonderful Sunday School class for new attendees. It is called the “Let’s Get Acquainted” class. The class runs for a few weeks, and then starts over again. We got in on the last class, and have been catching up. I believe we have one or two more Sundays left in the class. I’ve been told that anyone who wants to become involved is strongly encouraged to complete this class. Our current plan is to go ahead and finish up this class.

At that point, I think we will visit Church of the Harvest at least one more time. That is the only other church that seems like it might be for us. Hopefully this journey is coming closer to an end.

What To Do?

On Saturday I traveled with several friends to area music stores. I am thinking about getting the amp up above. Not sure if I should or not. There is a chance that the old band will play again for a praise and worship service. If we do, I will certainly need something to play. However, I hate to get something just for once service. On the other hand, it would be nice to start playing music again, and if I had an amp, then something might come along? Who knows.

Second Trip to Orchardville

Today we went once again to Orchardville Community Church. We once again had a really good experience. Cassidy did not wish to go to either the nursery or children’s church, but I’m sure she would eventually go if we decide to go there.

Afterwards, we went out again to lunch at a fine dining establishment in Wayne City. There, I embarrassed myself greatly with a slip of the tongue. You see, the previous day, I had traveled to St. Louis with some of our friends who were sitting around the table. While discussing the trip, and remembering that we had driven past a famous custard stand in Collinsville (but not stopped) I attempted to say, “We saw “Bobby’s” yesterday.” What unfortunately came out made it sound like we had visited some kind of gentleman’s club along the way. I had consciously thought to myself, “Don’t say that word.” Why, you might ask, did that even come to my mind? Long story short, Amy and I used to drive past there while in college quite often, and the sign outside looked like it said the other word. We loved to stop there, and this became somewhat of a joke to ask each other if we wanted to go to “B##bies.” Oh well, SORRY everyone, hope you don’t hold it against me. And sorry for the person who missed it who was getting food at the time…that one rivals your favorite quote of all time said to a teenage Sunday school class having a party on Harrison street—“Don’t “sit” in that hole over there.”….and we didn’t!

So, enough about that. Now, here is our dilemma. How do we know whether or not this is the church for us? During Sunday school, many of the people said they just knew this was where they were supposed to be. I wish we could say we had that same voice telling us this, but as of yet this is not the case. I’m finding myself making a list in my mind of all the good things this church has for us, and all the not as good aspects. The list in my mind goes something like this:

The Good

Good preaching, good fellowship, great friends, nursery/children’s church, several ministries, plenty of people, probably some activities, much for Cassidy to do.

The Not as Good

Very long drive, sometimes hard to meet people in a big church, so many ministry positions are already filled (i.e. would there be a need for us).

There may be more in each category, but these are the ones that come to mind. Right now, the drive is a killer. I’m told that it will get better, and that there are actually some good things about being a little ways away.

Right now, we are simply wishing that God would show us the right place to go. We both really want to be in the will of God, and He knows best. Please say a prayer for us that we will find God’s direction.

Wonderful Visit to Orchardville

This morning we had the chance to visit Orchardville Community Church. Orchardville is a rather small community nestled in Wayne County. Over the past 10 years this church has exploded in growth. The last time I was there the church attendance was probably less that 100. They now have a sanctuary which seats over 500, and it looked full to me!

The amazing church growth that has occurred here should be studied. I’m rather sure there are a number of factors that have contributed to this growth, one of which being their tape ministry. Before we began our search for a new church, this was something that I really had a heart for. Although it failed rather miserably for me, it is nice to see a place where it has succeeded. I have also been told this church placed a strong emphasis on prayer prior to their growth. One can assume they do still.

Okay, so what did we think? Well, first of all, we got to the church early, but quickly found a friend who showed us around. We were offered coffee from the coffee bar, and introduced to several people. We were shown the nursery, and introduced to the nursery staff. There were forms to fill out asking if it was okay to give Cassidy food, and whether or not she had any allergies. Cassidy did not want to stay in the nursery, but later on did go to children’s church. At this time, Amy was given a pager to notify us if Cassidy became distressed. This is a great idea! We also read in the bulletin that parents were asked to remove their children if they became noisy. It has been my experience that many parents don’t know to do this.

We attended a Sunday School class for new people, where the lesson focused on the church beliefs. We were informed about baptisms, communion, and general church practices. We had the opportunity to ask the pastor questions about the church. The class lasts for three weeks, and then repeats with a new group. The room was packed! This is yet another great idea for a growing church.

After Sunday School, we went into the sanctuary where we enjoyed a wonderful worship service. The music was good, and very professional. After the music, the pastor delivered a good sermon. It challenged me to want to be a better person, and was very encouraging to Amy as well. Alter time was given for people to pray, and special prayer was given for the people in the path of Hurricane Katrina.

All in all we had a very good experience. Visiting a church this large can often cause one to feel lost in the crowd. However, our friends helped us to feel welcome, and even invited us to lunch afterwards.

Trying to Decide

Well, today is Friday, and we are debating on where to go Sunday. We have both had time to think about Church of the Harvest, and we both would really like to visit there again. However, we have not yet visited Orchardville yet. My good friend there has had quite a week, and I'm not sure if this would be a good week or not. Either way, Lord willing, we will visit Orchardville this week or next week.

On a side note, I (Ryan) am thinking about getting back to playing bass guitar. I sold my amp, so if anyone knows of a good amp that is for sale, please let me know.

Leaves and Bugs!

Well, my niece and nephew are making thier Fall collections. If anyone else wants to know about leaves and bugs, go to these sites! Have fun Josh and Mallory!

here

here

here

here

Church of the Harvest—A Definite Possibility

Today we attended Church of the Harvest in Wayne City. Everything started off a little frustrating. We got to the church about 9:45am. The local paper said the service started at 10:00am. Not wanting to be too early, we drove through town for a while to kill time before going in. When we got inside we realized that the worship service did not start until 10:30am, so we were still a half hour early. We then decided to drive to the gas station, drive around more, etc. to kill even more time. Finally, when we arrived we discovered that our friend who we thought would be preaching was not going to preach.

But after a rough start, everything went very well. Everyone greeted us kindly, and seemed glad that we were there. Cassidy stayed in the nursery the entire time, and the pastor’s message was really good. One word can describe the worship service—AWESOME. The songs ministered to us, and the music was done with skill and excellence. The excitement in the room was contagious as people clapped and raised their hands to the Lord. A general atmosphere of sincerity filled the room, and we really felt welcome there and at home to worship. In Amy’s words, it was, “really great.”

After the service, people came up to us, shook our hands, and asked us to come back. People liked Cassidy, and there are other children there her age.

Some of the additional aspects we liked about this church are that several people there have recently committed their lives to the Lord. Also, a lot was said about needing to build in the future (that could be exciting). Finally, we were both glad that people dress semi-casual. This means we will not feel like we have to go buy expensive clothes to go to church there.

All in all, it was our first good experience at visiting churches.

Watched Joel Osteen

Well, today we did not attend church. We certainly don’t want to get into the habit of doing this, but I (Ryan) had to work up at the high school in preparation for the upcoming school year—school starts on Tuesday. Actually, I finished up painting my classroom. I figured that most teachers don’t do that, but when I got home tonight I stopped by McClellan School to deal with an issue (for those of you who don’t know I serve as school board president there), and there was a teacher in her room painting. Wow, what dedication I thought!

Anyway, Joel Osteen is the pastor of the largest and fastest growing congregation in America. I have been following his ministry for quite a while now, and I truly believe they have it figured out down there. Click HERE To see the website.

If you have a fast connection (which we do at the school), you can watch the service live over the net. It was really cool, not to mention very inspiring.

We do not plan to do this every Sunday, but perhaps it will help to fill the gap when we need a break from our search. Next Sunday it is off to Church of the Harvest!

More Pictures From Vacation

Change of Plans

Okay, we were planning to attend Orchardville Church this Sunday, but we are now thinking about not visiting there yet. My good friend there may have the Chicken Pox, and I want to visit on a Sunday when all can be just right. This is also the weekend before school starts, which means my time is totally consumed with school preparation. Next week we have been invited to visit Church of the Harvest, where another old friend of mine will be speaking. I would really like to hear him, so we will probably go that Sunday. That means we are looking at Sunday the 27^th for Orchardville. But who knows, we may wake up Sunday morning and say, “Let’s go somewhere.” Sometimes the un-planned things are the best things in life.

Done with the Workshop

Just finished four days of a workshop at Rend Lake. I have to say that it was absolutely the most boring time I have spent in a while. However, we did get paid a nice little stipend for it, so I guess it was worth it. We spent two days working on determining trends in PSAE scores. About all we discovered was that if you are poor, your test scores are a lot less than if you are not poor. I guess the moral of that story is, “don’t be poor?” Most likely it means that PSAE tests are not a top priority for people of low income, which makes sense. The next two days were spent watching “good” teachers teach with a method called “Engaged Learning.” The best segment was when we got to watch the students get into the water to simulate the building of a satellite in space. I’m sure I’ll be able to do this lesson at Mt. Vernon High School (sorry, a little sarcasm). Anyway, it’s finally done and over. Just in time--school starts next week.

Picture of Us

Since I cannot seem to get a picture of us on our profile, I thought I would take one and post it here. It is a really bad picture, but it was taken on the spare of the moment, simply holding the camera out in front of us. Oh well, this is us!

Nazarene Church

This morning we visited the Nazarene Church. We felt very welcome, and everyone seemed nice. However, once again we left with the strong sensation that this is totally NOT the church we are to attend. Sometimes I just wish that God would show us before we visited so that we did not have to go through everything. Believe it or not, visiting churches can cause a fair amount of anxiety.

For the first time, we are now both entertaining the possibility of going back to (or should I say, “staying at”) the church we were at before we began this journey. The biggest problem is that we are not happy there. Unfortunately, we’re beginning to think that we are not going to be happy anywhere. Maybe we are trying to find the “perfect” church, and maybe that just simply does not exist.

Here are our options at this point:

1. Keep looking for the church we feel at home at, even if that means driving a long way.
2. Go back to the first church.
3. Forget the whole thing, stay at home and watch Joel Osteen, and wait for God to bring something our way.

Honestly, we have absolutely no idea what to do, and we are getting very frustrated.

The Plan

Well, this coming Sunday we plan to attend Faith Church of the Nazarene. I have really high hopes for this church. The pastor called and left a message while we were gone on vacation. My biggest concern is that the church is really small in number. But, as long as there are a few people there that we can connect with, it will be okay. After we visit this church, we plan to visit Orchardville. We are almost certain we will like Orchardville, but the drive is really long. We know several people who go there, and I’ve heard they have a lot of children's ministries. We need to be involved at whatever church we go to, and that drive might make that extremely difficult. Not really sure what to do after that.

The Dream

One night on vacation, I had a really strange dream. In the dream we were at a non-Pentecostal church and were about to take communion. When the elements arrived, I ate the bread, and went to take the wine. However, there was no wine in the cup. Then, a really angry man came in and said to me, “Whatever you do, don’t go to another Pentecostal church!” What in the world does this mean? Hmmm, maybe too much seafood.

On Vacation

We did not attend any church this past Sunday. We were on the road to beautiful Seagrove Beach, Florida (very close to Destin). A few years ago we stayed at the same place with two friends of ours. It was a good trip then, and this was no different. If anyone is interested, the place we stayed at was called Hidden Beach Villas. The little condos were really nice, and the price was good (about $75 dollars a night). No major problems, and Cassidy did very well riding for that long. It was nice to get away for a few days!

Mt. Vernon Church of God

Well, today we attended the Mt. Vernon Church of God on Harlan Road. I can with a fair amount of certainty say that this will not be the church we decide to make our home. There was nothing severely wrong with the church; we just didn’t feel at home. When we arrived, we were greeted well, but several people kept asking us whom we were related to. Once they realized they did not know us, we stood in the foyer waiting for Sunday school to get over for what seemed like forever. That was not too bad, but one rather older gentleman came up from behind me, put his arms on my shoulders, and said, “I know you, I knew your grandmother.” He gave me the name of someone who I had never heard of, and once he had figured out that he did not know me, he kept his hands on my shoulders for a rather lengthy period of time. Now, I’m not homophobic, but I did not like this at all.

Probably 80% of the church was over fifty, but we did see one couple that had a boy about Cassidy’s age. I’m sure this is a good church, but I don’t think we will go back.

Recent Phone Conversation

Recently, I had the chance to speak with the pastor of the Mt. Vernon Church of God (formally known as the Harlan Road Church of God). On the phone, this gentleman sounded great. He seemed to really care about my spiritual condition, and made it really clear that we would be welcome there. He also asked that we pray and seek God for His guidance. He was glad to hear that we were leaving our current church on good terms, especially good terms with our pastor. He seemed to understand how difficult it can be to find the place that you feel at home. This church has good potential, and will be one of the next one’s we visit.

Meeting with Nazarene Pastor

On Monday, I met with the pastor of the Nazarene Church in town. He is a great guy, and seems to really understand church ministry. This is definitely a church we are going to visit. The good things about it (without yet visiting), is that it is close, sounds like it has a good congregation, and perhaps has potential to grow. In addition, I believe the Nazarene beliefs are very similar to mine. On the negative, it sounds like the church is mostly family, rather small, and does not have very many children Cassidy’s age. Again, the only way to really know much is to actually go visit.

Grace Community

On Sunday, we took our first step at finding another church. We visited Grace Community Church (formerly First Community). The worship service was really good, and the people seemed friendly. Actually, my aunt goes there, so we knew someone already. There was also a lady who I work with, and a couple who we went to church with many years ago. We were asked to stand up so 150 people could all turn around and look at us wave. Oh, yeah! That was weird, but other than that, it looks like a good church. I think do think, however, that our search is still on.

Background

Okay, here is our situation. We have been attending a small church for the last several years, and have come to believe that we should go somewhere else. We do not intend to badmouth this church, and we ask that anyone one who leaves comments do the same. This blog will be devoted to our search and whatever may come along with it (actually, I have been informed that it is not really a blog, but an online journal…well, close enough).

So where did we get this idea? We have a wonderful friend who is documenting his weight loss at the following address. This is what gave us the idea.

http://www.faithmooney.com/sb/