We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Blog to give you the details on where the heck Cris has been the past couple weeks…

Your recovering blogger here…

Finally decided to go to the doc today, after my “getting better” turned to ” who am I kidding, this is getting worse”…

Turns out mama has bronchitis, sinusitis and fluid behind my ears…

Oh and did I mention that my eye doctor has the correct left contact on order and in the meantime the replacement contact pretty much doesn’t work…

Fear not, I can see fine with my right eye which makes my sight legal, however it is now twitching due to working double duty…

So, to recap, lungs, sinuses, ears, eyes, twitching…

Or, in other words, Mama was is a hot mess.

Like I said, contact is now on order and doc has me on an inhaler for that thing I like to do… oh yeah, breathing and an antibiotic for the ears and sinuses…

So now when I say I should be better soon, it is with someone’s medical license behind it… for whatever that is worth.

We Now Take You Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Blog…

******************************************************************************

Have you ever just felt like something just fell into place and you sit back and just thank God for the blessing not sure how it all really happened?

Now, let me be clear that 99.9% of the time, I so don’t feel that way… life is often an uphill battle, from juggling schedules, meals, family, work and every inch in between.

Truth be told, it is a juggling act of blessings, but it doesn’t always feel that way and I certainly don’t act like it is… but that is another post for another day…

Anyhoo…

Let’s rewind to about a month and a half ago…

WARNING: I am about to go where your not supposed to go in polite company… ya know, religion and politics… read at your own risk.

I knew something had to change with my current spiritual situation and subsequently, my family’s.

I loved a lot of things about the church we were attending, but despite forcing myself to sporadically go to services, I wasn’t growing, my husband wasn’t growing and, truth be told I was losing interest in the very thing that was supposed to be the center of my world, my faith.

Now, I realize that may make some uncomfortable, but it is the truth.

And, truth be told, I was uncomfortable about it.

I liked our church and hated to leave the children’s program that Addie loved and the music program that Puddie connected with…

Those two things keep us there for a good year because I was so fearful of losing what was working for us that I was afraid to explore what could be…

It wasn’t the church’s fault. I look back on it now and I see it almost as God’s invitation to the new chapter of our life…

My faith has always been important to me, but… again… if I am being honest, I have had a really hard time connecting to any church pretty much for the last 15 years.

I have had some good years and some bad years… but for the most part, I have felt like the black sheep of the Good Shepard’s flock.

But again, that is a whole other post.

Let’s just say the cliff notes version is that my hang-ups are centered around my fundamental belief that God did not call us to make a Christian Nation here on earth, but rather to show others Christ’s love and well that belief then leads to oodles of other issues in the way we behave in (and towards) this world — specifically those outside of the church…

Now, as much as I know this is going to disappoint ya ‘all…

I know I am not perfect, so I know that all my views aren’t perfect…

And as wise as I am I have known that I need a church to grow in and be a part of the change I want to see…

But for years I have wandered… enjoying the company of fellow Christians here and there, but never really feeling at home…

Not at home enough to say that I don’t believe a political party represents Christ anymore today than it did in His day or to say that Jesus spent His time seeking out people who needed Him, not demanding that the 10 commandments be carved into the town square…just sayin’

And, while I know there are Christians that would agree with me and some who wouldn’t, I just haven’t felt like I have ever found a place of worship where I feel free to share my views and grow from there… or a place I would feel 100% comfortable inviting a friend to… again, just being brutally honest.

That is until about a month and a half ago.

A friend had invited me to a women’s group at her church, but I kept having a hard time making it work with my schedule, so instead, Puddie, Miss Add and I visited one Sunday.

She told me once I went there that I would never want to go anywhere else.

I thought “Yeah, right… she don’t know me and my… issues.”

We have been going back ever since and quite honestly cannot get enough.

The atmosphere is inviting and welcoming and designed purposefully for guests.

In fact, it is made very clear that guests are what this place is about… you can tell that is where the heart of this church lies… and I so heart that– I cannot even tell you how much I love that about this church.

Turns out the children’s program is also phenomenal. Miss Add is quoting bible verses and telling bible stories throughout the week…hmmm

Turns out the music and worship is electric and Puddie is excited…hmmm, Maybe God knows what He is doing after all

The people literally cheer one another on… in a way I have never seen in a church setting before.

The pastor brings scripture to life with imagery and stories that make the sermons stick with you for days.

For example, two Sundays ago he spoke on how we are all thirsty for something and we try to drink in all kinds of things to quench that thirst when there is only one thing (God) that can fill that thirst. (John 4:7-26)

He shared a true story that has stuck with me since. It was about some men stranded in a raft for days at sea and how although they were surrounded by water, they were literally dying of thirst– because they needed fresh water, and the salt water would actually kill them faster…

He then shared how no one would never consider drinking in that salt water, but in reality, when we are replacing our relationship with God with success, work, food, relationships, alcohol, fill-in-the-blank, that is what we are doing… drinking in something that was never intended to quench our thirst…

Dude.

That was sooo where I was  at that time.

I sooo needed a healthy dose of fresh water to realize that I have been gulping down tons of salt water lately… between work balance, over eating and the like… when really I have been craving fresh water (God) and that place is flowin’ with the GOODe stuff… just sayin’

This church has been a topic of conversation at our home for the last month.

We are pretty much in awe of the kind of fit it is for us.

And, while it was a quick courtship, Puddie and I agree, we are finally home.

Home, Sweet Home.

God is pretty cool folks… just sayin’