Testimony: Part 2

After Dennis and I had decided it was time to move on and find God, we began to tell people that we were looking for a church home. And, of course, everyone said, “Come try our church!” So we did.
I had begun working for a local company in our town just as I was finishing up my degree at the University. One day, I had to travel with some people from work for a meeting at our facility across town. I got in my supervisor’s car, and as we began our trip, I noticed her radio was on the Christian radio station. After everybody had left to go home that evening, I stayed around long enough to talk to her. I asked her if she was a Christian, and she said, “Yes, why?” I explained to her how Dennis and I were looking for a church to grow in because we had not grown spiritually in such a long time that we were dying. She told me that we could try her church, but that it definitely was not Baptist. I laughed and told her that I didn’t care: I just needed to find God!
We went to Covenant Harvest Church that Sunday as the first church we attended since making our decision to seek another place. Both Dennis and I are very musical people, so imagine our delight to walk into a church that was not intimidated to play their instruments and sing with their whole hearts! None of this “I’m not going to really get ‘into’ this because I don’t want to look like I enjoy it too much,” or “I’m going to sing and look like a deer caught in headlights because I could really care less what the heart of this song is,” or “This is just a song service, so I’m just singing, blah, blah, blah”. No, these people were different. And what really caught our attention was that ALL of the children were up front praising God, lifting their hands, smiling, actually having FUN in the presence of God! I could hardly believe it! I could not remember a time when I had been in the presence of God like that. It took my breath away. Then I thought, “Well, worship was awesome, but I wonder how dull the preaching will be.” Boy, was I wrong! This pastor was on fire and gave a message that challenged us. This place grabbed my heart, and as we left, I knew in my heart of hearts that we would be back.
We had told different people that we would try their churches, so we did. But each Sunday, usually within the first five minutes, we knew we had to go back to that little church where we felt alive.
One month later, we came back to Covenant Harvest for good. We were immediately asked to come over for lunch by one family, and every week that followed for quite some time, we were at different homes sharing not only food, but finding a life in God that we had only dreamed of. At the time, the church had about 90-100 people attending, and half of that were the children! Our previous experience in the church we had come from was that people were very friendly up until we joined, but it seemed as though after that, they no longer had much else to do with us. We never had anyone that would sit by us, and it was a good day if someone actually said hello to us! It was pathetic! We were desperate to have strong friendships, and found none. Needless to say, we were just waiting for that phenomenon to happen once we joined this church, but I am happy to report that quite the opposite occurred. We found deep, real friendships, not just Sunday acquaintances.
I can remember as I was growing up, any time that we had company, there seemed to be something inside of me that would come alive. I LOVED to have people come over to eat or play games or just visit. We didn’t do it very often, but I loved it whenever we had the chance. I believe now that God was preparing my heart to have a love for hospitality even at an early age. Dennis has always been a “people person”. He cannot stand spending time alone, so he is a “natural born” host.
In the past, we had tried to have our church friends over as often as we could, but because it seemed so bizarre to everyone else, we didn’t do it very often. People wanted to know, “Why?” Just having people over to get to know them better seemed like a foreign concept to the people we went to church with. My question now is, “Why is that a foreign concept?” Look throughout the New Testament. The disciples and new believers spent time together, sharing meals, selling possessions to help those in need, making sure that nobody was left out of sharing life together. “They had all things in common. They broke bread and prayed together” Acts 2:44-47. That is the kind of fellowship we were desiring, and that is the kind of fellowship that we enjoy today.
So, what is hospitality? A lot of people envision Martha Stewart coming out of the kitchen with the perfectly cooked meal on the perfectly silver platter, setting it on the perfectly set table with all the stemware and wine glasses sparkling under the light from the crystal chandelier. Everyone is dressed in their formal gowns and tuxedos with perfect smiles on their faces.
In my house, this does not occur. However, some of the best memories are developed not because I had the most perfect material possessions, but because of the knitting of hearts that happened through conversations we were enjoying together. These conversations could have been during a cookout on paper plates, or maybe while we were enjoying my husband’s “world famous” this, or “world famous” that, or maybe over a big pot of soup using my everyday dishes. Nobody has ever told me, “I’ll never forget the time you served us brisket on those beautiful dishes with the elegant tablecloth. That was such a fun day!” But people have told me, “I’ll never forget when we were sitting in your living room and you looked right at me and told me something I’ll never forget.” Now, I ask you: What is more important? Is it how the table was set, or the conversations that can change lives?
We don’t have to make it something hard and complex. Relationships and friendships are built by spending time together. Period. It doesn’t matter what you do together, it just matters that you are together. That is the heart behind being hospitable--being available. I must admit that availability is something that I, being a person who likes cleanliness, forewarning and planning, have had to work at. My husband likes to joke that I have a touch of “obsessive compulsive disorder”. If everything isn’t in its place, he says I go crazy. In the past, if things weren’t “just so”, I felt as though I probably shouldn’t have anyone over or was embarrassed if someone dropped by. However, over the years, and three children later, I have come to realize that nobody has ever gotten offended at my dust or my unmade bed or at the sight of toys not picked up or at dishes not done and walked out of my door in disgust never to return. Therefore, I do the very best I can to keep up, and if I know ahead of time that guests are coming, usually I am on schedule and the house is fine, but if it is an unplanned visit, I have learned to just smile, and maybe even apologize to my guests if there is something I may be a bit embarrassed about, after all, who knows what your two or three year old will do to your spotless house right before your guests arrive!
As I said before, one of the first things we noticed about this little church was the praise and worship. Dennis and I are very musical people, and we love to sing, so this caught our attention right off the bat. But I believe very strongly that it catches the attention of God as well. The Bible has many references to praise and thanksgiving and to singing, shouting, dancing, glorifying God, and making His praise known among the people, so I believe He is looking for a people that are zealous and passionate for Him. I want to be counted as one that is. I think that it is hard for us to break out of our reserved lifestyles, especially if we were raised to be reserved and quiet, but I know that God honors those that love and obey Him, so I am trying, and I will keep trying. I want the passion and zeal on the inside of me to be shown on the outside. I want my children to know that Mommy is a passionate worshiper and she loves God with zeal. I cannot keep silent about this! He is worthy!!