I have been to worship services at 100’s of Churches, attended Bible Studies at dozens, left messages at many & even wrote letters of various reason to several. That doesn’t make me a Church expert, it’s just something I’ve done over the years…as a silent observer.
I recently relocated & was trying to decide on where to start my search for a good Church to attend. I had a number of options…There was a friends Church, but I didn’t know it’s name or address. There was the biker church I used to go to & admire to this day, but I wrote several letters with no response…left a sour feeling in my gut. There was a Church close by that had a sign asking for help for their ministry, but their religion was foreign to me. There was the big & fancy Church that had everything a worshiper could wish for, but the congregation was unknown to me.
So it’s Sunday morning & I still haven’t decided. I said a prayer asking for guidance & before I could finish my prayers, I had an answer.
The answer came in the form of several questions. “Don’t you want to go where you know somebody? Don’t you want to go somewhere close that you’re familiar with? Don’t you want to go somewhere where you feel welcomed? Then why are you struggling with this so much….the answer is obvious.” And the answer was not even one of my considered options when I woke that morning.
I have known Steve Norwood for a dozen years, he is in a leadership position at Mountain Island Community Church. We met at Lowes years ago where we worked together. Steve & I hit it off from the start. Sometimes you meet people in life that you just click with. We are from the same dusty salt of the Earth & believe strongly how the foundation of the Church can help bring a weakened Spirit back to the strength God offers all of us.
So off I went to Church this past Sunday, actually early for a change. As I approached the address I actually passed it & had to make a U-turn. As I did a scrawny coyote crossed the road right in front of the Church. It’s 10 in the morning what the heck’s a coyote doing out roaming? I see it head off the side of the Church as I pull in. I lost sight of it but parked & looked for it…it didn’t take long as it was trotting off behind the Church about 100 yards ahead of me. It didn’t see me until I whistled, then it turned, looked & sat down as we stared each other down. It eventually trotted off in search of some late breakfast I’m sure. Why do I mention this? I dunno really other than I thought it a strange occurance and I formed a thought. To me that coyote represented the weak believers out there, the ill nourished in Gods Word, the lost who need to find their way back to the Way. And, right there I knew, God had tossed me a sign and I was at the right Church.
By Grace we have the Faith, the Faith that binds us in fellowship, the Faith that firms our foundation and the Faith that will deliver us in Redemtion. And this Faith can be found, fortunately, all over this country. Find a Faith based Church to worship at or at least use the resources available to you to find a way back to the teachings in the Bible, our country needs this now more than ever & if you’re in the Huntersville North Carolina area Mountain Island Community Church is an excellent choice & they’ll welcome you with open arms & a firm handshake ( or fist pump if you prefer).
1st Corinthians Chapters 15-16 Proverbs 28 🐝
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