Congratulations of the birth of your new baby Violet. I pray all are well in Jesus’ name.

I am so glad you have started a blog. I will add it to my links.

Grace and Peace I pray to you and yours in Jesus’ mighty name:

Donna

First off…congrats on baby Vi! excited to meet her!

secondly, I love to see that you are using your talents for writing! I just love it! I know writing is one of your passions, and you are so gifted at it! Love it! I’m very proud of you for writing out exactly how you feel. It’s not an easy thing to do, and you did it well. Being someone who really has no issue saying how she feels, I can appreciate the fear that rises inside of what will people think if they REALLY know how I feel. It can be a huge hurdle, but you have surpassed that! [side note...Al says good word btw...he just read it]

now….for my comments….it’s gonna be long….but hang in there…

I totally understand exactly how you feel. And I totally agree. God didn’t call us to play church. Jesus wasn’t about appeasing to the likes and wants of those around him. He came to do his father’s work. He came to show us how to be alive, vibrant, powerful, walking in the miraculous. He called us to be the church, and to serve those who haven’t met him

Mark 10: 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I have also grieved for what once was. And have had to stop myself from pointing the finger, which sometimes can be easier said than done…I can look back and long for what was…and believe me I miss it alot….but I know that all is not lost. I know that longing for the past won’t bring it back. But we can move forward with the knowledge and the experience to teach those who haven’t experienced it how they can. It becomes up to us to fill in the holes being left. It becomes up to us to be His church as he’s called us to be. Whether that’s in a giant building on a Sunday morning, or in a house church on some random day. WE can bring these things to those who have not yet seen or experienced. What “was” was not something for just that time. It’s something that can continue, and we can grow into (evolve).

I know you want nothing more than for God’s presence to be seen and felt.

Without getting into “christianese” too much here,… I would love for the freedom of the Holy Spirit and for God’s manifest presence to be there in every “church” service we have. To not be on such a tight schedule for every single little thing. I am personally sick of “seeker sensitivity”…there is nothing wrong with being sensitive to seekers, but you don’t need to tailor things and change who you are to be appealing to them…you’re no longer being honest. God can draw people better than we ever can… and I know that from my own experience.

John 12:32 “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself”

If it had been up to people…I wouldn’t have stayed in the church…it was God’s presence and the worship frankly that kept me there until I fully gave my heart to Him. Where he became my everything. Where men fail, God will always prevail.

So Susie, you aren’t alone Love you lots lady

Love the Blog, you have a deep passion. Congratulations. I am looking forward to a lot more

Suz, I love your family Motto!

Lori—I hear what you’re saying and I love what you said about changing our mindset and not coming to church focusing on what we can get, but rather, what can we give. Everything that we learned in our lifegroup – learning what makes us strong – what our strengths are. If we all bring our unique giftings to church with us every Sunday, I also believe that we certainly can change the world one person at a time. Just look at how much we have changed since we started our lifegroup only a few short months ago. I see each of us stepping out into our giftings. My whole outlook on church has changed since we talked about this a couple of months ago. I think it would be so great if you shared what you shared with me to more people.

Can’t wait to read your next post, Suz!!!

I love you lots my dear friend,

Trace

Sunday’s can be the same thing. If we all came to church bringing our strengths we would create a community that would attract people to Jesus in us. When we come to church with a mindset of what can I bring, instead of what can I get, we get blessed, filled and charged every time.

I am not saying that you are coming to church for what you can get, I am saying I would love to see the passion I felt from you in this post exercised at our church. That kind of passion, along with a dersire to serve others really changes things.

Are you sorry you let me read your blog:)