The Beauty of the Church

I was asked the other day, "What do you miss most about San Francisco?" (It's a lot easier to say you are from San Francisco than to say "I'm from Brentwood a small town just east of San Francisco" for those of you I grew up with and are thinking, "You aren't from San Francisco!")

I stopped and thought for a second.

"Well, pretty much just the people."

I thought about it and yes I do miss the place and the things to do there but what it boiled down to was that I just genuinely miss my family and no I don't just mean my blood relations but my church family.

We moved to Brentwood when I was 4 years old and not too long afterwards started attending GBF (here's a shameless plug: http://www.gbfellowship.net)

We were so far away from our family in Birmingham that we became so close to those there at the church. I grew up having the same relationship and love that most others have for their blood relatives to the wonderful people there at GBF. They were at all the big events in our life both good and bad.

When Harrison and I first moved to San Diego as newlyweds we knew absolutely no one. ZILCH.

I remember messaging a childhood friend, Kirstin (another wonderful sister in Christ who I love as my own flesh and blood), about the struggle we were having adjusting to the new place. She asked, "Have you found a church?" I responded telling her we had been church hopping and just hadn't quite found the right place. She said, "Well that'll make all the difference."

It's amazing what friends can be to you in your life but it is INCREDIBLE what church family can be to you.

Shortly after this conversation we found New Life (second shameless plug: http://www.newlifelamesa.org) Our time in San Diego completely changed. It went from a place that we lived to our home. It is a home that we miss every day. Why? Because of our church family.

Harrison told me just last night when we were talking about our last evening in San Diego with the Creedons and the Dossetts, "I miss them just like they were my own family."

There is an unspeakable amount of truth in the term "Brothers and Sisters in Christ." What a joy it has been to have so many in my life and know that the Lord will put so many more in my path!

It has been a joy to be back in Birmingham and be back at Briarwood (third shameless plug: http://briarwood.org) When we left Briarwood before we had only really been involved in Campus Outreach and that was about the extent of our social circle there at church. It can be intimidating at a church with a membership of 4,100 to feel like you can find community.

However, upon our return, Harrison and I have started attending MidWeek. This has been such a blessing and a wonderful way to start to get to know more people. It has been fun the last few weeks to look around the sanctuary and start seeing familiar faces!

We will be sad to leave these new church family members but we know that as Christians we are not only part of the visible church but also the invisible church and someday in glory I will get to be with ALL of my church family.

If you currently do not have a church, I can not encourage you enough to go out and find a place to not only worship the Lord but also find love and comfort in the community that comes with it. If you are already at a church, I encourage you to find someone in your congregation that you don't know or maybe do not know very well and start building that relationship that is unlike any other. It is a gift from Christ and a wonderful reminder of God's provision and love in our life!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Sarah