Things that make you go wow

I wrote in a previous post that the church I have been attending was in the process of raising money for an expansion on the church. The goal was 8.8 million dollars. 8 million for the work at this church and the .8 was to be sent to churches in places like Nigeria. The 8 weeks is over and the finally total was announced today. I described in a previous post Things that make you go hummm what the process was, mainly prayer. The total committed to the project is over 10 million dollars.

I have watched churches brow beat the congragation to raise just enough money to pay the yearly expenses never mind money to grow. One of the teens from my former church shared with me that it was common knowledge in the church that it was close to bankrupt because they bought property and didn't have the money to pay for it. Money was given to save the day for them but there are strings attached to the money.

I have sat through many sermons on tithing. It has been presented in many different forms the message always boiled down to the same thing. The church needs more money and no one is giving enough.

The next thing that made me go wow. The Sr pastor and his wife invited anyone with nowhere to go on Thanksgiving Day to please join them at their home. There is a sign up in the lobby because they need to have an idea how many to prepare food for. Anyone without extended family in the area is encouraged to bring their family to the pastors home. I have not seen that anywhere ever. The extent of love and family is shocking to me in a church of this size. I have been invited to friends homes on holidays and those friends are from my old church but that was not through the church it was through friendship. In fact I have often thought when I am married and have a home that I can invite people to that is something that I intend to do. Find the lonely and invite them into my home. Not just on holidays but on Sundays. If I am every blessed with a family I fully intend to share that openly.

Todays sermon

Was about expressing joy raising our standards and maintaining our Guard. We where challenged to confront our lives confront our sin and to "Get it out of there". How through prayer having an accountability partner and getting rid of the things that get in the way. Much the way Christ cleared the temple. We wrote our sin on a piece of paper and crumpled them up and brought them to the front and threw them out.


My class was good but I find myself holding back. I am not yet comfortable enough to speak freely. While I knew what the teacher was looking for I held back. To share my answer would have exposed to much of my heart. Something that I have learned to guard well from humans. Time will cure that. I will get to know them and then I will be able to share from my heart.