We are family!

I Corinthians 12:27 states: Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Yesterday, Steve and I became members of Clarks Chapel Baptist Church. It was not a decision we took lightly and it is one of which we prayed over and pondered about for a while before making the commitment to join this particular family of believers. On Saturday night, Steve had asked me if I was excited about what we were about to do. I told him that I was more scared than anything.

In the past, I have been a member of two other churches. The first I joined after I was elected to be a Sunday School Teacher. I didn't know much about church politics then and was told I had to join before such an honor could fall upon me. I had gone there most of my life and I guess I just assumed I was a member there. Steve and I were married there but...we just didn't know that you had to be voted in to be "accepted."

The second church we joined was when we moved to Lenoir. We'd been attending Flemings Chapel and decided it was to be our new home. It seemed like the thing to do so... we did. It was great for a long while and we grew in different ways than ever before. But then, life happened and after about seven years or so, we made the decision to leave Flemings and we wandered about from church to church to couch to church in search of a place to be a part of yet feeling a little hesitant to just jump in again somewhere. After all, did we really need our names in a book somewhere to show we were God's children?

In January of this year, we started beebopping in and out of Clarks Chapel. Clyde was still alive at the time and we couldn't attend faithfully. But the pull was there. We kept the church in the backs of our minds and as Clyde's time with us ended, we found ourselves being able to focus more fully on the folks there. After settling most of the estate affairs and getting back to a "normal" routine, we were finally able to give this church our complete attention.

We got to know the pastor and his wife well--which was something different for us to do beforehand--as we "dated" and got to learn the expectations and hopes of one another. I was welcomed so sweetly by so many of my new sisters and as we spent more time together, the subject came up of would we like to join the church. We thought about it and again: we just weren't sure if membership was really necessary. However, as we continued learning and falling in love with the folks at Clarks, we realized that indeed, we needed to commit to these folks of our community because...because we needed them.

Gulp.

That was tough. The acknowledgment that yes, even though we had pretty much decided we were on our own since our family has shrunk so in the past eight years, and even though we don't like relying on anyone for anything, we were--like most souls--lonely and in need of a family, of friends, of fellowship. We were in need of a spiritual leader who did not compromise the Word of God nor try to inject his beliefs on us but instead was one who almost feared (reverently, that is) to be in the pulpit as much as we feared hearing what God had for us. Does that make sense? Our pastor knows he is accountable for what he says, what he teaches, and what he preaches each service. He knows he will be held responsible for the lessons he provides and we know in return that we won't be held any less responsible if we only hear the words but walk away unchanged by them.

So, long story short, the decision was made. The paperwork was filled out. We were presented for the vote and...we got in! We got a whole new set of sisters and brothers and I must say, I am so excited to get to know them better, to love and be loved, and to once again have something most of us call "family." And yes, I'm still scared, still afraid that we might not always get along, might not always agree, and might sometimes hurt one another's feelings. But what I am not afraid of is being left behind. I am not fearful that I will be rejected just because some of my thoughts and plans don't line up exactly with a sister's or brother's ideas. I am not afraid that if I mess up I will be shown to the door. These folks have opened their hearts and arms to us and I feel safe. I feel warm. I feel...

I feel I'm home.

Dear God, thank You for placing Steve and me in a community church that practices communing, that teaches truth, and that loves without limits. As we become more acclimated with one another, my prayer is that we will be a blessing to our new members, that we will honor You with our actions, and that together, Lord God, we will shine the light of Jesus in our neighborhoods and in our homes. Help us to grow together, rooted and grounded in Your truths, and to be united in brotherly--and sisterly--love for one another. May it be so is my hope. Amen!