My wife, my children and I went to this church for over two years. We hardly tithed in ways the church would know and many, many times we didn't tithe at all. We never became members, despite leaders asking us to personally, so we never...
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My wife, my children and I went to this church for over two years. We hardly tithed in ways the church would know and many, many times we didn't tithe at all. We never became members, despite leaders asking us to personally, so we never represented a vote anyone might compete for. We never really contributed our labor or talents and I, personally, never let myself plug-in though they reached out.
When we came there, were simply looking for a church with unrestricted worship... but we were floored by what we found.
Not only was worship unrestricted, not only were they hungry for the presence of God, but their worship was powerful and heavily anointed. I wept in their pews nearly every Sunday and God did things for my heart there I cannot truly grasp but am forever grateful for.
I learned to hunger for God as they do and no one ever judged me there.
To say the pastor is passionate and dedicated is an understatement. Behind the pulpit, it becomes clear his fervor came from a real appreciation for the spiritual duties of his office. His words, his spirit-filled messages, burned in my heart all week long: biblically authoritative, moving, purposeful and so intensely relevant to our spiritual and practical need there was never a doubt he earnestly sought God to compose them. Away from the pulpit, he was the most humble pastor I've met. We never became members yet he drove hours to pray over our newborn child. He helped us, by himself, move from our second story apartment when we left in late June 2018 and had nothing to offer the church anymore. This was in the afternoon, when the temperatures rose over 100 degrees and he did most of the heavy lifting... just like he did with his sermons.
The children's pastor ran a ministry that taught our children about God, prayer and worship in ways we couldn't. His passion for the hearts of children is undeniable and was immensely fruitful for our family.
The spirit landed on stage, like a twenty foot eagle, every time the youth pastor spoke, even for something as simple as announcements.
Their outreach is powerful and dynamic at home and their mission work stretches around the globe.
If this sounds like exaggeration, go there this Sunday and find out I'm right. I regret I never really plugged in, that I didn't respond to their kindnesses and reaching out the way my heart wanted to. I regret that these regular people, these flawed, spirit-filled Christians, who never judged me, my smoking habit or my tattooed head, didn't get to know how much they meant to me while I was there.
If ever there was a little church that deserved to grow, it's this one.