Emotional Sunday. . .WARNING. . . long post but worth it

I've mentioned that Jon and I both have felt led to start visiting other churches. We did . . . last Sunday. . . everyone loved it. Before we took 5 steps out into the parking lot Ash said, "Can we come back tonight, please?" We knew LOTS of people there. . . so it kind-of felt like home.

When meeting with our pastor after I resigned from teaching my Wed. night children's class, we did tell him that our decision was not FINAL and we are just taking our time and letting God lead us. We told him that we would let him know if/when we knew FOR SURE that we were not coming back. Last week I got my little reminder card that it was my turn to teach Children's Church. . . so back to our old church we were going.

Quite honestly, no one in our family wanted to go. They had already "tasted" what another church was like, and they loved it. Ash even asked Jon if he would drop them off at the church we visited last week.

I've mentioned before that our church has had MANY, MANY, MANY ups and downs. We have been constantly on a roller coaster. . . . and, quite frankly, I'm exhausted. . . . However, one thing I can say about the people of our church is they know how to love on others.

We walked in the door and we were greeted like we had been gone for years. People went way, way out of their way to talk with us and hug us . . . you know those tight, "we've really missed you hugs." I walked in the sanctuary, and when those precious children saw me, I saw their faces light up. It was a moment I don't think I'll ever forget. I hugged them tightly and told them how very much I've missed them.

The worship music started playing, and we all started worshipping, and I started . . . crying . . . yes, crying. . . I told myself, "Michele, get yourself together. What is wrong with you? Dry it up, Dry it up." And . . . I did . . . until fellowship time. I had so many people surrounding me telling me how much they've missed us and saying some of the sweetest things about me that I've ever heard in my life . . . talk about making a girl feel good. I guess you never really know how much you mean to people, and my tears. . . . my tears . . . . kept coming. . . I couldn't stop them no matter how hard I tried.

The funny thing is . . . I still know it's time to go . . . . oh, how I love those dear sweet people . . . people who have helped me nurture and raise my babies . . . . people who've prayed me with at the altar during some very difficult times in my life . . . people who've taught me much about the love of God . . . people who care, really, really care about me and my family. I think that is what is so hard for me.

Who knows? There may be apart of me that's afraid that people like this are just very hard to find. I don't know. There are so many changes going on in our life right now . . .

Change of address (hopefully)
Change of career (for Jon)
Change in the way we homeschool
Change in family members' health
Changes in Alec (puberty)

and now . . .

Change in our church family.

Okay, time to switch gears . . . . yes, you got it . . . more tears are coming. That night my friend Jennifer had invited to me to see Perry Stone. We were both a little hesitant about going, but I'm so glad we did. Oh my . . . he had a Word, and a powerful one at that. I could not take notes fast enough. The worship at this church was just amazing. . . you know Pentecostals . . . they KNOW how to worship . . . Oh I just love it when people are excited, jumping around for Jesus,on fire for Him and praising His name. My Papa is Pentecostal, so this charismatic love for the Lord is nothing new to me. I got home that night and told Jon that the Pentecostals put the Baptists to shame when it comes to worship (If I offend you by saying this, please know that is not my intent. I'm just stating how it is around here and what I've personally experienced.)

I can't even begin to type all that Perry Stone talked about. I wouldn't even do it justice. I am still processing all of it. It was just wonderful though. Jennifer had to leave about halfway through the preaching to pick up her family from their church, so I was sitting by this lady who came alone. Perry Stone started concluding the service by asking us to ask the person to the right or to the left of us, "if Jesus came back tonight, would you know that you are going with Him?" (Tiff don't freak out!) If they said no we were supposed to go to the altar and pray with them.

I was politely waiting for the lady beside me to ask me, that way I could say Yes! I noticed her raising her hands and praising the Lord during the worship time so I just knew she'd say yes. Well. . . after a few, what seemed to be like, minutes passed, she didn't ask me. I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to ask her.

I touched her on the arm and said, "Mam, if Jesus were to come back tonight, would you know that you are going with Him?" She said something, but I couldn't hear her. I stopped down a bit lower and said, "I'm sorry, mam, I couldn't hear you." With her head pointed down towards the ground, she briefly glanced up at me and said, "No." I'm not quite sure if I said this out loud or if I was just thinking it (everything was a little fuzzy from this point on), but I was like, "Are you sure?" After all, I was almost certain her answer would be yes when I asked her.

I told her it would be a great honor for me to pray with her at the altar. I helped her out of her seat and started walking down to the altar with her and . . . yep . . . starting bawling . . . I mean bawling like a baby with the worst case of colic you've ever seen.

She looked at me and said, "Are you?"

Sniff, Sniff, "Am I what?"

"Would you be going to heaven?"

"Oh YES, YES mam!!!!" With tears streaming down my face and a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

One of the people from the church met us at the altar and I introduced my new friend, Ann, and told the lady that Ann wanted to accept Jesus as her Savior and wanted Him to be LORD over her life. This lady prayed over Ann as I put my arm around her and held her hand.

Ann then prayed with this lady telling God she is a sinner . . . and she knows the only way to heaven is through the blood of Jesus . . . that she knew that He died for her. . . and she wants him to be LORD of her life. . . she asked God to forgive her of her sins and told Him from this point forward she would live her life for Him.

Now, this wasn't some 3-minute "get you saved" prayer, get up, and leave the building. This lady prayed deeply and passionately over Ann. We were down at the altar praying for I know 20 minutes. Throughout the WHOLE time at the altar I bawled. My eyes looked worse than any raccoon I have ever seen in my life.

While Ann was filling out some paperwork for the church to contact her, the lady who prayed with us asked me how we were related (I guess she just assumed this b/c of my barrel of tears). I replied, "We're not. We are complete strangers, but now, she is my sister in Christ."

She then prayed over me and my life such a wonderful and powerful prayer and I was so blessed by it.

I helped my new sister in Christ get to her feet, and I walked back to our seat with her. We sat and we talked. She is 74 years old and her husband is not saved. She feels he never will be. She watches pastors on TBN and she has 5 children. All go to church but 2. She said to me several times, "b/c I didn't raise them that way." Apparently there is some movie coming out called, The Cross, and she sent money and their pictures to have their names put on this cross that will be carried in the movie. She has been a praying woman for some time, but not a saved woman . . . until last night. She told me in the past she'd start to try and read her Bible and things would start to go wrong in her life, so she'd stop reading it and things would get better. She has continued this cycle throughout her life. Oh. . . what a crafty, cunning, and deceptive enemy we have. . . and we fall prey to him more times than we'd like to admit.

Oh Holy God, permeate every fiber of our hearts, souls, and minds with YOUR truth. Remind us to always be on our guard so we will not fall prey to the cunning wicked tricks and lies of Satan. I pray that the greatest desire in our lives . . . more than to be a great mom or great wife, great friend or great woman. . . will be to love you and to know you and to do whatever it takes to get there. . . . to strive everyday to love you more and to know you more. I pray we will not be so easily distracted or busy or lazy to put in the effort to know You and to love You. I pray our love for You and our passion for You and our desire for You will be evident to everyone we encounter. I pray these things in the Name of the One and Only, Jesus Christ, my LORD and Savior. Amen.

I warned my new friend about Satan and his deceptive ways and told her things may and probably will get tough, but she must be faithful and press on. I told her that now when she reads her Bible, she is reading it with a whole new set of eyes . . . spiritual eyes . . .that she'd see things and know things and discover things she never had before.

I got her number and gave her mine. Told her to call me if she had any questions or needed ANYTHING at all. I assured her I would be checking on her and I told her I loved her.

I just thanked God for allowing me the honor and the privilege of being beside this sweet woman as her name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Praise his Glorious Name!!!