For the last few weeks I decided that I would "step out of the boat" meaning trust in God while I go out and serve where ever he leads me. Right now my church is going through a lot of reconstruction... no not fixing the exterior of the church--the buildings-- we are fixing the interior of the church--the people. Learning and reconfiguring what the congregation needs, to be fed by the Holy Spirit and how to draw more to come into our church family. I received an e-mail from one of our pastors:
"I encouraged the church to think about how they smell to those that don't know Jesus. Are they sweet smelling and giving off an exquisite fragrance? I like Star Jasmine and go to my garden to smell it every day. I can't help it. For those of us that follow Jesus, do we have people that do not know Jesus that are lining up every day to "catch a wiff" of us? For those "on the way of salvation" do we give off "an aroma redolent with life?" These are good questions and ones that should make us pause."

I really enjoyed receiving this message, it really made me think about how I am perceived as a Christian.

This is an excerpt from an e-mail written by the same pastor:
"When I asked you to pray about being the "aroma of Christ" it seems the Lord is giving us a picture to that from what happened yesterday. If we want to see people come to faith, then scratching them where they itch (common values or points of agreement), we will be able to live the gospel in our community in a way that will draw people to Christ."

Because of all the redirecting of our church, there was a congregational prayer meeting on Monday. Of all the people from the congregation that showed up I was the only one under the aged of 44; with that being said and out of the way, the gathering went well. We prayed and prayed and prayed... OK so you get the idea... but what was said in the prayer and how God moved through us and spoke through us is what mattered. At one point in prayer
Jeremiah 29:11 was laid on my heart to recite and as I recited my favorite verse I felt the Lord's presence lift the weight of the shoulders of the church. What an awesome feeling!

Just yesterday as I was in class my professor wrote a quote up on the board that struck me

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the staircase"

--Martin Luther King Jr.