Don't judge a book (or a church) by it's cover

I have SOOO much laundry and dishes to catch up on, but this has been on my heart a lot recently. I love my church so much; I am so blessed to be worshiping and ministering there. But I didn't always feel this way. Two years ago, when we left Summit Church, it was because we were looking for a church closer to home. We wanted to find a church in OUR community, where we could invite friends we met in our town. Plus, we had a young infant who wasn't keen on the 25 min drive so it was hard to get involved, as I'm sure other moms can testify! So we started searching for churces closer to home. There aren't many contemporary churches in Conway, so most churches were ruled out right away. There is nothing wrong with traditional churches (I went to Pensacola Christian College and know about "traditional"!), but Matt and I both prefer contemporary services. So there was New Life Church. I had heard negative things about New Life, and went in with a skeptical, judgemental attitude. New Life was too much like a production. Too big. Too "open-minded" (although never about clear black and white Biblical issues). Too trendy. Too FUN. And I compared every detail of the service with Summit's services. Matt loved New Life right away and so we took the membership classes and started the process of joining. And I went right on judging and being unhappy. And then God started to show me my attitude. How others around me were worshiping and I was too busy being critical to worship. He reminded me of the dozens of people being saved EVERY WEEK. He showed me pastors whose hearts were in love with Jesus and their fellow church members. He showed me a worship team that wasn't just performing, but LOVING Jesus. And He showed me my negative attitude, my critical spirit, and my worldliness. Oh my. Who was I to judge?  And so I started coming into church with a humble attitude. And remembering that I was entering into a building of sinners saved by grace and all at different points in their relationship with Jesus. I certainly am not the measuring stick of spiritual perfection! And my place in the church is to worship, to serve, to love, to learn. And maybe my relationship with Jesus will cause someone else to grow and maybe their relationship with Jesus will cause me to grow.

So anyway, I'm so thankful for New Life, the pastors, the small group I'm involved in, the Little Life ministry that my kids are involved in (and that Matt and I volunteer in once a month), the worship, and everything. It's not a perfect church but it's the perfect fit for us. :) 

That's all. Off to do dishes now.