The Church

I've been thinking about writing this post for a long time. I hope I have the right words to say. I know that so many of you reading this may have had a bad experience with the church or with someone that claims to love Jesus but didn't show his love to you. On behalf of them I would like to apologize. None of us are perfect, and I'm sure we have all given Jesus a bad name at some point. There are so many conversations and interactions that I wish I could go back and change.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to LOVE. It doesn't matter who, it doesn't matter where, we are just supposed to love. I know that the current political climate has gotten all kinds of feelings and things stirred up. I have lots of strong opinions on all that and I'd be happy to share them anytime, but that is definitely for a personal conversation rather than a blog post.

I just wanted to tell you how amazing the church has been for me, especially recently. When I say "the church," I really just mean Jesus followers. The church has truly blessed my life so much already this year. I have people that I have never even met (and probably will never meet) praying for me daily. I received a blanket and some crafts for my kiddos from a church in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania. (The sweet town where my aunt and uncle live.) I had someone tell me this past weekend that she prayed for me everyday. I seriously had never talked to her before, but we have a mutual friend. We have 4 months of meals being provided to us, and I don't even know two of the people that signed up. Seriously, I have no idea who they are. They are friends of friends.

Y'all, this is what the church does. They are the hands and feet of Jesus. They have held my hands up for the past two months when I have been too tired to do it. They have cared for us through meals, cards, gift cards, gifts, babysitting, and most importantly, prayer! I could never thank everyone that has helped us over the past 2 months enough.

Now, my church has been amazing as well. We have 4 families fighting cancer right now. My church isn't very big, so that is kinda crazy. They are even praying for us cancer fighters specifically over lent. They have provided meals, child care, kind and encouraging words, and advice. I know that going to a new place or a new church can be intimidating, but I would love to sit next to you at my church. If you have a church home, I'm totally not trying to steal you away. I'm really just talking to that person who may not have a church home but might want to know a little bit more about Jesus and this amazing community. These people in this sweet, small church have blessed my life immeasurably over the last two months, but also since I was little. These people have always amazed me with their kindness and generosity. They love deeply, and they act on that. They step in when needed. They volunteer in ministries. They reach out to their community. Are they perfect? No. Is our church perfect? Nope. But, Jesus is. Jesus knows our hearts. He's the one we follow and try to model our lives after. Does everyone in my church agree on political issues. Nope. But, we love each other and that's enough. I truly hope, if you are in Dallas and want to find a place where you fit and you can feel loved, please come visit us at North Highlands. If you're not in Dallas and you want to find a place to belong, I would gladly help you find a local church in your area. I just can't imagine how much more difficult this would be without the church in general and my church. Thank you so much for loving us and taking care of us through this time. We are truly thankful.

As a side note, I am just finishing up my last round of AC chemo. Please pray that my body handles it well. The doctor said these next two weeks will be my hardest. Then, I start a new round that should be much easier. Praise the Lord! Another nugget of good news is that my tumor was too small to even measure today. Hallelujah! Thank you for praying!