Transitions.......

...movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change.

Am I never NOT doing this ?? We are born to "transition". From birth to toddler..toddler to school age..school age to Jr. High..Jr. High to High School...and so on! Yet..even after all of my life-long practice...I still find it difficult.

Several years back I was having a conversathion with my dad about "church". My dad is a retired minister (right at 50 yrs.) and then I married a minister. We were in ministry for 20 years. So....if you add that all together..I was in ministry for about 41 yrs...before Doug & I stepped out 6 years ago. A looonnnnggggg time to understand "church". I remember talking to my dad about a church I had visited (non A/G..which is our denomination). I was captured by the "simplicity" of the service. No bells and whistles. In fact...they went to GREAT extreme's to make it "simple". It impressed me. I had become tired of what I felt like was "entertaining" Christians. That's hard to explain if you've never been in full time ministry. But that's how I felt. Almost like..."man, what ministry..program..conference..event..
outreach..worship service..drama..etc., am I going to do now that will top what I just did and still make everybody happy". (yes..for you spiritual people..I know it's God who leads & gives ideas..but that doesn't mean there is any less pressure on you as the tool He is using). My dad looked at me and said, "there are plenty of things that if I had it to do over...I would do it differently". That's exactly how I felt.

Now skip ahead a few years. I still have this longing for "simplicity" in church. Not watered down preaching. Not watered down worship. Just "simplicity". I have always been a "program" kind of person. I like programs. I like things to be involved in...but I was feeling a "transition" happening in me that I couldn't explain.

My middle son, Tyler, has started attending a non-denominational church (Baptist based) and loves it. This just happened to be the church I visited several years back. There are 10,000 people (on three different campuses) and yet..it STILL has to be one of the most "simplistic" churches I have ever been to. I went with Tyler..and have been attending on Sat. nights for the past month. I love that the pastor says "hey..this church might not be for you..and that's okay." I love that he welcomes the atheists and agnostics every service and invites their questions. I love that on Saturday afternoon at 5:00..the place is flooded with people (probably 800)..coming in "just as they are"..shorts, pants, jeans, whatever..bible in hands.. to hear God's word. It's not "what they are wearing" that makes it cool .It's that it doesn't matter..because that's not what it's about. I was thinking...I never saw in scripture where Jesus walked up to call a crowd and someone said "wait a second..let me go put on my Sunday best." I am attracted to..inspired by..the "lack of hoop-la" that I see.

Now comes the "transition". The hard part. I've been A/G my whole life. My beliefs will always follow along those lines..because that's what I believe. But I feel "transition" taking place in me. A time for change..a different step..a new direction. It's scary for me to let go of the familiar...to walk in the unfamiliar. I don't know if this will be forever...or just for a time.

I feel transition taking place....now to only walk in it.