I'm exhausted.
But in a good way.
Tonight was our first official church service in our very own building. For the last 11 years (since we started our church plant) we have been meeting in a middle school - and it served us well. We had a pool for baptisms, a large parking lot, 45,000 square feet of space (maybe I'm exaggerating), huge kitchen, bathrooms with lots of stalls, custodians at the ready, large auditorium....but we also had to set up and tear down every Sunday and two Wednesday evenings a month. And that was getting tiring for everyone.

Tonight....we did church here.

I'm talkin' church. Real church. Church that is people - not a building.

We sang our hearts out. We shared how God is at work in our lives.

How He is changing us. Softening our hearts.

We cried with each other and laughed.

We agonized with each other and we encouraged each other.

We mourned. We celebrated.

We thanked each other. We thanked God.

God was definitely in this place tonight.

and then, after sharing and communion, we spent some more time with each other -- doing more of the same!

I won't mention any names, but someone tonight shared from his heart. It was very uncharacteristic for him - which made it all the more meaningful. He shared feelings and stuff that most don't have the guts to share. He shared stuff that I have felt and thought -- (but dared to only tell to Kirk). Things like, how he felt like jumping ship (so to speak) and looking for another church -- (like me). How he was critical of the church (like me). But, he really hit a sensitive spot when he started to talk about watching parents with children in our church. Life comes full circle. While he watches our parenting - our kids (as in mine) have a certain amount of accountability to him too. They know instinctively and by his words, actions and investment in their lives, that he cares about them. Our kids know that he is holding them to a standard too! They know that they won't just be letting mom and dad down - but others that care about them. I'm not sure if anyone reading this will "get" what I'm trying to say.....but maybe this will sum it up...."It takes a village to raise a child". I'm proud of the village that has helped me raise our kids.

Church. Not a building - but people.

Tonight marked the first time we assembled as a church body in our new building!

It was an evening charged with excitement, anticipation and emotion. For a handful of people (us included) we are nearing the end of nearly 11 years of being a portable church.

Portable --- is exactly what it sounds like....11 years of setting up and tearing down every Sunday and 2 Wednesday's a month. FYI - we aren't officially in our building yet -- this was just a one time special dispensation we got to hold a worship service here. The actual move-in date is several weeks away.

These children could have easily been the Dietzman children if it were 15 years earlier! How fun is that to have a huge dirt pile to play on outside the doors of your church?!

Now that the children are all dirty....it's time for worship!

Lonzo (on the left) suggested ways we could pray for the various men & women who have worked on our building. Then we prayed --for the yet unknown people who will be entering our doors for us to serve...and for the crews (and their families) who have been working on the church.

Then we wrote on the floor. We wrote the names of people we are praying for -- people we care about -- people we hope will someday realize how relevant a life of following Jesus is.

Children wrote prayers and names of people they care about

and parents wrote their heartfelt prayers.

We ended the evening with one of my favorite Chris Tomlin songs .... "How Great Is Our God"

Amen.

My man . . . the percussionist.

playing this morning at church . . .
with his band . . .
...and wow did they ever rock the house! Awesome worship today band!