Day One
It's 12:45 pm eastern time on Sunday, August 21, 2005. I've been planning to start publishing this blog as an outlet for my thoughts, but also as a way for anyone who may care to stay connected with me now that I'm 600+ miles away from everyone I know. I got here Friday night, but thought today would be a poignant time to begin this blog; my first Sunday NOT the pastor of New Prairie Community of Faith in Illinois.
I was planning to sleep in late today and then spend the rest of the morning sitting at Starbucks in Barnes & Noble enjoying a cup of coffee and a quiet time of reading and writing. But God wouldn't let me get away from the need to be among believers. It began last night. I checked into the website of the newspaper that I'm going to work for and found a feature story about a couple of new churches that are beginning in Augusta. Read the article, but still didn't feel compelled to visit one. I woke up this morning thinking about the bizarro dream I had last night about New Prairie. Still...wasn't really planning to be in church. I went to the yellow pages to get the number for Barnes & Noble to see when they opened and I unintentionally cracked the book open to the church section. One church caught my eye, mainly because it's on the same road I'm on, just a couple miles down; Stevens Creek Community Church. I checked out the website; it looked pretty good, so I decided to visit.
The church was okay; not very hospitable. The greeter seemed a bit annoyed that I had interrupted him by walking through the door. Nobody spoke to me....the whole time...except when the guy on stage directed everyone to turn and say hello to someone. I got the obligatory "good morning" from a couple people. The coffee was okay, but I wasn't allowed to take it into the sanctuary. What's up with that? After a really goofy skit the worship music began.
As soon as the music started a chill ran up my spine, the hair on my neck stood on end and I immediately felt a connection with God that I haven't felt in a while. There were no expectations on me to preach a great sermon. My only task this morning was to tune in with God as a worshipper. That felt pretty good. In fact, I got a little insight from God about where I've been and where I need to go in my relationship with him.
For some time now I have been an out-of-tune instrument. No matter how great the rest of the band or orchestra may be, one out-of-tune instrument can be heard and can diminish the power of the music. A piano is tuned by a tuning fork. From what I understand, the fork is struck so that it will vibrate; sounding a pitch. The strings of the piano are then adjusted to vibrate in pitch with the tuning fork. Before anything else, my time in Augusta will be a time of adjusting my heart to once again move in rythmn with the moving of God's heart.
I'm snacking on a couple of peanut butter cup cookies Lynn made for me before I left Friday. Thanks Matt for bringing these into my life a week or so ago. Just before I got home I retrieved a cell phone message from Jim Lynch. He's picking up a load in Augusta today and wants to do lunch. I left a message for him, but haven't heard back. Would love to see him.
This is Day One. Welcome to my Odyssey.
posted by Bill @ 12:52 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
G.#1,
Buenos noches,
It's 8:49...just finished reading about you. Thanks for all updates...! I, for one, am interested (I'm sure there are many others). I will keep you and Lynn Beth in my daily prayers.
In all things..."Rejoice always" (1 Thess. 5:16)
Guillermo tres
"Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods"
(Psalm 96:1-4, NKJV).
This may be too complicated for me.
I loved your song in the email and pray it for us and ours, all who read it or hear it or sing it!
Shane Clark sent this prayer to Krista Clark from South Africa, I pass it on...
May every strain be released.
May His blood rush to every constriction and bring wholeness.
You and Lynn Beth are in my family prayers daily, te quiero.
In His grip by His grace,
María Luisa
Salmo 63
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I'm a Stevens Creeker. I'm sorry we seemed unfriendly and the coffee wasn't so good but I'm glad you felt the presence of God during the service.
Just a quick comment. I appreciate your words about Stevens Creek Community Church. When I started the church eighteen years, I had never pastored a church. It's been a learning process. Every week we strive to make the message of Christ understandable to our non-churched friends. Your comments on this blog help us understand how we are perceived by some. It is not our intention to be a non-friendly congregation. We strive to love and accept everyone that walks through our doors. The church is large but we never want to have our "largeness" to be an excuse for a lack of friendliness.
About the coffee. It may not be the best, but this ministry was started by some people who have a passion to to help new comers feel a little more at ease when they enter the building. About the coffee in the sanctuary. That's my call. I just don't want it in there. I want people to be able to focus on God and drink from His presence.
I was out of town the day you visited the Creek. I am sorry that our paths did not cross. I love church planters and I pray that God blesses your work.
Sincerely,
Marty Baker, D.Min.
Lead Pastor
Stevens Creek Community Church
Augusta, GA
www.stevenscreek.net
This morning a couple of comments were posted by the pastor and another person from Steven's Creek Community Church, which I referenced in this post. I had to go back and re-read the post to see what I said, and after reading it realized that it sounded a little critical.
What I failed to mention in this post were the things that I did enjoy about my visit. For the sake of unity and brotherhood, I need to share them here.
I'll share them by pasting here the contents of an e-mail that I just sent to the pastor. It reads:
Hello Pastor Baker!
This morning I read your comment to my blog. Thank you for visiting My Odyssey. As I was leaving Steven's Creek on that morning I was thinking that I wanted to e-mail you and share with you the things that I did appreciate about my visit. I know my blog entry may have sounded a bit critical; I just have some real hot button issues that I think are detrimental to our commission of reaching the lost; hospitality and a feeling of community being one.. But there were things that I enjoyed and I should post a follow-up comment expressing those. For instance, I did enjoy the youth pastor's message. He did a very good job. The worship was good as well. I can tell that you all work very hard at being relevant and making the Sunday morning gathering a time in which people can find things to take home and apply Monday - Saturday. I know that in order to get a real feel for a church you have to push beyond the Sunday morning event and engage in community with the church family. I'm sure that there are many other good things about Steven's Creek that are just not easily observed during a first-time Sunday morning visit.
As for the coffee. That was really a joke for the people who know me. Don't take it personally. J The church we planted in Illinois was a more casual café environment geared toward the college & 20-somethings group. The sanctuary was like a giant Starbucks with café tables and people enjoyed gourmet coffee during the Sunday morning gathering.
Bless you in your work at Steven's Creek.
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