The View from the Other Side
Today my wife and I had a new experience. For the almost 43 years of our marriage, and for me for some 20 years prior, we had never joined a church without being on staff. Since we were urged into retirement some five months ago, we have been visiting churches, and praying that God would make clear where He wanted us to plug in. Our primary concern was and is that we don't feel that God is finished with us yet. We want to be somewhere where our gifts and abilities can be used for the kingdom. We have no interest at all in "sitting and soaking". After visiting several churches in our area, we found one that seemed to fit the criteria we had prayerfully set. Finally, I made an appointment with the pastor, and expressed to him our concerns and desires. He graciously answered my questions without putting any pressure on me to decide right away. We came away from that meeting with an agreement to pray for God's leadership. Today as the service progressed, I became...