Sunday morning

I could have gone home Saturday evening but I wanted time alone to digest the weekend and process it. I also wanted to attend the Sunday service of the church that sponsored the retreat. I won’t bore you with the details but there is one thing that really impressed me. After the singing/worship time and before the sermon, the pastor invited everyone to gather into groups of four or five to pray for each other. This was not an opportunity to bring up the needs of your neighbour’s cousin’s daughter’s broken leg, but a chance to share real and personal needs of the people in the group. Wow! What a way to foster community and intimacy amongst the congregation!

And in fact, I was so very impressed by everything about this church. There was a closeness to each other and a naked closeness to God. This is not a church where people wear a façade to show how spiritual they are. It is a place where people are real, welcoming transparency and honesty, and it shows. What a blessing that visit was! I wish I could be part of a church like that.

I wish I was able to better describe the impact the weekend had on me. It was very powerful and as it progressed, I found a deep peace filling me. Since then, I've been going to that place where I've experienced God's love in various ways and letting His love and presence soak into me. It has made such a difference in so many ways. I'm even sleeping better!