I am completely in love with “The Church”.  It is my heart. I believe in it as God’s plan for this broken world! It makes me so excited to know that I, little me, am part of a huge move of God in this world.

When I wake up on Sunday morning I am filled with anticipation! Not because of a religious tradition but because I know what the Holy Spirit can do and that is always exciting!

I love walking through a corridor and seeing different faces, different, stories, different races, different backgrounds, different opinions; same love. The richness that diversity brings is priceless and beautiful.

Looking and listening around me as those same people, so different, all gather as we sing praises and worship our great God. Lifting His name up high with freedom to worship how each desires and feels as they connect with our Heavenly Father. I love encountering God’s presence and and knowing that everyone around me is feeling the same love and Glory that I am at the same time. “For where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst” – Matthew 18:20  The power of standing next to an unbeliever who has branched out and stepped into church for the first time and watch tears role down their face as they feel God’s Holy Spirit too… now that is powerful! Yes! This is church!

I love encountering God’s presence and and knowing that everyone around me is feeling the same love and Glory that I am at the same time.

Sneaking in to check on the kids and watching them pray for friends, family, each other, the lost and every sweet thing in between. Seeing smiles on their faces as God’s word comes to life to them and they gain knowledge about who He is.  There is something so magical about watching kids be empowered by amazing servants of Christ who know just how important their job is!

I am inspired by a message that is brought to a certain group of people, on a certain day, for a certain purpose. God is so smart like that. Isn’t He? Have you ever said, “Wow, this was just for me today!”? I look around and see people taking notes, nodding, gaining new knowledge and wisdom or being reminded of things that are brought into new light. Being challenged when we have to confront things in our life that God is highlighting to us. I am confident we are leaving more equipped for our purposes than when we came.

I get filled with excitement when my eyes are closed and I hear an invitation to receive Christ and am almost brought to tears when I look around and see hands raised! What an awesome and powerful gift to be able to a part of something so life changing and special. We sing, we pray, we talk, we connect. I see people laughing, crying, sharing, planning, embracing. I see love.

This is the Local Church through my eyes. I admire it. I am fascinated with seeing all kinds of expressions of it all over the world. Different people, different cultures, different ways of doing this thing called “Church”. I need it. I love it!

And that was just one day. Can you even imagine the fullness and greatness that can happen on the other six days of the week? I can!