You never know when some batteries and the mission/vision of the faith community will be important. not only important actually – but critical.

This morning I arrived at the office at 7am b/c I love the Monday am quiet time. It is when I study, pray, and really, basically, draw my strength from God to look ahead to the week . . .

This is what I call “sacred” time . . . I don’t answer the phone, I don’t text . . . I just do the things that God has laid on my heart . . .

This am I was pondering the future of West and looking at where I believe God is calling us to go and be . . . I was reflecting back on the past 10 years of ministry with WC . . . and thinking about how cool it is that the shepherds – the ones NO ONE wanted to hang out with – were the first ones to get the message that a savior had been born who would offer a saving grace to the world.

The West office is in Mooresville Commons Business Park . . .and there’s a lot of “traffic.” Between the car tinting place next door, Enterprise, SkyBar, and the Fast Med Clinic across the way . . . interesting folks around here all times of the day (and night!)

There was a gentleman walking through the parking lot over to the car place next door . . . as I sat in here w/ the lights on and it being dark outside I guess he could see me so I smiled and he returned the smile. A few minutes later he came in asking if “CarTunes” still was located here.

I shared that no, we are a church and I’m not real sure where the cartunes people were. He commented, “You certainly are here early for a Monday morning.”

I responded that I was the pastor (and now that I type that – you know what – I am! WOW – I’m the PASTOR 🙂 oh, man, that makes me happy . . .anyway . . .I digress) I said, “And if you don’t have a faith home we’d love to have you worship with us at West.”

And so for the next 15 minutes he shared w/ me his story . . . in that story I gleaned that he had worshiped at a another church a few times but the message seemed to be about the importance of building a building rather than learning to follow Jesus.

I gave him a card lying in the office w/ batteries on it saying “Recharge at West This Christmas” . . . told him to check us out online to see what we are about and I’d love it if he would worship with us on Sunday!

Who knows if he will come . . . but hopefully this am for a few brief minutes he felt like someone cared . . .

I wish I could have done more . . . batteries don’t seem like enough for the place he was in . . . but maybe God can use those to share something bigger.

My take away from that?

My heart has a tendency to be gripped w/ fear sometimes at walking away from a “church” that basically birthed my calling to be a pastor and leading a church that has no real home. Yet one of the things that this gentleman and I totally agreed w/ this morning was that the church is “NOT” a building . . . it is the people being together in the presence of God. And then my heart was full . . of love, hope, and promise and less fear!

So looking forward for what God has in store . . .

May we each look today for someone to help “recharge” in their faith . . .

Follow