I sent you an email. : )

Wow! What an inspiration you are! Would love to have lunch with you sometime.

However, the LORD has blessed me with a highly developed snoop sense - so I’ve been able to snoop around on the internet until three message boards were discovered where prayers are exchanged, daily devotionals are posted for encouragement and medittion; where a Bible scripture that one loves or needs to study more are presented and we discuss and discuss, sometimes for hours, off and on throughout the day.

Strong friendships and ties have been formed within these groups of Believers from all across the country, and in some instances, the world. It is with my online friends that I share the beautiful experience of Sunday’s music worship, or a special insight that my gifted preacher has presented, or the special Spirit-filled experience of Wed. night’s Oasis service.

Also, the LORD has brought a group of some of Highland’s younger women into my life - women of great courage in the face of difficulties raising kids as single moms. What a blessing these women are!!!!!!

The LORD has made Himself and His presence known so clearly every day of my life, that I truly pray my life is one of continual worship of Him - a worship that becomes especially sweet and awesome when we come together at Highland to worship Him in concert. I praise Him and thank Him for such a flood of blessings!!

I can count on Gene Aaron greeting us at the back door and asking husband or son to serve communion;
I know that Val will sing “Arise, My Love” on Easter;
(My heart always soars as Val sings “Arise, My Love” or anything else);
I see people like Matt, or Jack, and/or Jill Maxwell use their God given talents to bring the kingdom of God a little closer;
I can look across the auditorium and see Squeaky and Jayma smiling back (or snickering if I’ve nodded off…not that I would do that!);
I see Latimer Bowen sitting on the front row beaming and praising God even though life has handed her unbelievable losses;
I can still have a loving conversation with the Exums and the Goldsmiths even thought we beat them to the “second section from the left, row 7 seats” we all favor or vice versa;
I know Charles Mattis will lead our class close to the throne of God through prayer and that if I or anyone else has needs we will lay hands on them as we pray;
My grown children sit with me even though they’ve long been free to do otherwise;
Sweet new babies and their parents are blessed;
I know “Buster” Etter is in the children’s area loving on little kids;
My Huddle kids act excited to see me and give me a big hug that renews my sprit and fills my heart with hope;
I can sing or just listen; clap or not, raise hands or not and its all OK;
the gifted preacher still asks God to “pour through him the gift of preaching” and He does once again;

Most of all, I love worship at Highland because I am always drawn to be more like Jesus and can honestly say on the way home…”it was good to be here” regardless of the order of worship, songs led, or anything else.

Cheryl

Probably the same way we did hear: loosing focus. Sorry.

What SG said about her husband reminds me of my brother. He went from being a troubled, shy adolescent to becoming a man of God and is now a godly husband. In a lot of ways, my little brother is my biggest role model. God has grown in him a desire to serve others, to be who he’s meant to be and, probably most amazingly, to love freely. He genuinely loves everyone and wears his heart on his sleeve.

It’s the way God’s love grows among his people that continually amazes me. And I think it’s that same love that most glorifies God.

blog anon

I love the effort our worship minister puts forth to be balanced but evolving. I like having a screen…it makes holding a baby and singing much easier! I love the voices of our teens, and the Amens from my friend Ricco that can be heard all over the auditorium.
I love the nursery workers who let us worship cry free and the praise team who come to church an hour early every Sunday to practice guiding us all.
I love the bright new faces we are seeing more and more of these days. I love how my favorite elder always has a smile and a hug ready to greet me.
I love our preacher Jim for giving it his all, and after ten years, not giving up or in.
I love the way my husband really does study the sermon notes later in the week. I love watching him worship knowing that eight years ago he didn’t have a church family or much of a faith. Seeing him grow into the spiritual head of our house has inspired and humbled me more than I can explain here.
I love looking around and seeing those marred by the pain of failure, depression, illness, adultery, abandonment, and fear rise above to praise their God in all things.
I love being part of a body of imperfect believers who seek to emulate and honor a perfect Savior.
SG
PS I love these “I like/love listing” bloggs!

–Blog Anon

I have been to many churches where the lights dim, where everyone has their eyes closed, and worship seems so isolated. I love the lit atomosphere at Highland, where we can all see each other and come to Throne together.

As far as leaving a congregation, I have to agree that if the church is dying all around you and you are an extreme minority of one, then your only hope really may be to leave. The hope is that things can be stopped before it gets to that point, but it’s not always possible. In that case, yes, leave. But some church-hop for less substantial reasons. I know I have.

I mentioned earlier that in Searcy, I never really became a part of any one congregation. Could I have stayed and worshipped at one particular congregation for the duration of my time there rather than trying somewhere else every 5 or 6 months? Yes. Did I? No. I kept looking for something intangible that I didn’t find at any of the others. Looking back, settling in at any one of them would have been the wiser, more mature approach. But at 17, what did I know? ^_~ (I’m 24 now and can’t make a case for knowing substantially more now than before, either.)

It was Dr. Eddins’ point that helped me clear my goggles a little bit. There wasn’t anything really “wrong” with any of the churches I’d frequented — there were people worshipping God, serving one another and doing their best to live Christian lives and be examples where they are. The worship styles differed from one to another, but there was nothing “wrong” with any of them. Instead, none of them matched my preference. It was to my detriment that I didn’t see that at the time.