Welcome Home!

Personally, it was good to come home this past week - and then to be welcomed home at the Gathering yesterday!

Beyond that, we welcomed back over 50 students from camp this morning and this coming weekend we get to welcome home some sent ones for a season.

All this "home-coming" has me thinking about the warmth of returning home and all that entails. As I thought about the process, it reminded me of several things happening here at CCC.

Preparation

Any time someone's headed home, there's preparations that begin. 

Yesterday, one of the biggest blessings was having multiple people come up and mention that the Lord had been preparing their hearts for our time together in Psalm 22 in their own readings and devotions.

Y'all, I can not express enough what a blessing it is to serve a church that comes having already fed on the Word of God. It changes everything about the experience we have together as well as our ability to respond together in obedience to what the Lord has for us collectively. It's a game changer!

Keep preparing your hearts day by day..

Reception

That moment you arrive, the doors open, and smiles and hugs commence - it's amazing!!

There's just something about being received with kindness and gentleness. I wasn't ready for that reception yesterday, but it was such an encouragement!

I've heard someone say that embodying gentleness is having the ability to be leaned on.

Again, I can't tell you how much of a blessing it is to come home to a church family that is gentle and kind and able to be leaned on as we navigate the difficulties of life together.

I also think about many who serve in our preschool area - it can be war back there somedays! But I heard several stories from yesterday about leaders who received toddlers with gentleness and patience. 

For many, the way we're received as young people in the church shapes our experience there for a lifetime. HUGE thanks to those who serve so faithfully!

Shared Experience

The anticipation of the experiences we share are often the catalyst for going home in the first place; we want to do things together!

How about singing that new song together with Ryan leading us?!?! What a great shared experience!

I also love that meaningful conversations are happening early before the gathering, during the gathering, and afterwards as well. We're sharing life and wrestling with the uncertainties together.

It's one part of Christ Community that's hard to quantify the value of. We can only invite others to be a part of it and experience it themselves.

Next Sunday at Juniper Hills is a great chance to do that! It's always a great time to connect with one another and have some fun at the same time!

Movement

There always comes a time when we have to move back out - we have to go outside and say goodbye. Seared into my memory will be the image of my grandparents standing on their porch waving until our car was out of sight as kids. The send off involves movement.

As we received students back from camp this morning, it was a reminder that many of them are coming back ready to move forward in their faith journey. (And let's not forget the adults from CCC who gave precious time and energy pouring into them! You're AWESOME!)

Adults, let's keep doing the same! Summer often gives us the opportunity to renegotiate our rhythms and go deep relationally with those around us - take advantage! Move!

After all, God's presence never leaves us - it launches us into life with a story to tell and a Savior to talk about.