Westport

So the last two weeks our family has attended Westport church (a nice reprieve from the Pacific Northwest Drum Tour that has been our life for the past few months). I think for the time being Kisa and I are going to be setting up home base there, while Matt continues to play around town as there is need. I think this is a great opportunity for him and love that he is able to be a blessing to lots of different church bodies. But it has been difficult for Kisa and I- it is tough for her to be thrown into a different nursery each week and tough for me to feel like I don't have "roots" anywhere.

Anyway, Kisa and I will be at Westport, for a while anyway. Matt will join us on weeks he is not leading elsewhere, and we will probably join him when he plays at Imago Dei. I don't know how long we will be there or if our whole family will end up there or at Imago, but we shall see, and I'm okay with that for now. I plan on getting plugged in to the community there but keeping my mind open if God calls us to move.

This last week/weekend was especially powerful for me as I felt like I had a good opportunity to get to know the character of the leadership at Westport and the fellow believers there. Last week, one of their members (someone very well connected with the church and different ministries there) was arrested as a result of some nasty sin that had run rampant in his life. I won't go into the details of all that here, because it's not really my story to share. However I was really impressed by the response I saw in the church.

I feel like this man's situation was handled with maturity and grace, with members of the church who had every right to be angry and disgusted instead reaching out and offering support.

Then I was blown away by the sermon on Sunday which was a humbling reminder of who I am without Christ. The jist of the message was this: we can see the effects of unchecked sin in another's life and it is appalling... we may think that we would never stoop to such lows in our own life, and be disgusted and condemn others. But instead, I was reminded that I am not so different from this poor man. I could be in his shoes, easily, without the grace of God. I don't think I'm above any of the sins that are out there. I don't think I'm above cheating on my husband or becoming and alcoholic or abusing my child. All it takes is for us to open ourselves up to sin and temptation. Let it take hold, and we are each capable of the same appalling, disgusting lows. Sin is a slippery slope that way, and none of us are above temptation.

After church, I met a handful of people including the new pastor (who I love- he is one of the most positive and upbeat people I have ever met), childcare workers, and one of the elders, who I had a great conversation with.

Anyway, I have felt very welcomed into this new body and am looking forward to meeting new friends and serving there. Kisa has been struggling with the nursery situation, but she joined us in service last week and was exceptionally well-behaved there (after ramming her head repeatedly into the wall in the childcare). I think we broke her spirit. Hopefully she will adapt now that things will be more stable for her... I'm hoping she makes a connection with one of the childcare providers or kiddos and that will be our ticket to getting well-adjusted with all the new faces.