Fragrant Aroma

A log cabin in the midst of a beautiful forest. A wraparound front porch with swings and rocking chairs. A place for gathering and celebrating. An imperfect church for imperfect people. My favorite place in the whole world.

There are so many reasons why I deeply love our church. One of them is that we are not like the majority. We are not stained glass and fancy clothes. We are not ritualistic and legalistic. We are not organ music and stuffiness. We are real people loving a real Savior dealing with real life. We are imperfect.

I never realized what having a personal relationship with Jesus was about until I stepped through those doors. Our pastor is a teacher. He makes God's Word come alive and teaches us how to apply the scriptures in a life-changing way. For me, our church is intimate and comfortable like a good pair of shoes. It is our home.

Last night we gathered together for a prayer service. The lights were off. Candles and oil lamps lit up our beautiful sanctuary. Walking in the room, an immediate sense of peace rushed in to greet me. All around I saw people kneeling and praying and crying and worshipping. It was beautiful. I found my place on the floor,and spent an hour in His presence.

I imagined all of our prayers drifting to heaven and God being honored. In a world that doesn't honor Him, I know in that moment He was soaking up our prayers and smelling the fragrant aroma.

As I sat there last night, I realized that there is nowhere else I would raise my children. I want them to know what a personal relationship is all about. I want them to feel what we did last night. I want them to love the Lord with all their hearts. I want them to feel safe when they walk through those doors. I want them to know that we are imperfect and in need of a perfect Savior. I want them to have a passion for the Bible.

The good news is that God wants that for them as well.