What a Blessing!

I have always wished that there was a source I could go to where I could learn of Churches that other travelers have recommended in various areas around the country. Well, as we used to say back in the 60's "if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem." It occurs to me that as I am finding good Churches in which to worship as I travel around the country, I could be sharing this with you when I find some of these congregations where I am particularly blessed for having attended.

One of the things that I talk about in my book is how difficult it is for me to just up and wander into a group of strangers on Sunday morning in a church where I know absolutely no one. I doubt that I am alone in this. It has been particularly difficult this time around. We are in Little Rock, Arkansas for our jobs with See’s Candy Co. Usually we know someone in an area who can recommend a good church. We know absolutely no one here, except my daughter and her family who have also just moved to this area and also do not yet have a church home. Add to this the fact that they live about twenty-five miles from where we are staying (farther than I like to drive to get to church on Sunday), and we have been pretty much on our own in finding a Church this time around. This has made us more dependent on the Spirit’s leadership (as it ought to be), yet this experience of "flying blind" is always an uncomfortable one for me.

I was driving down the road to the RV park where we were going to stay when I first saw Summit Church. I had a good feeling about it. It was attractive, modern looking, and it appeared to be just the size I like: big enough that I won’t be conspicuous, yet small enough that I can see the preacher’s face without a TV screen.

I found their web site and I liked what I read. Their presentation was informative, and it was clear that they thought that they had a good thing going. It was their own view that the Holy Spirit was working a good work in their midst. I was a bit disappointed when I read that they were a Southern Baptist church. I’ll tell you some other time about how I gave the best quarter-century of my life to Southern Baptists, only to have that denominational relationship go sour on me, but, oh well, I went to a Southern Baptist church during this same time the last two years in St. Louis and that went really well, so why not give it a try?

And so I did last Sunday, and what a blessing it was! It was clear from the very beginning that everyone was happy to be there. There was no sense of anyone being there just to "put in their time" but everyone really seemed like there was no place they would rather be. I love that kind of enthusiasm! They greeters and staff were friendly and helpful, but certainly not overbearing. Two different men came and introduced themselves and welcomed me.

The music was great. The service was very professional in its presentation, yet it was intimate, and you really felt like a participant rather than a spectator. The message was Biblical. In fact I haven’t really heard a good expository message like that in a long while, as most preachers seem to prefer the textual variety of preaching these days. This was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and Pastor Bill Elliff presented an exposition of Psalm 100 entitled "The Root of Gratitude" that was not "fiery" yet certainly passionate, and eloquent.

At the end of the service, in what was probably a departure from the usual invitation, Pastor Bill asked for "twenty to twenty-five people" to come to the front to tell about what they were thankful for. The number who responded was closer to fifteen than to twenty. All were very inspiring, and it was clear that God was working a good work in their fellowship, and in the lives of many individuals. It would take far too much space here to talk about all of them but some exceptional standouts were the three medical students at UAMS who told about how they had began medical school as the typical student party guys, and how the Lord had reached out to them, turned them around, and gotten them involved in a Christian medical students group, and how that they were now studying the Word, and praying, and working for a spiritual awakening on their campus (how many great moves of the Holy Spirit in the history of this country were birthed on college campuses!). Then there was a lady who expressed her gratitude for miraculous healing from a physical injury. She told that both the injury (which was to require surgery) and the healing (without surgery) were documented by x-rays. She attributed the healing to the Lord of course, but also to the fact that several of her friends in the Church prayed over her for her healing. I wish I could mention many more, but suffice it to say that all expressed that they were experiencing the power of Christ in their lives, and that this was something that they were taking out of the Church and into their daily lives.

In my book I emphasize that I think that one thing we should look at when we choose a church to attend is to look at the congregation, and how they are responding to God’s Spirit. What better way to do this than to be able to listen to several people telling what God is doing in their lives!

The one thing that was abundantly clear as I worshiped with these brothers and sisters in Christ was that in this Sunday morning experience the center of it all was Jesus Christ. I can safely say that I worshiped Him in spirit and in truth that Sunday morning.

So, if you are ever in the Little Rock area, make it a point to visit the Summit Church. Their address is 6600 Crystal Hill rd. in North Little Rock, directly across from the Wild River Country water park. Take exit 148 off of I-40 or exit 12 off of I-430. Check out their website for more information.

Thanks for spending this moment with me today.