Sunday morning. It starts out blustery but beautiful, with leisurely enjoyment of the quiet. A breakfast of deconstructed french toast made from bite sized chunks of almond croissant, fresh raspberries and creme anglais poured atop. Savoury and sensational!
Hallelujah, Amen. Church started out with many "Hallelujah, Amen"s between songs, during songs, and just to share the joy of worshipping together.
Monochromatic Hair. Everyone has black to dark chocolate hair no matter what age. There are three of us however who do not fit into this theme. I have brown hair, there is an African-American middle aged man with salt and pepper hair, and there is one elderly Korean lady with a lovely shade of lavender!
A Creed of Tears. Without fail, the congregation recites the Apostles Creed in Korean and without fail, one or more people are moved to tears, not just one or two drops, but the full hanky wiping multiple eye mopping tears. This happens every Sunday.
Touching Base and Keeping Up With The Jones. What do you go to church for? It is obvious that these congregants are here to impact each other. They serve one another tirelessly. They express great joy with one another. They insist on taking each others best interest to heart. There is no competition. They are genuinely encouraged by each other and saddened by each other's griefs. Yet, in the midst of it all, they individually take responsibility for themselves and are not needy or demanding of each other. I see the ministry of Jesus prevelant in their lives.
Rubber Meets the Road. The sermon was on Isaiah preparing the way for Jesus so that people would recognize Him when they saw Him. The ending of the serman was a challenge for us to reach out to others so they can see the Jesus in us. During the fellowship meal afterward, several ladies expressed themselves with great friendship toward me, making sure that I understood that they desired me to come back each week. I received a Korean key chain from one lady. During the evening meal, provided every few months for newcomers, the kindness continued. Photographs with the pastor and his wife, a mug and pen, picture of Jesus with Korean words underneath reading "We love you, we welcome you, we bless you." There were smaller words that my friend was trying to read without her glasses; I offered to read the Korean characters to her so she could translate them to English. A sweet moment of shared laughter at our Konglish conglomeration conundrum! The meal and events were hosted by all the elders and their wives, the truest picture of servanthood. They exemplify Christ-like living.
Football, Woodpeckers and FKPC. Pastor Kang spoke to us newcomers through a translator (except when he needed to correct the translator's translation which was quite amusing). He spoke of the Dallas Cowboys being his favourite team and how they use helmets to protect their brains from the obstacles they face on the field. He spoke of woodpeckers hitting the tree at 20 times per second and how their skull absorbs the impact. He moved on to say that we have a hundred more obstacles in our day than the Cowboys or a woodpecker and that Jesus is our helmet to protect us, ending by saying that the FKPChurch was blessed to be walking this road with us.
Have I told you how much I love this church?
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