My church is a safe place for someone like me who grew up feeling embarrassed because I had no idea who my friends were talking about when they mentioned people in the Bible. Pastor Mike and the leaders welcome everybody-from the polished professional who comes in a suit to the harried mom who shows up in sweats. No matter how many services I've missed because of out-of-town engagements or training, when I return I feel like I never left. Instead, it is the feeling I get whenever I attend on a Sunday morning.
Lutheran Church of Hope's size is not what appeals to me, though. Today it is the largest church in the city. During a service in the church's early days, my mom recalls the pastor tearfully confiding that he wasn't sure if the church was going to succeed. When I was a little girl, I loved going to vacation Bible school at Lutheran Church of Hope, and my parents and I had attended services there occasionally as I was growing up. That's when we realize that God is the one who's in control and that he does a better job of it than we do.Īs I reflected on the Bible, my faith began to deepen. They were always positive and taught me to leave everything to God, because when we try to manage everything on our own, it's too much for us to handle.
However, as I spent time with them that summer, I noticed that they just oozed peace, joy, and love, even though they were living through the worst time of their lives. Like my parents, Ryan's family didn't preach to me. My par-ents had faith and were absolutely rock-solid about doing what is right, but I realized that I could also learn something from Ryan and his family.
Maybe this sense of God's presence was just a natural by-product of the way I had been raised. Though we were two hours apart, reading the same devotional each day kept us connected.Īs Ryan and I talked about our faith, God became more real to me. Each morning as I opened that book, I read about God's goodness and provision. For my birthday she gave me a daily devotional that included a prayer and a Scripture reading for every day of the year. Ryan's mom is the director of spiritual formation at a church, and I think she understood right away that I was searching to understand and grow in my faith. When her cancer went into remission, I considered it a miracle. It was much more powerful than any sermon could be. But I learned a great deal about God's love by witnessing Ryan's family and their church wrap their arms around his sister during this terrible time.
I never sat down with Ryan or his family to have an in-depth theological discussion.
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