yay church! and yay people!

I love church. So much, in fact, that I currently attend two. I leave my actual church and drive downtown just in time to catch the second service at Redeemer Church. I kinda came to the realization of "why not?" I don't really have a life outside of school, I don't have a family here, I don't have a whole lot of commitments, and I realized that there's nothing keeping me from attending another church.

I love it. There are a ton of young people my age, and yet they sing hymns and very lyric-heavy songs that tend to be slower in nature. They sing three songs, have a sermon, and then sing three songs. They do communion every Sunday.

The pastor that I've heard both times I have been there is currently preaching through Nehemiah. (There must be another pastor because I skipped last week and yet the pastor that I heard the first time was preaching again this week and picked up right where he left off the last time I was there - which made me feel a lot better about not being there last week; I was super bummed that circumstances did not allow me to go last week.) This morning he talked about the importance of mourning one's sin, but that God is a God of grace and that we must not wallow in our sin - for to do so puts the emphasis on us instead of God. It was really powerful and challenging.

Actually, I very much recommend church-hopping. It's incredibly fun, actually. I am able to spend twice the amount of time in dialog with God, and I'm able to experience such a wide variety of worship. I play piano at my normal church, and so it's nice to have a break from that. Plus, I get to hear two sermons, sing twice as many songs, and meet a bunch of Christians I wouldn't otherwise meet. Good stuff. :)

Sadly enough, I won't be able to go next week, as they are combining their services into one that falls at the same time as my regular church. My regular church isn't having a Good Friday service, though, which kinda bummed me out...so I was really really happy to hear that Redeemer is having a Good Friday service! Easter is my favorite season, and I'm so glad that I won't be missing out on half of it. :)

God is good. I love how he brings a new place and new people into my life just at the right times. I love how He provides friends for me at the most random of times and shows me His love through countless selfless acts on the part of people who I've only known for 7 months. I love that I have the opportunity to invest (at least for now) in two churches, and I love that I am so privileged to serve such a good God who bestows gifts on someone so undeserving as me.