A Church Home By Cortney Donelson

Matthew 16:18 (MSG)
Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah … My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.”

HOME

Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
Cause I'm going to make this place your home

Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you're not alone
Cause I'm going to make this place your home

Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you're not alone
Cause I'm going to make this place your home

This song, “Home,” by Phillip Phillips was performed by my church’s worship team not long ago. It was amazingly beautiful. It was also the final nudge I needed to fully surrender to God’s promptings. I sat in the sanctuary and listened while tears burned my eyes. My throat grew thicker as I desperately tried not to sob. I knew in my heart that it was the answer to my prayers – the final confirmation I had been seeking. God was calling my family “home.” He was calling us back to church – this church.

Despite being members for nine years, we had no longer felt connected. We had even visited other churches and prayed about moving our family someplace new. I had joined a separate ministry team outside the church. My husband’s energy became more vested in professional groups rather than spiritual groups. We had lost touch with Jesus through the church, yet God never released us from it. I wanted the energy back. God did too!

Matthew 16:18 in The Message says, Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.”

As the spiritual head of our family, my husband was way ahead of me. Prior to that Saturday night service, where I was doing everything I could to remain composed, my husband had revealed to me a vision he had of the two of us meeting with our senior pastor and the high school ministry leader. It made no sense to me – our children are young, not teenagers. I was confused and fearful about what his vision meant for us … until I heard these lyrics:

Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found

God wants us involved in our church. We have a story to tell. The gates of hell are no match for the energy of His church. He was asking us to fulfill a purpose by ministering through our story. God desperately hoped we would say “yes.” We did. He was calling us back to our church to minister together as a married couple and individually as wounded, yet restored, children of God. It’s amazing how God can speak through anything – Scripture, a friend, a book, a song. When I sensed God asking me to change my “church” by leaving the independent women’s ministry to put all my energy into the church we almost abandoned, I asked for a lot of confirmation. I was afraid, sad, and even confused. Yet, when I heard that song performed during that evening service, it was as if Jesus was singing it directly to me.

Just know you're not alone
Cause I'm going to make this place your home

My soul is spilling over with anticipation for what lies ahead. We have started the process of getting plugged back in, always prayerfully mindful to follow God’s plan as we move forward and connect ourselves within our church home.

God speaks to us in many different ways. Is He speaking to you today?

Maybe you are struggling to find a church home where you feel a part of a family – where you and Jesus can intimately connect? Have you looked right where you currently attend? Maybe you are already home and just needed (this) confirmation to stay, and begin pouring out just as God has poured into you. If not, I pray you find that energy somewhere in a place you can call home.

Prayer – Lord, Your Church can come in so many forms. A group of believers, not related by blood but connected through Your blood as one family, is critical to our faith journeys. I pray we find the places that stir our spirits, fill our souls, and connect us to Your love and grace. I pray we pour out to others in our home churches as much as You pour into us. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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