What Is This Spirit?

I am still being inspired by the Sunday worship we shared with Washington Metropolitan AMEZ church. Yes the music was wonderful, and the preaching top notch, but that isn't all that I continue to celebrate. It was the spirit of joy and compassion and fellowship that was genuinely present among us that day.

For me personally there was a freedom in my soul that I haven't felt in a long while. One that allowed me to dance or raise my hands in praise without a sense of being self conscious. I was able to pray from the depths of my heart and was led by the Spirit as to what to say to all those gathered at the cross. And yet...

I continue to find a newness in my preaching that I don't know where it comes from except God above. A willingness to step out of my comfort zone and my manuscript and simply lead in a thought. For this highly introverted person, that is a big one!

And this weekend I find it spreading to my family. There was a gospel sing at Adam's St. Nursing Home. Mark did not remember in time to assemble any kind of group, but Zach and Sarah had worked up a song for camp and so he asked them to do it for the folks. Zach complained pretty much the whole morning that they were the only young people there, and that he was giving his Saturday away for...this?! Zach and Sarah sang well and were praised to be "the future."

But that isn't where it ends, there were multiple choirs from several Missionary Baptist churches around and they sang from their toes and led us all in moments of worship. The most wonderful were acapella solos of "How Great Thou Art" and "His Eye Is On the Sparrow" At the end of which were standing O's...but Zach and Sarah also were part of the voices saying amen and thank you Jesus. As we headed back to the car, Zach said: "I take back all my grumblings...it was worth it all."

So I am getting reacquainted with the Spirit of God that breaks down walls and stretches us to new places and kneads the clay of our hearts into new creations.

Thank you Jesus!