The House of the Lord

I thought I would tell you about the two churches I am attending these days. Just to tell you of the Glory of God and how He shows up anywhere and everywhere.

If any of you know anything about Moore County, it is one of the richest and poorest county in the state. It has 41 golf courses in this ONE county, most retired Yankees relocate here to play golf. They have the US Open for both men and women almost every other year here on the world famous Tee #2 course. People have seen Donald Trump's plane land in this small airport. Some of the homes in Southern Pines and Pinehurst are valued between one million to eight million. But then again, some of the poorest people live here, some of them have never left the county. Some of them live in homes that you could swear were abandoned.

When I first moved back to this county for reasons I won't get into right now, I began to question why am I here? I didn't curse God, but I was constantly questioning my purpose here. See I live way out in the rural woods, I am a city girl. I love the hustle bustle, and I felt like I could serve God more in the city, let alone the job opportunities in there. Like when I lived 30 miles north of here and was blessed to work in the soup kitchen at my old church, or all the opportunities in Raleigh or Durham, NC. I have had to watch my gas too, so I couldn't travel far to my Mega church in Raleigh, or even Sanford.

Anyway as I searched for a church, my landlord told me to go to this church literally 2 miles away called The House of the Lord. He didn't attend this one regularly, as you know in the south they go to the church their great grandads went to, but he told me of the "sweet sweet spirit" there in their worship music that fills that place. Upon first glance during a walk with Luke I was afraid of that church. I mean it to ME looked like one of those that might actually handle snakes. Oh how wrong I was in that assumption.

Well I started to attend. On a good day there are maybe 15 people that attend. Most of them are over 60 except for the pastor's wife and one other lady who is younger than me with two young toddlers. Sometimes on Wednesday night prayer their might be 5 in attendance.

Oh but the Spirit that fills that place is indescribable. The sweet ladies sing the old time hymns and the pastors wife plays the guitar. The lady at the piano knows all the 50 some songs by heart and never uses music, but sometimes she uses hand written notes for the words. She has also written songs that just make you go wow. The ladies all clap and sing their sweet hearts out. There are maybe 3 men that might attend on a good day. So this little church is just filled with sweet little ladies that love the Lord.

And Prayer Warriors, they love to pray. Those ladies, wow, have taught me so much. Then there is Pastor Tom, he has a heart for Moore county. He claims the county as GOD's county. He breaks all the strongholds of poverty, racism, addictions, witchcraft and murder (mind you this was the county that had the rest home murders of 7 people last month and a principal shot two weeks ago by a husband). Tom prays, visits and witnesses to many out there. He visits the trailer parks. He also holds a full time job, as tithing of ten whom are on limited incomes could not provide for his family. Honestly, I believe they use the tithes to bless people and keep the lights on at the church.  

Then what they have done for me, OH LORD. They have loved me just as Jesus loves the church. They have fed me every Sunday, and I was getting proud of my weight loss almost back to teen years due to the unemployment diet. They have given me sacrificial offerings, and food cards. That is all nice but then it gets better. They have prayed unceasingly for me. The pastors wife Donna has kidnapped me for a coke, when in her spirit she was told I was having a rough day. Furthermore, in a church like this you just can't skip a day without them hunting you down like a coon-dog on a hot rabbit trail. This is what the church is supposed to be like, helping its members, nurturing them to spiritual health and reaching out to the lost.  

Now don't get me wrong, I have loved all the other churches I have been to before. They have also blessed and healed me. Unless you make the effort to get plugged into a large church, you just can't experience the love like I have been at this really small church. Before I haven't made that much of an effort, here I was just forced into a small group. I love big churches but for now, as for me and my house I will serve the Lord at the House of the Lord.



Pastor Tom, his wife and I also attend another church on Sunday nights and Thursday evenings. This is where Pastor Tom says he gets fed even more. I bum a ride and attend with them as I love the second church too, it is about 30 mi away. Stay tuned to learn about the second church I attend, called Mosaic. This church is absolutely amazing, but we need some prayer from all the warriors out there.