Welcome to Hank’s Place, somewhere in Venice, FL
Being new to Venice, and Florida, I recently thought to look over some local church websites. Here’s an excerpt from one, with a few aside comments from me. Maybe it’s a lot like your church:
Sunday service at (our church) lasts a little over an hour (so you can get on with your busy life), where you can expect a safe environment (feeling ‘safe’ is so important when someone is ‘woke’) that is exciting, casual, and relaxed. Come as you are. When you join us, you’ll have the chance to connect, discover, and encounter. Enjoy uplifting worship and a relevant, engaging message from our Pastor, Rev Average Joe. (Did we touch all the bases?)
Think about these words. They are people oriented, people focused, aren’t they? Like an ad for a good restaurant or entertainment?
Yikes.… What. About. God? Almighty God. Creator of the universe; of all things. Even time and space. Creator of you and me.
Way back in 1975 when I was wondering if God was real, and what it meant to believe – in Him – I realized something: IF God was real, and as big and powerful and able as described in the Bible (I’d begun reading the Bible by then), well, then I’d better be prepared to fall on my face, forsake all and follow Him, like those early dudes did in the Gospels!
I began visiting churches, some nice churches, some formal, others informal. I did not know it at the time but I was looking for a place where God’s Spirit manifested. Not someplace comfortable for my body or emotions or that fit MY personality. No, someplace you could say, to scare the hell out of me to make room for heaven to come in. Not threatening fire and brimstone messages, but the presence of God —A place where I could surrender to the Lord of the Universe, and let Him write the rest of my life’s story, a destiny beyond what I could ask or think! I was looking for a place to scare the hell out of me to be captured by the love of God.
I think that’s a good quest, even today — how about you?
Hey, if you visit Hank’s Place in person, you’ll experience the love of God and the grace of God. It’s not a ‘safe place’ — it’s a place of His grace and His Spirit. If you are not already in a place like that, why not pray for God to lead you to one?
Or simply visit Hank’s Place — you’ll COME ALIVE!
NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION
Be notified when a new blog posts