Coffee and Switchfoot...can't go wrong!

We found it! Our home! Home church, that is!! And I love the name...Hopesprings Community of Faith...and I do feel like Faith Alive was a stepping stone...almost like God saying "please become friends with Emily...she will help to guide you and you both will become good friends...but this is where you ultimately belong..." And because I was open and so was hubs to truly finding our home...I was checking out our local free newsletter called "The Belt and Beyond"...I particularly love the column "The Crunchy Mom"...this week it was about essential oils...something I've become very interested in lately with making my own organic cleaners...but that's a different story. In the back of the newsletter are 2 pages of local churches, so I was looking at all the non-denominational ones and checking out all their websites...and this one struck me...immediately! Told hubs...I think this is the one. We both felt instantly sad for Pastor Matt at Faith Alive...but it's about what is best for our family and what fits us...right? 

So, we pull up and they have a small parking lot with a sign "visiting? Good, we saved you a spot" how awesome? We walk in and they are playing Switchfoot....I LOVE Switchfoot!! And they have a coffee bar...hubs Loves coffee! We get the little ones situated on the nursery and take Maguill with us into the sanctuary...several people approached us and introduced themselves...all very laid back and just sincere friendship and welcoming...including the Pastor, Jonathan...who introduced himself as Jonathon. The "altar" was covered with local art (which related to the sermon)...They had some announcements...and then kids K-5th grade (HopeKids) were sent downstairs...Maguill was cool with it...she went. And then the small worship band started and they were just fantastic...acoustic and young and everything I love! Hubs even said he enjoyed their music! Pastor Jonathon comes across as very humble...very relatable...someone we could hang out with around a fire and not feel like we needed to be on our best behavior...someone we could be ourselves with. Young, married with 2 kids...dressed down and comfortable. And he started the whole thing off with "this is how I interpret it..." Creation, that is....because it's so true...the Bible is so open to interpretation...but it's rarely admitted...and he got into it...

Creation...God created day and night and that was it...day 1...he said "I'm good" even tho he had so much more to do...we all feel like we have so much to do...being pulled in different directions...artists feeling like no that painting isn't done yet...rich saying I can't right now Maguill, I have to send this email...yet god just created day and night and said "yep I'm good...that's enough for today"...he proceeds to create land, water air...and ends each day with "I'm good"...except when he comes to man...he says man cannot be alone...and it's true...even when we are in our darkest hour and want to push everyone away....we always come back to someone...we can't be alone...it all comes back to God. 

After the service...everyone was hanging out...still drinking coffee and chatting...just an awesome community driven vibe...all goodness. They are currently doing a backpack drive for kids in need of school supplies...they are involved in a local food pantry, the run a coffee shop in the basement where all profits go to helping the local community. The previous pastor and his family moved to Sioux City, IA, where they are from, and actually started a 2nd Hopesprings church...apparently, it's a really dark area of the country and this local church travels to Sioux City a lot to help. 

I've never, in my life, been excited to go back to church....this is where God has been leading me....us...our family...this is a bookmark they gave us today...I hope you can read it....