Sunday, February 5, 2012

after a hurricane comes a rainbow


yes, i just quoted katy perry's "firework" in the title. reason?

1. that song is really catchy.
2. that song is inspirational, and if you disagree, well, i don't care.
3. kyle loves it.
4. most importantly, it fits this post. it's actually sort of what the post is about.

kyle and i have been trying to find a church we feel comfortable in and feel good about since we moved here. and every single time we've tried to go to this one particular church nearby, something has happened to prevent it. for instance, the first day we were going to go, we found out last minute that it was their thanksgiving dinner that night. i mean, can you imagine some strangers showing up to your church dinner? i mean, maybe you could, i don't know. we just felt weird about it, so we didn't go. another time, we got there and realized they were having a business meeting and left. i joked about thinking God really didn't want us to go there, but after today, I think maybe that was true. because there was somewhere else He wanted us to go. 

when we were living in georgia, we went to this place called latechurch, where there was a casual atmosphere, a lot of young people, cool music and good messages. oh, and it was in a movie theater. i know crew church in huntington is in the cinema, and although i've never been there, i would imagine it is similar to this, too.

we talk a lot about how we miss going there and wish we could find somewhere like that.

last night kyle found it. it's called knoxlife. he looked at their website, figured out that they owned the coffee shop, remedy, that he has already grown fond of, and liked what they had to say about things. 
they're mission statement is love God. love people. 

exactly.



so we decided to try it out today.

i tend to have a hard time getting ready for church in the mornings. it's like something always happens. this morning, my back was killing me when i got out of bed, my contacts were hurting my eyes, my hair was unusually tangly (weird observation, i know), and i felt sort of nauseous. some people would say that's satan trying to keep me from going. those people are probably right. i've heard that before. i grew up in a very traditional church, which i still credit with my morals and spirituality. however, as i've grown a little older, i've found myself looking for something else. something new. something more comfortable. something more about loving others and less about rules and schedule. and i was hoping this place was going to be that for me, and that it would be like latechurch, even if just a little bit. so i told myself to suck it up, and get out the door. 

on the way there, i thought "we didn't have time to eat, and now i'm going to be starving and not be able to pay attention." this is a serious problem for me, and i'm sure other people, and has been for years, especially when it involved getting ready with two siblings and two parents and two barking dogs. you get up, yell at your brother to get out of the bathroom, run late, don't have time to eat something, then get to church in a fuss and sit there starving for two hours just counting the minutes until it's over and you can go to Triple-H. story of my life for about ten years. 

please God, don't let my stomach rumble so loud that someone else hears it.

so, we get there. it's in a theater. we see a lot of young people walking in, too. several people have coffee tumblers. many of them just have on jeans. we walk in, and they have coffee. and orange juice. and pastries. and fruit. and krispy kreme doughnuts.



you would think this is what sold me, but no. there's more.

they start the service, and what is the first song the band sings? 

"firework," by katy perry.

i looked over at kyle and smile-cried. i know this might sound silly, but just understand that kyle talks about this song all.the.time. and we listen to it all.the.time. if this wasn't a sign that we belonged there, I don't know what is.

and the girl's voice is amazing. and everyone is laid back. and fun. and praising god. and drinking coffee. and enjoying themselves. and there were young people and old people and babies. the (freaking great) band sang several songs, then the pastor gave his message about freedom. he was funny and interesting and i had no problem paying attention to him. and the two hours flew by. probably because i had a sprinkle doughnut and a cup of coffee in my stomach and i was humming "firework" and the other great somas they sang. one song in particular said something like "greater things are to be done in this city." good stuff.

kyle and i were buzzing when we left. we couldn't wait to talk about it. i told him it's overwhelming how you don't go to church for so long, for whatever reason, then when you do go, you realize how great it is when you do go, and how much you need to go. 

and we really needed to go. so much has happened in the past couple of months, and when we were stress-eating and watching netflix, we probably could have used a good heart-felt song and a prayer. 

so here's to a new our new sunday. i know places like this aren't for everyone. like, i'm pretty sure my siblings would love it and my mom wouldn't. but i think it's for me. thank God we found something inspiring, uplifting, spiritual and open-minded. and that they have coffee.

love.
krq.

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