My First Love

As far back as I can remember, my Mom took me and my four brothers to church. It was just a simple little country church made of cinder block and painted white.  A few wooden benches on an old cement floor, along with an old piano were the only decor. There was an old stove for heat in the winter, and in the summer we just left the doors open to try and catch a breeze. "His" and "Hers" outhouses were out back by the woods. It was a far, far cry from the "Mega" churches of today.

So many times, I find myself thinking about that old church. It was ugly to anyone that ever saw it I suppose, but I loved it.  I met Jesus there. I was baptized at a little creek right down the road from that old church. I was so young, but I had met my first love. And his name was Jesus.

Sometimes, when I feel a little down or disappointed in the way things are going, I think back to that old church and how simple everything was. There were no fancy messages, nobody dressed to the nines, no big band played in the background, and there was no set time for service to end. You knew to eat supper before you came, because sometimes services would go a little close to 11pm.

A lot of wonderful people came through that old church. There were visiting preachers, evangelist, and singers....and they all left something with me. In things that they said to me or messages that they preached. One minister went outside to pray for a young boy who had been hit by a car and was bleeding and I learned the scripture that stops the flow of blood. A couple who evangelized together came and I remember her looking at my shoes and saying "Lord , she needs some shoes. Give her some shoes." Imagine my surprise when someone brings a whole bag of shoes to my house a few days later! At that young age, I had no idea that you could ask God for SHOES! I had thought that you could only ask him for forgiveness of sins, and to take you to heaven when you die...

I am so thankful for that old country church and all of the people that passed through it. It was the seed that took to root and stayed with me, softly calling me back to the Lord when I strayed.

 Thank you Mom for taking me to that old country church.