Heart & Soul Situation

I love that you all were excited about joining us on our travel adventures! For now, our travel plans are on hold & a new journey is about to begin...searching for a new church to call home.
When we moved to Flagstaff, we visited so many churches that we lost track of the specific nuances of each one. As weeks turned into months, sadly, all the churches blurred together. No only was this frustrating for us, it was highly unfair to the churches. This time, I am determined to do things differently.
I am a compulsive list maker. I love lists. Jay laughs at me because at any given time, I have half a dozen lists going. My first inclination, when beginning our search, was to make a list. I did an internet search & compiled a list of area churches to visit. Next I thought about creating a template to fill out for each church - maybe even add a graph or chart...music team, sermons, bookstore, coffee shop....OY VEY!! My compulsion was in over drive. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit smacked me & made me stop. This is not a list & graph situation. This is a heart & soul situation.
I do want a way to remember each individual church while attempting to capture the heart & soul of each one. I'm doubtful that we will walk through the doors of a church one day & the Holy Spirit will roll out a banner that reads THIS IS THE ONE! It would be amazing, but unlikely. So, if you will all indulge me, I am going to chronicle the churches we visit here. Feel free to jump in at any time & share your thoughts & hearts.
Please know that while I was raised Church of Christ & Jay was raised Baptist, and while we have spent our married life predominantly worshipping in Churches of Christ, we will not be placing limitations on our search. I truly believe that limiting ourselves and placing God in a small denominational box is unfair to ourselves and to Him. There are many Christians out there whose hearts are so sincere in following Jesus & caring for their communities. We will not be focusing on the name on the building. We will be focusing on the hearts & intentions of the church community themselves. Jesus commands us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:31) Jesus said that no other commandment is greater than these.
This is where our focus will reside. Loving God & Loving Others. This is the church community we long to find.

Blessings,
Mandy