When I Say Church
Suggested listening: Explosions in the Sky's "First Breath After Coma" When I say church, it is complicated. Church 10 years ago meant a dozen or so of us gathering in the living room of our rental home, seated in a mish-mash of folding chairs, our couch, and whatever else we had, circled up to sing, to study, to learn, and to eat together. It meant gathering in an intimate space, praying this kindling would grow into a fire. Church seven years ago meant the two of us church planters - pastor and pastor’s wife - limping along, exhausted and convinced we needed to keep going, determined and disappointed that our coffee shop space wasn’t full, frustrated with limited growth. It meant leading reluctantly, holding on to what seemed to be required of us. Church four years ago meant walking in with my child on my hip, face flushed with the shame of an impending divorce, brain exhausted from doing the math of how I even fit in this place anymore and avoiding the drea...