Heritage...

So, this morning the girls and I (Jody was leading worship at another church) joined my parents and my brother and his wife (my sister and her family weren't able to go) at my parents' church, Paramount Baptist, here in Amarillo. It was a special service for the church's 50th anniversary. This was the church I grew up at. I attended this church from the time I was born until I went off to Tech, then got married. When Jody and I got married and moved back to Amarillo, we knew that the Lord was not calling us back to this home church of mine (it had also become Jody's church during the few years that he lived in Amarillo before going to Tech.) It would have been easy to just go back to my church home, you know, back to familiarity and comfort, but instead, the Lord had another path ahead of us. I would not have traded that for anything!



So, as I was sitting in the service, I began to become overwhelmed by emotion. The Lord began to show me all the heritage in this church, especially the heritage I inherited through the 21 years I was a member of that church. This was the church that I grew up going to mission friends, pre-school, GA's (you Baptists know what I'm talking about), then youth group and college ministries. This church is where I asked Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of my life at the age of 7, and was then baptized a few weeks later. This is also where I attended numerous Disciple Nows as both a student and later as a leader. This is where I went to many, many church camps. This is where I began the journey of this relationship with Christ that continues abundantly today. This is where I learned what it meant to tell people about Jesus both in other countries, and at my own school. This is where I was blessed to be a summer youth intern while in college and had the privilege to teach many girls Bible studies and take girls to hang out at Sonic. This is also the church that I ended up meeting the love of my life and best friend, my husband. This is also where I made so many lasting friendships! I have so many fond memories of Paramount. It was the foundation of who I am today. I am so thankful that I was raised in church, and on top of that, a church that was striving to teach me who God is and what it meant to have a relationship with Him. Even though I no longer attend this church, I still love it. I was truly brought to tears in the moment it hit me in all the Lord had done in me during my years at this church. I am so blessed!