A Piece of Heaven

I have a couple of confessions:  
We are church junkies
 and
 we crave Uganda like it's a piece of heaven.

Why?  This is what I have been asking the Lord.

"God's Spirit lives in us when we know Him,

 sooooo,

 why not stay home or at least in the same country?"

I have been wondering....what in the world is our problem.  :) 
(please don't answer that..bloggy people)

 Church is wonderful and it's good to go,
 but why do we want to be there every time the doors are open?

  It's not out of guilt or duty....
it's a desire, a draw, a joy.  

I have been in great churches my whole life, I enjoy it I learn from it, I love the people.

You  would think that after 42 years of
 "church going"
 I would be used to it, and make time for it, but not plan the week around it...right?

  WRONG.

It's an addiction. 

 I'm addicted to Jesus!  

I'm addicted to His presence.  
The more I experience Him, the more I want. The
 GOOD NEWS

is, there is plenty MORE where that came from.  

He is the living water.  I can drink it up as fast and as much as I can....and there's always MORE. 

James 4:8

English Standard Version (ESV)

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

When you have felt the sweet presence of Jesus, you want more. 

 When you get to know Him, who He really is, not just a God to say you know or a God to throw a prayer up to when you are in need of something you want, but
 Him, His presence, His power,
you can't get enough...you just want more.  

The thing that makes it extra sweet, for us, is we get to attend church with people who have been some of our dearest friends for years and years, and also some new friends.
 We have loved these old friends, but not necessarily worshiped together....and  we sit and listen, and sing and pray and praise

 TOGETHER. 

 I'm telling you...that is what heaven is going to be like.

It is a piece of heaven on earth!  

Here's a side effect of a Jesus addiction:  We can spend time with Him alone, and get to know Him, so that when we go to church we recognize Him and His Spirit and we can enjoy it with many friends.

  He wants us to experience MORE of Him...He wants us to enjoy being together and lifting His name up together.  He can minister to us when we are alone in our houses and out doing our thing...but when he is present with us in a group and we see the love of Jesus in our friends, it multiplies in crazy  ways.

Matthew 5:14-16

English Standard Version (ESV)

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

It hit me this morning that the "city set on a hill"  is a picture of many 

"lights"

 coming together....

CHURCH!!!

As far as our Uganda thing....well, there are a couple of draws...besides the obvious one that one of our children is Ugandan and we will forever love and be connected to that country.  Also,Uganda is crazy populated and there is more

 visible

 evil and darkness there, but there is also this undeniable

 Spirit

 in the people that know Him. 

 These people live in difficult circumstances, like we have never  known, and when they learn about Jesus, when they trust in Him....they are

 changed and amazed

 and they live for HIM whole heatedly.  

They aren't just a "light"...they are
 BRIGHT LIGHTS.

They cling to Him like they have nothing else to live for.

That's all they have and that's truly ALL  any of us have, but it is easier to  fool ourselves, when we have so much.

 So in the crazy populated, third world darkness...there is a quiet and a slowing down and a 

 LIGHT

 that we can see that is BRIGHT and draws us closer to Him, reminds us of how big He is and how small we are.  God has blessed us with friends that we get to see when we go there, and a connection that only comes from fellow

JESUS ADDICTS.