Looking for a New Church- Part 2

With the questions from last weeks blog in mind, my husband and I set out to "Church Visit." We are not simply on holiday, enjoying worship in a vacation location; we are actively seeking a home church for the part of the year that we live in America. Our homebase church, Frensham Baptist Fellowhip (which is made up of all sorts of former Anglicans, Methodists, Catholics and a sprinkling of Brethren and Baptists) is back in England and we feel they are family. This new church would be our "cousins;" family indeed, but it might take time to feel as sisters and brothers.

Church Visits is not "Church Hopping." Church hopping for those of you who have not grown up in this lifestyle of Christian Living, is when you just want to visit a church for an extended stay until someone upsets you and then you leave! You might like the worship but Sunday after Sunday disagree with the sermon; for example, so you hop around town and never truly settle anywhere.

So, with knowing that we were going on an intentional visit to check out a church and knowing that we did not want to spend a year hopping around town; we asked Father God to bring three churches to mind....kind of a short list of potential church home away from home. Graciously Our Father quickly came up with three.

We continued to pray that Father God would reveal to us just where He wanted us to be. As they say, as soon as you walk in the perfect church is no longer perfect; so we weren't looking for the perfect music or the perfect sermon, but where we knew the peace of the Holy Spirit.

"Father God, where do you want us to be?" was the only real question. In my book, "Parents on the Move," I look at selecting a church when you are in the Young Family Stage of life, and your needs are greater than yourself. Sunday School, youth groups and parenting support may be high on your criteria; for now, at the Sage Stage....where would the Lord lead?

Question: If you have relocated nationally or internationally, what have you looked for in a new church?

Looking for a New Church-Part 1

So, as we (my husband and I)  had decided that for this stage of life we needed "the Palm Tree" (ie warmth and the Gulf of Mexico environment) for at least a few months of the year; we knew that a foundation for intentional living would be finding a church. We wanted to be part of a church where we could be actual members, not simply permanent visitors.
Let me back up a moment; whether or not you live overseas; if you are a Christian, I believe you need to be part of a church. To me, it is an observable part of a commitment- to belong. At birth, your parents may take you to the church they have decided is best for the family. From ages 20-40, you may discover whether or not your parent's church is the one for you; and wherever you live you are often looking for a faith community that will help you pass on your faith to the next generation.

From 40 to 60, you see what your children make of your previous church decisions. In the next twenty year stage of life (60- 80), I like to call it the "Sage Stage;" you can have an opportunity to gather what wise counsel you have about you and choose to do something with what you have learned.

Key questions I have when praying, concerning this stage of life (as a global nomad), is asking Father God just where He wants me/us to be in fellowship with other believers. Where does Father God want us to be, to worship, to share His wisdom, share what we have learned about Him; at this stage of our lives? Is the church our tribe?

If we grow up in the same place all our life, we might remain in the church of our forefathers. Those of us who have lived in several countries around the world, have often found no church that remotely resembled a family of origin fellowship. We have had to chose/not chose a new, and often very different place of worship.

When I was head of Childtrack Ltd, I often had clients who were moving into London and searching for what would be the family's new place of worship.

"In Hong Kong, we were Anglican. In California we were Vineyard. Maybe this time Methodist?" was a usual response to my asking if they had a faith base. All I knew was that families that moved from one country to another who found a church seemed to have a smoother move.

Though we still continue to learn, at the Sage Stage we need to check what wisdom we have gained by being a disciple of Jesus Christ all these years, and see where we might worship and serve and share.

Question: Have you ever made an unusual choice of church when living overseas?

Sage Stage Teaching: Hebrews 5: 12 ...................by this time you ought to be teachers..

Senior Church Shift

My husband and I have been restless at church for awhile. We love our homebase church in England, the Frensham Baptist Fellowship; but for those months of the year we have started to come to Florida, we hadn''t yet found a place we called "home". We kept finding fault with the music, or the way scripture was read etc; and finally we realised- the problem was us! We LOVE the people in the Venice church we have come to know, for the two months or six months we were setting up a home in Florida- but we didn't really fit in.

So, one day my husband and I decided it was time to seek out an American church that was US. My husband was raised English Brethren and I was raised American/Southern Baptist. While I loved the church I was raised attending, we both had reservations about our childhood churches. Leaving the church we always attended when in Venice, Florida was so sad. We dreaded having the "why we are not joining, but leaving" discussions with the pastor!

A core issue on this Senior Gap Year, my sabbatical for moving my life into alignment for intentional living in a new stage of life; would be to find my Tribe. This I knew, my Tribe would be faith based. With a change of churches, was God leading me to my Tribe?

Question: Have you ever changed churches?

Senior Gap Year Re-position!

While attending Home Focus about ten years ago, the summer camp at my London Church, we gathered for the evening worship celebration. I believe there were two thousand of us, singing and worshiping Jesus.It was quite a night! The music was of the modern variety, but suddenly an old hymn was played by acoustic guitars. As we stood to sing, tears welled up; as memories of summer heat, the old funeral fans flapping and loads of cotton print dresses in southern Baptist churches came to mind. The band on stage was playing my grandmothers favourite old song. Then, in my spirit, I heard the words, "Will you come home? Will you accept your heritage?"

"What do you mean, Lord?" I thought to myself, "Do you want me to come home? To America?"

I didn't get an answer at that very moment, but I wondered if Father God was calling me back to the states. In these recent posts I wrote about the fact that for several generations, someone-namely my grandfather- has been "on their way" to Florida. I finally got here, and my husband and I now spend a growing number of months in our new-Florida- home town of Venice, on the Gulf of Mexico. We love it here! Yet; the more I spend my quiet time on the beach, the more I realize that while there is, indeed, a geographical re-positioning for this stage of life (I REFUSE to call this retirement!); there is also a re-positioning to be had in the spiritual realm.
The starting block of Senior Gap Year is looking at just how firm my foundation is; for flourishing in this next stage of life, in spirit, soul and body. The plot grows as I find My Tribe for the Sage Stage!

Senior Gap Year Position

Several months ago I spoke at the delightful (will upload photos at some point and you will see what I mean by delightful) Gulf Coast Assemblies of God Church in North Port Florida. It was a woman's event, led by the also delightful LaDonna Jones. This inspiring woman of God graciously shares what inspires her; and she inspired me by asking me to speak on:

 Hebrews 10: 24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as it is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (NKJV).


When I write, and prepare to speak, I lift my laptop up before God and pray that every word that I write or speak would be acceptable to Him, Father God, in Jesus' Name. I did this as per usual when preparing for this Women's Event, asking God about the verse above, and what He wanted me to say about it. I believe in my spirit He took me to the book of Numbers. I suddenly knew that this Hebraic "assembling ourselves together," had the purpose, as in Numbers," of "getting into position."

In these crazy times (you decide whether or not you think they are "interesting times") we need to be where we need to be. We need to be about whatever the Lord made us to do, and get with our tribe!


When God brought the Hebrews out of Egypt (bondage as a way of life), He first had each tribe gather in orderly fashion around the tabernacle, the Holy Place of worship; before giving them their orders for marching into the promised land. Whatever stage of life we are in we need to be where Father God needs us to be; with our tribe, gathering to worship.We need to know our tribe and be with our tribe, preparing to enter our promised by Father God land. As I am on this Senior Gap Year, accompanying my husband in his own amazing journey; we are both getting in position for this next God-given stage of life. To God be the glory.

Senior Gap Year: A New Song on the Beach

So, the other night on the beach I watched yet another sunset. Each one is different, and I like to call these moments, "God's Sunset show." Beats all I've ever seen on American Television.

"Good Job," I said to Father God, "once again, you've out done yourself."

Then I walked away, down the beach a little as I was avoiding some friends; a couple who were having a romantic moment. I knew it was their 30th anniversary. (So D, if you are reading this...remember it's just part of being part of a small town on the Gulf of Mexico...everyone knows your business, and sometimes you get left alone. Welcome to Florida!)

My husband had a meeting at church, and I cannot think of a better way to have my quiet time; here on the beach. Years ago, I attended a Women's Retreat at, of all places, the US Embassy Residence in London. This was not the embassy, but the place where our Ambassadors resided. I wrote about this in my second book, "Beyond Broken Families," so for now I will simply say that this is that beach!

I knew the curve of the beach, the soft waves and Palms edging the land, looking out to a blue horizon the first time I ever set eyes on this small town. The beach is at the end, the culmination of Main Street. You go past the High Street (British English vocab) array of small shops and streetside restaurants; down, way down past the spanish moss hanging canapy to the stop sign before the beach parking.

On Friday nights one of the Assembly of God churches sets up their band by a Life Guard Station (blue one, not the turquoise) and belts out good ole' gospel songs. Feet tapping the quiet sand and clapping hands and singing away, are about a hundred or more (depending on snow bird season) people who remember some of this music and can't quite believe that the younger generation is missing out on what they had growing up. I took my mom here, before she died. She had that "I'm already in heaven," look; as she knew every word.

I don't know every word, but I remember her and my grandmother humming a tune or two. My husband and I love these songs; but I especially love the knew Holy Spirit filled music of a newer generation. From every generation we learn what God had to say to us; one is history and a strong generational foundation, and one is to lead us on today. My one hope: that I sing songs about Jesus and not drone on about me. Even as I write this blog, and it is all about me finding my way in this new stage of life; please God, may the music always, always, always, be about Him.

Mind the Gap

Senior Gap year: Florida on My Mind

Though I will not repeat all I said in my previous blog, I decided to copy a portion of the old blog for the sake of continuity. The aim is to keep the writing of this adventure in one place, even if I am all over the place geographically speaking . I started off this Gap year, as mentioned yesterday, in Washington, DC. at the Families in Global Transition conference. I will write more on this wonderful "tribe" later; but for now, Washington, DC was my place of birth, so that is where I decided to start filling in the gaps. After the conference, I flew down to Florida to join my English husband at our American home.

From the last entries of "Parents on the Move!":

Someone in my family, namely my maternal grandfather, has always been on their way to Florida. I knew Granddad had once or twice made his way from North Carolina down through South Carolina and into Georgia and then on down the east coast to Fort Lauderdale. On our Carolina fishing trips he would tell me the tales of great Florida fishing. My grandmother; however, would make noises in the kitchen while cleaning any fish we caught and say, "you just can't get good catfish in Florida. And they have malaria infested mosquitoes there," which meant she was most definitely not going to visit towns with exotic names of Palm Beach or Boca Raton, much less live there.

I spent many a high school class drawing palm trees and waves, and humming a little tune of "Little Surfer Girl"between classes. Beach Boys vied for space between the Beatles in my songs of deliverance from homework. "Some day," I said to myself, "someday the beach will be my life."

My dad was one of those adventurers that believed "like charity, adventure begins at home;" and so one day he announced that the whole family would be travelling from Washington,DC (place of my birth and childhood) to California for our vacation.We were going to see the USA!Was I dying and going to heaven! I was sixteen and could help with the driving across the prairie, the forests, the dessert land of the Mojave; but most importantly to me, I could surf. "Malibu here I come!" I announced on the last day of my sophomore year of high school.

And what a summer it was. Too many fun times to tell here; but one disappointment on this trip changed the direction of my life. On my very first morning in California, I woke up in my aunt and uncle's US Navy off base apartment, raring to get to the beach and check the surf...........only to find the fog.

"It will clear, " my aunt said.
"When? " I asked, clearly devastated. It was eight am and I wanted to see where I could rent one of the big boards.
"The sun usually clears the smog around eleven."
"Every morning?"
"Just about every morning."

That was it for California for me. I was and still am a morning person. I wanted waves crashing in sunlight at sunrise; and while I had a blast on this family adventure of sleeping in caves and speeding through LasVegas, my next stop in this Senior Gap Year is celebrating that finally someone in the family- me- got to Florida!