Coming Home

Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect (Rom. 12:2).

This weekend, my church has its annual fall Fiesta. It’s a 3-day affair that always includes carnival rides, games and lots of food. I’ve always enjoyed watching people getting together and having fun. Working the various booths gives me an opportunity to chat with folks that I don’t often get to talk to on Sundays. My 19-year-old son and his elementary school buddies use the event as a way of reuniting, something that has become harder to do as they’ve gone off to various colleges. Many former parishioners attend just to see old friends. Our pastor always stresses that the main purpose of the Fiesta is not financial; rather, the primary goal is fellowship.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Basics these days with regard to my spiritual life. Life gets so busy at times and before I know it, time gets away from me, and I have more tasks to cram into the same amount of time. It makes discernment all but impossible when there are so many voices vying for my attention. The day after the election, I found myself in an emotional and spiritual "funk," for lack of a better term. I felt something was out of kilter, but I couldn't shake it.

I decided to spend my lunch period that day in the quiet of a church near the office. During that hour, I felt myself being called back to the basics - prayer, fasting, worship, fellowship – a a much deeper level than I’d experienced before. 2nd Chronicles 7:14 tells us that if we humble ourselves and pray, and seek God’s presence and turn back to Him, He will hear us from heaven and pardon our sins and revive our land. The early Church took up this same theme. The Book of Acts tells us that the apostles devoted themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4), while others were summoned to serve the practical needs of the community.

Sometimes I need to be reminded that those Basics, and especially prayer, need to be the underpinning of everything I do. It's so important to not let worship and fellowship become mere social events. All must be rooted completely in Him. Every day when we go to that special place that we’ve set aside for ourselves, it is a homecoming with the Lord until we arrive at the ultimate and eternal homecoming in heaven. He is waiting for us whenever we want to be with Him, to recalibrate us and set us on the right path. Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, know my concerns. See if my way is crooked, then lead me in the ancient paths (Ps. 139:23-24).