When the microwave overheats and your bedroom is a disaster...

We have entered a new season in our lives.  We have become part of a movement of faith that is somewhat housed at the Irish Bred Pub in the bar upstairs on Sunday morning.  It's a unique group of individuals all collectively wanting to see Jesus and serve others.  We are still figuring out what this all looks like.

Last night, we invited everyone from the Bred Pub and some other friends to join up at our house for a meal.  Casual, basic fellowship.  Very casual.  Very basic.  We said we would serve lasagna and for everyone to just fill it in from there...or just come and eat.  We did not add chairs or tables to our house.  We did minimal clean up.  I threw a lot of stuff into our room, and closed the door. We ended up with around 30 people.

This is something I am growing into.  Something that is very uncomfortable for me.  Something that God is working on in my spirit and my soul.  I want my house to be perfect.  I want it to be spotless.  I want it to look like a Southern Living spread.  It is none of those things.  But what it is...a place God has blessed us with that needs to be shared...a place where people came and sat on the couch or the floor or the porch and laughed and shared.  Exactly what it is supposed to be!  A place of grace!

This is the email I sent out this morning:

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you that came last night. It was a great night! I hope everyone had a great time...I had a ton of fun!

I wanted to say that what Jack was sharing about being casual and the state of your house not mattering has not come easy for me. My self-worth growing up was definitely in appearances. It was driven into us by the way we were raised. God has had to deal with me over and over on this issue and I've still got work to do. What I do know -deep in my knower- is that I'd rather have a growing deepening relationship with you all- than a perfect house where it is spotless. I'd rather you see and know my mess-the real me than have some fake friendship that has no potential.

So thank you for being friends who don't care that the food was microwaved (at least until it overheated), for being friends who simply love Jesus and love each other in this process.

Excited to bring some more folks into this!!

Amy

Ps the microwave came back on after everyone went home!

I pray we have many, many more times of fellowship in the place of grace!  Come join us!