She Found a Church.

I have grown more and more excited to be part of University Presbyterian Church, Fresno (UPC Fresno) since February. Hesitant at first, and realizing that I had nothing to lose in bringing myself to a place where I could be loved. Was it possible to find a place that wanted to love me well? I'm still learning what 'intentional' means at UPC. How to initiate, and allow myself to be pursued... the truth is, I fit. I finally found a place where I feel at home, and yet am able to bring myself in order to enhance the church.

I was grateful to discover that the reading at church today was Galatians 5! It's my favorite piece of Scripture outside of the gospels, and I closed my eyes as it was read. It's just so good! Galatians 5 talks about freedom; the freedom we have in Christ, and why Jesus offers it to us. My favorite verse is Galatians 5:13, "You, my brothers and sisters, are called to be free." That's actually why this blog is titled, "Walking in Freedom"...what does it look like to step into the freedom that is described in Galatians?

I am grateful for our pastor, Pastor Chris.  He is intentional with his verbage, illustrations, and challenges posed during his sermons. He has such a gentle way of speaking and wording things, and yet he asks deep questions that I mull over week after week. His question at a specific point in his sermon was, "Who are you really?" He was speaking about the fruit of the Spirit, and how as we follow Jesus we're changed. Our attempts to follow Jesus, helps us see other people in a different light, to have more perserverance... and in the middle of all of that we begin to change too. We learn more about our 'sweet spot'- where what we enjoy and what we're good at merge. Hence, Pastor Chris' question, "Who are you really?" Not making decisions out of obligation, but out of who we really are. I feel like the mid-twenties are allllll about that.

Other reasons I'm grateful for UPC:
- Vacation Bible School! I get to hang out with 5 kids in my VBS Crew. Basically, guiding them through a week-long day camp, learning about Jesus. Dancing, singing, and playing games... fun!
-Youth Group! I have officially started volunteering with UPC's Youth Group, and it's already been a blast! I'm loving getting to know them and learning more about who they are collectively and individually. The mission trip is coming up!

As I was sharing all this with my friend, Carrie, she said... "And she found a church!" We're excited for what God is doing at UPC in this season, but also what he's doing in me as I risk and invest in this new home.