Happy Anniversary Lighthouse!

It was an amazing worship service at church today. It was amazing grace.

Today, we celebrated Lighthouse Christian Church's 6th year anniversary and I was not only privilege enough to be ushering this week but I also got to share with the congregation.

About a little over one week ago, I received an email detailing the special events which was to take place at the anniversary service and asking for volunteers to consider being a part of it. I was surprised as to how I got on the distribution list as it appeared to be a very random group of people from church. As part of the celebration, the leaders of the church wanted to have a group of people very simply share how God has changed their lives. The vision was to have each person hold up a sign, where on one side will be a word/phrase that describes their life before Christ, and on the other side will be a word/phrase that describes their life after Christ. This will all be done while the song "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" is being sung.

It was such a honor to be asked to share. I really wanted to do it. But I was a little hesitant because I didn't know what words I would share to describe my life before and after Christ. This is pretty much the basic framework for sharing your testimony but this is also my shortcoming. It's hard for me to remember or even pin-point what my life was like before and after Christ. I grew up in a Christian family. The line between "was blind but now I see" is very blurry. In fact, there isn't really any line. It's one big smudge. I actually have a really hard time sharing my faith story with others. I don't know what to say. God has been a visible presence in my life from the moment I was born. While I do often get lost or stumble in my faith, God has always been faithful to draw me back to Him and gracious to forgive me. It's been a very consistent walk with God in the sense that I slip but God picks me up, I slip again and He's right there with His hands reaching down. It's been like that since I was a kid.

So I did an overall survey of my life with Christ. What my life with Christ was like when I was 6 years old and what my life with Christ is like now. I actually prayed hard about it. The night before I had to respond back to the email, I had an epiphany! Two words pulsated through my head and I knew that that was what God wanted me to share and I knew those words were the basis of my life before and after Christ.

I felt a little nervous today as I walked up there to share my two words with everyone. While there were many others who went up to share, I was the one to lead the line-up onto the stage. I went first! Yikes! As I held up my sign, I was overwhelmed with the significance of what we were doing. I was touched by the others who have been changed by Christ as well. It was two simple words but it held and still holds so much value and truth. I'm so thankful for Christ whose power of love and grace has transformed so many lives, has transformed my life. While I might not think there was an exact moment of transformation, I know that I am being transformed each and every day as God continues to mold and shape me for His glory. It is my hope that I will continue to live a life that changes from being "self-centered" to "Christ-centered". I pray that for all of you as well.

There is so much more that I got out of the service today. Coincidently, the message relates to my theme for this year! But more on this in my next post.