What was your first time at Journey like?
Our first and second visits were almost a year apart. I’d always worked at churches, and was so unsure about how to find a church to attend! We visited dozens of churches in the area; but on our second visit, we knew we were home. I started volunteering in the junior high ministry that week.
What is one decision that you know that God influenced?
In one sense, I would say “none of them.” By that I mean: I love that God isn’t coercive with me (or you), and doesn’t force his will on us. God invites and leads me all the time, though. One of the places I see that most clearly is in how God has consistently redeemed painful experiences in my life and made them situations I view as gifts, forming me.
When was a time you took a risk with your faith?
One of the ways I’ve been taking risks in my faith for the past few years is to try to pay attention to when I sense God prompting me to say something to someone (usually a specific word of encouragement). This sort of thing wasn’t part of my church experience for the first 45 years of my life. When I take those little risks, I feel exposed and vulnerable (because I could very well be wrong!); but it has taught me to trust God more. Really, I’m finding that faith is very much like a muscle that can be built up through exercise and use.
