In the sanctuary...

Back home we go to church every Sunday. The first Sunday after we arrived in Nicaragua (with 4 days of Spanish classes under our belts) we went to a church in San Juan del Sur. We arrived at 8:50 and didn't leave till 12 (it's a "Nica time" thing). We didn't know enough Spanish to understand the service and it was challenging. If the message had been about "how old are you" and "where is the bathroom" and "how are you are doing", we might have been able to follow it. Not the case. So it was a less-than great experience for us and the kids. A few weeks later we tried another church in SJdS, but it was still hard to follow and even longer than the first.

After leaving SJDS we spent two weeks in Jinotega with a missionary family. They have church at their house on Sunday mornings in English (praise God!) and on Sunday evenings a Spanish-language bible Study and worship time. The bible study was basic and we were able to follow along in the book and therefore follow the discussion. The Spanish worship song lyrics were projected on the wall so we were able to sing along. We really appreciated the ability to worship in English and the Spanish practice. But after 2 weeks we were moving on to Matagalpa....

We love God and we love to worship Him. We want our kids to know that love as well. Sitting through church in Spanish for 2-3 hours wasn't really meeting our goals. We came to Nicaragua to be on an adventure with God and wanted to give Him our time on Sunday mornings. Skipping church for our entire trip was out of the question. He must have a way...

Enter Lifechurch.tv, an online church. It is unconventional. Our situation is nothing if not unconventional. Joe had heard of it at a church conference a couple years ago and thought it was worth trying. I was quietly skeptical. But one Snday in December we all showed up for "church" in the boys bedroom, where we could comfortably sit on the beds-turned-couches and watch the service.

The music was good. I was encouraged. Then the message started. It was concise, to the point, strong and just what we needed to hear. The kids all sat and watched, fully engaged in the message. They had things to talk about afterwards. Joe and I found much to talk about after the service, too. OK, so we watched on a good week, lets see how next week goes.

The next week was even better. The sermon built on the previous week and we were all fully engaged. The kids were hearing life application of biblical truths in a way that was meaningful to them. They didn't need a special message "just for kids" to understand God's desire for their lives. It's so cool! I never thought that finding an online church would be one of the benefits of living in Nicaragua.

We have been "attending" Lifechurch.tv ever since that first week. We enjoy the message every Sunday. We have also been involved in Nicaraguan church services and activities with our Nicaraguan friends here. Our kids know that, while we are in Nicaragua, Lifechurch.tv is our home church. That makes them more open to attending Spanish services here, knowing we aren't trying to replace our church experience.

Today was the first Sunday in 2 weeks that we have been back to online church (due to Nica church invitations the last couple weeks) and it was great to be back. I think we might go back and watch the missed services. It amazes me every time we "do church" at how applicable the message is, not only to my life, but to the lives of my kids. That might not seem like a big deal but before I started the read the Bible in a year program I signed up for several daily devotional emails. Especially over Christmas, I was very frustrated about how they didn't seem to apply to my life. They were written from a US perspective and they assumed that I was busy with holiday parties, and kids that wanted too many material possessions, and family drama and overspending. I started deleting them because they weren't doing anything for me, except possibly making me prideful that I wasn't dealing with those "issues". So the fact that our entire family can watch a sermon together and all get out of it what we need every single Sunday is absolutely a God thing. I know that we are just one unconventional family watching the service each week. There are people who are sick and can't leave the house, those who are in other countries who gather together to worship, one couple was mentioned this week where the husband is serving in the military in South Korea an his wife is at home in the US and they are both watching online each Sunday and talking about what they learned. It's just so cool to have this resource. I am not sure what we are going to do when we go home because I don't think I want to give it up, but on the other hand, I can't imagine not being part of the local church, which I know we are all called to be. But God has a plan and I don't need to know what it is yet. I can be content, like Paul, in all things.

If you have any reason not to attend a regular church, I HIGHLY recommend www.lifechurch.tv. If your kids are sick and you can't make it, if your car breaks down and you can't make it, if you want to go to church but your spouse doesn't, if you want to know more about God but have been put off by "His people", maybe you have bad memories of church as a kid and don't want to go but you know that there is more to life than what you are living, I invite you to check out the message online. Even if none of this is you, don't you know someone who is hurting but won't go to church? Wouldn't it be a great resource to know about?