VRC Christmas Style

Psalm 106:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise Him enough?

Food? Ton's of it....
Laughter?  There indeed was much laughter.
Family? We were there.
Saturday night's meeting of Vineyard ReCovery was all of that and more. Of course I am a little biased when I write about VRC. 
It was our Christmas Hoo-ha, and we celebrated the birth of Jesus, and the simple fact that everyone present was sober. God has given us another year of life. One of the simple facts of recovery is that "our tomorrow is founded on what decisions we make today."

We had a number of first timer's there Saturday night. After the service, those who were there for the first time always make their way to me to let me know how much they enjoyed the service. The common thread that runs through their compliment is "I've never been to a church like this." Now you need to keep in mind that what we do isn't a lot different from what takes place in most churches. We just kind of rearrange a few things. The music is more geared toward a road house band. In other words, it's kind of gritty and raw. Take for instance our first song Saturday night...."Joy To The World". Everyone has sung it probably a few hundred times. But when you add a "Bluesy" kind of bass to it...throw in some harmonica.....4 part harmony, and a killer rhythm guitar, not to mention a keyboard that will make you weep....well, you've got a totally different feel to a traditional Christmas carol. The music catches people attention. Once we have their attention, they are more open and receptive to the word and works of Jesus. I mean think about it....We meet on Saturday night....not your typical church time. Saturday was usually that "Special" night when you went out and got tore up from the floor up. Church was the last thing you thought about on Saturday night. But here they were, coming through the door, with a kind of reservation about this whole Saturday night church thing. Thirty minutes into the meeting, the reservations were gone and they were actively participating in worship. 

For me, the highlight of the meeting was when Todd Bagley led the song "Good Shepherd". As we sang it, the presence of God became very thick and evident in the room. There was just this incredible sense that He was there and He was pleased. These are the moments that tear down religious walls and concepts that we have built over the years. During that song, those in the room knew, maybe for the first time, that God was real. Isn't that the reason we gather on Saturday night? To understand who God is in relation to our own need for Him? To see ourselves as He sees us...to become aware of our need to move from the darkness of sin into the light of His grace? I think maybe the answer is yes.

Thanks to all the core leadership for all you did Saturday night.
The food was tremendous....
The fellowship was priceless....
And the night was filled with hope and truth.
Hey! Let's do it again next Saturday.

Oh yeah...before I forget...
Thanks to Deb Hooks for the photo's...
And LeNola Bagley for the video found on the church Facebook page.

Merry Christmas From The "B's" In Attalla.
God on you...