Stefanick

Awakened and Revisited

Last night we had the honor of leading worship at Awaken My House in Cookeville, TN.  We met in the little 2 story church building on the corner of 4th and Peachtree.  It used to be called New Covenant and it was the church Matt and I attended in college.  It was like coming full circle.  We were asked by Rachel Jared to lead this month’s gathering.  God has given this young lady a vision for a multi-cultural, multi-generational, multi-denominational time of worship, and though she has not yet graduated high school, she is following through with the vision.  It’s pretty inspiring if you ask me.  Anyway, the funny thing is that Rachel remembers us doing music at New Covenant back when she was just 5 or 6 years old.  I about choked when she said she was 5 or 6.  It just reminds me of how long it has been since we lived in our college town.  But I tell you, it was beautiful!  There is nothing like being in a room full of people who really want to BE WITH God!  Having the children gathered in the front all bundles of joy while we sang “Happy Day” and “Shabach”, and then the group of young women who danced just made my heart swell.  It brought back all the wonderful memories of when I first learned to worship in that very room.  And now, here I am, 10 years later, married with three kids of my own who were dancing and worshiping with us.  It was beautiful.  Afterwards I “met” several of the kids I used to teach in Friday School (homeschool arts program).  I was amazed that I totally recognized their faces though they have matured so much.  I taught music and drama for several semesters there, and some of them are now teachers at Friday School.  So many people have learned about God and how to listen to him in the little white building on the corner of 4th and Peachtree (now called Peachtree Learning Center).   Shoni Smith (director of Friday school) spoke at the beginning of the evening about heritage and how it is what we come from that shapes who we are…and it is true…so true.