Did I say a couple of weeks ago that we have settled in on a church? Well, we thought we had found the best that we could find for where we live. But we cast our net a bit further and came across a church called Florida Bible Church. We attended for the second time this morning and when we 'debriefed' in the car, going over the pro's and con's, we both decided that this is where we feel the most comfortable. It is a 30 minute trip from home, taking us to Miramar/Pembroke Pines. The trip would probably be 45 minutes or more during the week with normal traffic, so it must be a pretty great church, right? Well, it reminds us of Scottsdale Bible in the 70's and 80's before it became a mega church with sports and rock stars in attendance. Different from SBC is the multi ethnicity of the people. It really reflects the community with a split of Black's, Latino's and Caucasans. The pastor is a Dallas grad, (points in Steve's book!) and really preaches the Word with integrity and enthusiasm. The worship is "familiar" and worshipful, and the emphasis on Missions does not hurt! There is a trip to Haiti planned in August and today they introduced the entire Missions Committee from the pulpit. There is a good sized school on the campus, K - 12, emphasizing Christian Education; and last Sunday there was a children's choir that sounded better than most professional choirs! It didn't hurt that 3/4 of the kids were black and the soloist was a beautiful 12 year old that sang like she could be Aretha's granddaughter! The people are friendly and have some beautiful freedom in their worship. I am getting used to the audience interaction that is customary to a black church, but my how it keeps my attention!
We also like the area surrounding the church as it has wide streets, residential areas that are built around lakes, and there are stores that I have not found in one place anywhere! Today we ate at RA and I had to call Christa and tell her since that was one of her and my favorite restaurants in Scottsdale. We would go there during our lunch hour when she was in high school and I was working at the school. We also kept going there when she was in college and I was still working at Saguaro. she would pick me up and we would race there before the lunch crowd, ordering our Bento Boxes, eating, and rushing back to school before the lunch hour was over. . . oh, the memories!
Back to Miami Beach . . . .
Upon our return, I went to the grocery store while Steve took the dogs out for their "constitutional". I saw more than the usual amount of rescue vehicles heading toward the beach on my way home, and when I arrived in our condo, I saw a crowd gathered at the beach and numerous boats and a helicopter circling the water. So I knew that someone was being rescued . . . Steve and I decided to walk the 5 - 10 minutes to the area. By the time we arrived they had taken someone out of the water . . . dead. A reminder that none of us know the last day we have here on earth and every day is precious.
Sean and Cate suffered a great loss this week as their close friends CJ and Renee experienced a 'still born' birth. Another reminder that life is precious and God holds us in the palm of His hand . . .
Life and death . . . . Only He is sovereign.
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