Gathering the Lost

While the garden services lady was here (apologizing), she mentioned how nice and tanned I look. I told her it's all thanks to church, and then got to explain how I spend my "church" time out on my lawn, filling my eyes with nature and my heart with refreshment.

She has left the same group I did a few years ago, she also feels that angst and frustration if asked to return, and is still feeling guilty about not being there (I'm past that, thankfully!). She's not the only one. A lot of people have just quietly drifted away, and are not sure what to do next.

The church group has recently been on at me to get back there, to start leading out in various things again, or to meet up with them here and there. I just can't - not now. There are too many memories that press down on me with that group, making it physically hard to even enter the building or sit down with my old cell group.

And it's the same story with the garden lady (we call her "Tannie Blommetjie", or aunty flower, roughly translated). It's the same story with many, many others.

I mentioned to her my thoughts of starting a home "church" group that meets weekly around a meal, just to pray and be together. She says if it happens she'll be there with bells on! And so will others, I suspect.

I'd love to dive in and gather these lost and wandering folk into a collective group of lost and wandering seeking folk, but the time is not right yet. I have a very empty spiritual tank (seems to have a leak somewhere) that's taking a very long time to fill up to a level where I can share with others. It may take a while still.

But conversation, talking about where we're at and what our souls crave, is a beginning point - one to work from. We're talking. We'll see if we get walking one of these days.