sometimes awkward is good

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17

I grew up in a community with a wonderful church I was proud to call home.  My best friends and I grew as friends as we grew in our faith.  Our friendships were built on a foundation of worshiping, reading the Bible, and serving together.  I loved my church and the people there.  But as with most things, it no longer is what I need what Byron and I need.   After not really settling anywhere for over a year, Byron and I decided it was time.  Although we aren't in a house and our living situation is still up in the air, we agreed to start actively searching for a church.  We ended up at Buckhead Church, and although we still aren't sure if that's where we want to call home, we felt like God wanted us in small groups.

Let me just explain this process to you.

In August they have this event called GroupLink.  I imagine it's just as awkward, if not more so, than Speed Dating and Sorority Rush combined.  All of the un-grouped women met in the sanctuary and were given time to mingle and meet with girls in their same age groups.  From there you form a group.  You meet all these girls you've never seen before and decide to do a group with them.  Not really knowing anything about them.  Hardly even remembering their names.  It was really uncomfortable.  But I went through it.  Twice.  [once for a women's group and once for a couple's group]

I left after finding my women's group completely overwhelmed and apprehensive -- 100% unsure about the process and 80% positive it was not going to work and I was going to drop out.

"I won't have anything in common with these girls," "They all seem so different than me," "I don't think this is going to work,"  I told Byron.  Still I prayed.  I've been praying for a group for a while -- long before GroupLink or we even stepped inside Buckhead Church.  So I continued talking to God, and did my best to trust that He had some reason for placing me in this group of girls.

We all got together for pizza a few weeks later.  I was nervous before dinner, sure it was going to go terribly.  Man was I wrong.  My nerves were immediately calmed and I left Felini's feeling much more confident in our group.  I've only known them for a month and I already love them.  We meet once a week and I couldn't look forward to it more.  I love learning about them and building our friendships.  I honestly couldn't be more thankful.  I'm excited to see what God does through the girls in our group and within the group itself.

After months of praying for this group to come together, I'm sure that God had it mapped out for it to happen just as it did. In the best timing, when I'm able to commit to this group and in need of friends with the same love for Jesus.  I have a good feeling about this!