I grew up not knowing the Lord. My father had an aversion to church based on his negative childhood experiences of "thou shall nots" - so we didn't attend church growing up in Southern California. The majority of the churches there were Catholic. I envied my friends as they went to Catechism, had First Communions, and Confirmations because, it seemed, every ceremony was accompanied by a party. I felt left out and I yearned to know God as they did, and of course, receive the presents that they did. As I grew older, my interest in religion and God waned. When I had children though, I decided that I didn't want them to growing up without God, so I enrolled them in a local church daycare. Good enough, right? Well, we still did not attend church on Sundays and it was a dissatisfying life; although I wasn't sure why at the time. My husband and I felt that in order to save our sanity, a major change was needed. In the summer of 2005, we moved to Clarksville, Tenessee to begin a new life.
We agreed that we should shop for a church, but before we even started, our neighbor invited us to attend with their family at a small traditional church in downtown Clarksville. I began to learn the teachings of Jesus and decided that I wanted to be baptized to profess my new-found faith. It did not come to fruition for me there. I became discouraged and started to feel like I was "forcing" myself to get up and go to church. As a result our attendance became sporadic.
One day in June 2008, a valued friend invited my family to attend GCC with her family. I knew at once that I belonged at Grace. That first day is engraved into my memory as the day my heart opened. It was a lovely Spring day and I arrived before my friend's family, so I approachd the guest services desk where the volunteers were warm and welcoming. They assisted us in getting our children situated at Cross Street. Our friends arrived and I experienced a church service like none before. The music was wonderful, and loud enough that I didn't feel self-conscious about my inability to carry a tune. I just sang my heart out! It was the middle of the "Superheroes" series and Chad Rowland preached that day. The sermon was Biblically educational and relevant to my life; and most importantly, it was interesting! I felt as though Chad was talking only to me and for me. I've been attending Grace every week since.
It didn't take long for me to decide that I needed to serve the Lord at Grace. I was blessed to be able to attend a S.H.A.P.E. class, facilitated by Karen Grizzard, that gave me the tools I needed to discover and explore my spiritual gifts. I learned a lot about myself and how I could serve others at work, at home, as well as in my church family. I then volunteered to serve as a hostess to assist newcomers attending Grace on the Lasting Impressions Team. It has been such a blessing for me to be able to become a part of someone's first experience at Grace. I feel even more blessed when I greet those same individuals or families as they come through the doors week after week.
It is a deep conviction of mine that people need to feel purposeful in life. For many years I had longed for something more for my life. I suffered bouts of depression, anger, and frustration. Now I know that my purpose is to serve God by serving others; and thus I have found much peace and fulfillment.
Dana Boyle
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10
Posted on
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
by Dana Boyle