Day 2 ... May 11 (Sunday ) A Home away from Home

Note: Scroll down for the details of the trip in chronological order.

Not that we travel that much, but being away from the church home we’re used to can present a problem: Where to worship? Will it be spiritually uplifting? Will we feel we have been in the presence of God? Being with Elizabeth and Joan meant going to the church they attend: Ballymena Baptist Church. Not much like ours in many ways:

1) The church is a year or so away from her 130^th anniversary; they got a 100-year jump on us.

2) By our estimates, 300+ in attendance at the morning service; we’ll give them the 300 and figure our attendance represents the +.

3) A well-rounded orchestra, with 3 guitars, a flute, a violin, a piano, a keyboard, and drums; we’re closer on this score---a piano, one guitar, a very occasional flute and a once-in-a-while harmonica.

4) They’re within a month of moving into their new church building and currently meet in school facilities; we built our new building 4 years ago.

But when they sang, we sensed the Lord in their worship; when the pastor preached, it was the pure Word from start to finish, morning and evening services. We were at home. We’ll be in Dublin next Sunday, but two weeks from now, we’ll again be at that church; we will be home again.

Between services, we had lunch outdoors in the backyard overlooking the river flowing at our feet. Ducks paddled by, as the water passed peacefully under the spreading branches of trees downstream. The one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, says the Psalmist, “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Ps. 1:3)