Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday September 14TH 2025, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

A couple of weeks ago I observed and celebrated my 2ND anniversary at my 4TH church over the past 18½ years. I entered Highlands Community Church here in Sebring Florida for the very first time on Sunday September 03RD 2023. Within the first 15 minutes I already had two new friends – from Homestead Florida – who knew some of my friends and my Pastor and his wife – in Homestead Florida.

I had recently been watching YouTube videos of services of my new church, so I knew what to expect with the music and the message. The only formality was to meet my new Pastor in person before the service started, and so I did on that first Sunday. It’s been a great two years, and the best is yet to come !

Officially I spent a little over 8 years at my first church in Homestead, and 9 years at my second church in Homestead. I enjoyed great experiences at both churches. They each had advantages and disadvantages. I experienced mountain highs and valley lows at both churches. But I look back fondly at both eras with a lot of lessons learned to move forth with. Perhaps I should’ve left my first church after 6½ years so that I could’ve gotten an 18-month head start at my second church. Perhaps I could’ve had the courage to say “no” a few more times at my first church. Perhaps I could’ve preached a few more sermons out of the Old Testament at my second church. Perhaps I could’ve reached out and ministered to a few more of our brothers and sisters at my second church.

My 3RD church here in Sebring entirely overlapped my 2ND church in Homestead, so I was only there once or twice a month. It only lasted about 5½ months. It started strong on my first Sunday there (Palm Sunday 2023), and it slowly diminished from there. I realized that there wasn’t much for me to do there to actively engage in ministry to improve and enhance the experience. It was a gathering of all ages (mostly a bit younger than me), but it really wasn’t alive. There was very little fellowship, and there were obvious cliques that weren’t particularly accepting of new faces. There wasn’t much leadership either, and each service was particularly unorganized and borderline chaotic. The Pastor (half my age) had no personality.

I needed to find a church where I could thrive now and for the rest of my life. When I select a new church – I select one where I expect to stay and thrive indefinitely – not just for a few months or a few years. Had I not moved away from Homestead – my second church would’ve probably been my forever church. But now I’m in Sebring, and I believe that my fourth church is really my forever church. I’m looking forward to what the future holds at Highlands Community Church.

For where two or three gather together as My followers – I am there among them. (Matthew 18:20 NLT)

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord – and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.