Church Without Walls

There is something to be said about being surrounded by horses. Sitting in a hayfield and leaning against a fence post while listening to the whispers of the wind that gently sway through the wildflowers and lightly rustle the leaves on the trees in the surrounding forest. Little birds orchestrating a symphony of praise and worship are a welcomed melody. The fluffy white clouds dance around the sun playing a game of peek-a-boo.

How can one not sit there and appreciate the gifts and blessings around them? How can you not feel the presence of God with you in that moment, surrounded by his beauty.  Come near to God and he will come near to you. (John 4:8) Isn't that really what its all about. carving out that time in your day for HIM. To sing your praises and thank him for all the blessings in your life. To worship him, dig into his word and fill yourself with the Holy Spirit. 

The picture I painted above was the exact canvas of my service today. My Church without walls. Now, I know some of you may argue that it's important to go to church. To fellowship. Although I agree I will also argue with this. Fellowship should be done EVERYDAY, not just on a Sunday. If you are a true child of God, you will act like such and spread the good news wherever and to whomever you meet. Doing so with the innocence of a child. Pure of heart and not fearful of others and their opinions.  That could even mean, SIMPLE ACTS OF KINDNESS throughout the day. What's the point in going to church to praise and worship him, just to forget what you had learned only hours later. To curse at the person that took your parking spot, or budded in front of you at the checkout line. We are to live like Jesus every day in every circumstance, not just for a few hours on a Sunday.

I think true service is one where you can devote time out of your day for HIM, for his beauty. With no distractions from others around you. Taking the time to commit to Jesus and seek the scripture he wants you to read and possibly even be convicted over. Time to weep if need be, without having the pressures of others around you. Today, it was just the birds and the horses, a few flies and a spider too.  I even watched a little bird perch on top our horses back. I read, I wept and most importantly I was able to connect with GOD. He even used the wind to flip the pages to those I needed to see.  One of those pages was so incredibly fitting that I knew at that moment I had to stop, bust out my phone and hit record. I had to share what he had shown me while sitting in the field of flowers. Here is the verse, that God flipped my page to.

 All men are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall, 

but the word of the Lord stands forever."

1 Peter 24-25

 

Tell me, the Lord was not there with me. That the above scripture was not only him confirming the view of my church without walls but also painting his own picture of the view he saw from heaven. Little olde ME, sitting in amongst the flowers of the field.

NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL A POWERFUL UNFORGETTABLE SERVICE! 

Maybe he is using me as a vessel (FUN FACT: that's a daily prayer of mine) to plant a seed in you as well. To inspire you to also get out of the traditional 4 walls. Now, I'm not saying to do this all the time, or to stop going to church. Just to give it a go! See what you walk away with. What you actually remember. Perhaps you will even end up having a testimony of your own.  If that's the case I would love for you to share your experience. I'd love to know where you ventured too, your happy place, the place where God's beauty captivates you and the service you shared with the Lord.  Your story might also inspire someone else. Please leave a message in the comments below! 

This is not my first service at the barn. My last one I was literally...

laying in the hay feeder.

Check it out for yourself. During that service I was singing praises and so incredibly grateful for the blessings surrounding me, one of them being our horse and the generosity and friendship of whom we board from. Always be sure you are praying for others and the fruits of their labours before you pray for the desires of your own heart.   Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. (2 Corinthians 9:6) This was my first service at the barn. They say there is something special about horses. That horses have the ability to heal. I can certainly say that when I'm having a hard day, time around our horse and in the word can snap you out of a funk. I was also listening to Joyce Meyers the other day and she made a good point. I can't remember exactly how she worded it but it was something along these lines. You can't have any negative thoughts in your mind, if you are in the word of God, or if your singing his praises. It's so true. You can't! It's just not possible. So remember that the next time you feel like the enemy is attacking you. STOP and SING HIS PRAISES! SING TO GOD. Heck make up a song if you need too. JUST SING! Or recite some scripture. Rebuke the enemy right then and there! He has no hold on you, if you are in the word of GOD! 

SING TO GOD, SING PRAISES TO HIS NAME;

LIFT UP A SONG TO HIM WHO RIDES THROUGH THE DESERTS;

HIS NAME IS THE LORD;

EXULT BEFORE HIM.

PSALM 68:4-6

 I pray that in sharing this experience, it inspires you to have your own service without walls.  That you carve out time to be with the Lord in the beauty that surrounds us. The beauty that he created. Perhaps it's down by the river, or at the Lake. Heck, I've even read my bible beside the chicken coop. God is everywhere in all creation and we should be enjoying it WITH HIM. Meet him in the Garden, after all, that's where we were created.

 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Genesis 1:31