Rick and I took a much needed mini-vacation to Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park. I've always wanted to go there and since it was much, much cheaper than NYC, we headed up downeast. We stayed at a bed & breakfast in our own little cottage. It was perfect. We enjoyed tea and dessert every afternoon. And each morning, we down to the dining area where we enjoyed a warm, delicious breakfast. The best part was this magic silver tray that we put our dirty dishes on because they just magically disappeared. (Note to self: I need one of those.)Acadia National Park was just beautiful. Despite the fog and chilly weather, God's beauty shone through everything. We drove through the first national park east of the Mississippi and made several stops along the way. We made it to the top of Cadillac Mountain that overlooked the island. My favorite part was the carriage tour of Day Mountain, where we learned how the carriage roads were made and lots of local folklore. We also had lunch at the Jordan Pond House and had their famous popovers, which were yummy. We did a little walking/hiking around the pond, but the black flies cut short our trip. Both of us enjoyed learning about the history of the park, including how all the land was donated and Rockfeller designed the park.
Rick went golfing at Kebo Valley Golf Course, the eighth oldest golf course in the country. I went shopping. We also walked across the biggest sand bar we've ever seen and went hiking that ended with a view of Bar Harbor's harbor.
Nature has always been one of the ways the Lord speaks to Rick. God, however, can speak to us in many unexpected ways.
We decided to go to church on Sunday before leaving Bar Harbor. The church ended up being a two room building with only 15 people there- we are two of them. Although the people were extremly friendly and welcoming, I immediately felt superior. I mean, my husband is a pastor of nearly 400 person church. We have a live worship band. We have more than two rooms in our building. And on and on.
And then as the music started, the Lord spoke to my heart and this is what I wrote down:
As I set here in a one room church in Bar Harbor, God has rebuked me. I walked in here feeling self-righteous and superior. The worship was a Powerpoint presentation. I even wondered why Rick didn't introduce himself as a pastor- he deserved the respect. As the songs played, they were deep! They got right to the point of worship. It isn't about us, our buildings, our style. It is aobut God. These people are here b/c they want to worship God! They memorize scripture every week. They lift each other up in prayer. They are involved in each other's lives. As we talked to the co-pastors, a husband and wife team, she said they have been here for 16 years. They have committed for the long haul (her exact words). They both work outside jobs b/c the church can't support them. It kinda reminds me of the apostle Paul. These people, my readers, are the heros we need to celebrate. These are the folks who are in the trenches. These are the ones who labor day in & day out without any glory or fanfare. They share both praises and struggles- someone has recieved relief from stress, someone's mother just received a cancer diagnosis. People are people no matter where they live or what they look like.
