church....

Sitting in the silence of the river flowing, the birds chirping and the leaves rustling with the music of the wind the word "church" came to mind and stopped all other thoughts. this is church, I thought. this moment seemed to hang almost frozen in time. Perhaps the word church isn't about structure, formality, and sitting in the pews-but perhaps it is more about worshipping the Creator with the very essence of who we are whether that is me sitting in silence or the wind whispering in the trees. sometimes I wonder if we put too much stock and structure behind the word "church"--almost like we try to box it in. yet sometimes I wonder if it is not simply a moment of silence with God.

Its like I'm trying to recapture the beauty of that moment on paper. I had cycled down to the river and taken my bible and journal with me. It was a quiet yesterday Sunday afternoon and I was just enjoying the silence. the water flowed, the occasional moterbike passed and then there was me. It was almost like you could sense God there...like he was present. that to me is a true moment of shalom.

I had been to a church service earlier in the day--one that was all in Thai and was beautiiful nonetheless. However, I did struggle with not being able to understand the language. I was able to catch a few words here and there and did some personal reflection on the passage, but it was a bit difficult nonetheless. so yesterday afternoon I chose to cycle down and just enjoy the moment. I'm learning so much about what it means to be alive here, what it means to live in joy and in compassion, what it means to be.

I love it here.