grace

i got the chance to hang out with my friends the bakers and their group grace church this weekend in london.

they are a really neat bunch and i enjoyed my visit a lot.

when i walked in i was greeted by people in white zip-up suits, gas masks, and wellies. 

the theme of the month is 'contamination' and i got to get in on part one of the two month series.

grace did a great job of getting people to interact. 

i like that once a month they have an organizing meeting and people volunteer to help with the upcoming service, whatever that looks like in the end.

seems like people there really value the group and want help keep creating 'grace'.

in this gathering we considered different ways that we make ourselves 'clean' or 'acceptable' to God...

different verses were read from the OT to the NT where people were told not to eat certain meats, not to participate in certain behaviors, etc and then jesus came and flipped that on it's head.

at the end of the gathering we all stood in front of a long white sheet and someone read from the NT how only the high priests could enter the holy of holies but that jesus came and split the curtain...

as this was read someone actually came up and pulled apart the two sheets revealing a huge white light blazing on us from behind.

i was stood in the center and was somewhat blinded by the brightness.

i think that moment i got what they wanted me to get...

i felt washed over.

i felt like all my efforts to control and be perfect were unnecessary.

i felt accepted with some new friends.

it was nice...i liked it,

and i hope to visit them again before i head back to the states.

pictured above is a shot of me taken by jonny baker.

i love that he caught that moment for me.