A topography of faith

Quietly, in the back of my mind, I have been mapping out little pieces of my faith. It feels like a small country. (Or, more amazingly, like a kingdom, since a King has chosen to dwell here. Humbling.) There is much to be said for the wildernesses and green pastures, the borderlands and shorelines, but lately I've been thinking about the gathering places.


There are three main places where I worship: Meeting, Trinity Presbyterian and Mars Hill. These places are cities in my soul. If you walk their streets and know their people, you will have glimpsed my faith. Somewhere between the ancient hymns, gritty worship, urban heart, head coverings, the old stones, cinderblocks and industrial warehouses, you will find communities who have taught me that the church is a people, chosen by God and precious, diverse and beautiful, built on Christ. While visiting, you might pass, resting at the crossroads, a very dusty, well-traveled soul, whose home is not here.

Greet her. Like you, she is a stranger in a strange land.

"They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland....They desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:13-16

"Our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecing a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 3:20