The Project-Finding God in Indianapolis Worship Spaces

So, I am listening to the Easter sermon today at my home church, St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Pastor Kent Millard discussed the fact that we don't know God or can't find God these days because we are simply not present.  You know the old expression that "you have to be present to win."  Well, he explained that one has to be present--aware--conscious--to find God and know Him.


Today we are masters of multi-tasking.  We are always doing something: texting, emailing, talking on the cell phone, listening to the iPod, etc.  We are so busy always doing, that we don't take time to simply be present and allow God into the mess that our minds become.  I for one am guilty of always doing, and actually resist simply being still and present to listen to God to come into my life.


My dad has often said that he finds God in nature.  He finds Him in a sunset, a Sarasota beach, or a hummingbird in his backyard.  My mother enjoyed nature too, but she found God in churches, and she would consciously take my brothers and me into area churches in Indianapolis to sit and pray and be present with God.  We were Baptists, but the churches that she was drawn to were Catholic, interestingly enough--like St. Mark's on the southside, or Our Lady of Lourdes in Irvington.  The times I remember visiting these churches with Mother, it had not been a planned event.  She simply needed a break from her hectic life as a wife, mother, and school teacher, so that she could be still and be present with God.  I can appreciate nature, and it is wonderful that Daddy finds God in nature, but my idea of camping is making reservations at the Holiday Inn.  No, I am more like my mother; the times that I have felt closest to God have been in church sanctuaries.  As I pass by churches in my area, I have often wanted to stop and visit and find God in the spaces that were specifically designed and built for prayer and worship, but I have always found an excuse not to stop.  However, now I am on a mission: to be present and know God.


My project this summer:  To find God in Indianapolis worship spaces so that I can be present with Him and know Him .  In my part-time job as a real estate professional, I regularly  travel throughout the Indy metro area, and this summer,  I will visit area worship spaces (as God is non-denominational and inter-faith), and explore these places of worship in my desire to be present and know God.  My daughter will photograph and video when possible, and I will blog about my experiences in these worship spaces.  Come along on the journey with me, so that we can draw near to God together.  I look forward to your questions and comments.