St. Philip's Church

Spiritual Minute - February 4, 2008

Fran Hewes

My “Highway to Heaven”

 My journey began in North Adams, Massachusetts with a very deeply religious Italian Catholic Mother.  So I’ll call my first “car” a catholic compact – it did the job as a first car often does – I learned about God and began the journey of knowing, loving, and living Christ.  But like most of us, my first “car” just didn’t excite me.  So when I was a senior in high school, I left it by the wayside and embarked on my own personal road trip – I guess you could say basically on foot – I thought I was a good person, yet a part of me missed the ride – so in my early twenty’s I decided to try a new model (so to speak).  That’s when I first became an Episcopalian – my first.  I’ll call it a sports car, because in those days to become protestant (even though we’re similar to the catholic church in a lot of ways) that was a big leap – I became fairly involved with my church in Greenfield – yet my whole heart wasn’t in it – I often took detours of my own choosing when the off roads looked more inviting or exciting – yet the yearning was still deep in my heart.  Someone once said “God made us with a God-shaped vacuum in our hearts that only God can fill – like a child’s busy ball with the holes that only the correct shapes can fill.  Then a friend showed me the model she drove.  I’ll call this my Ford F150 crew cab – snazzy, yet sturdy – and I drove that truck for a good, long time.  Oh, I still took it off-road now and then – but I didn’t like getting it all dirty – so I’d come back, get cleaned off by the blood of Christ – and get back on the highway.  Driving this time God supercharged me – or detailed me or…I grew a lot in my faith through Bible Study, youth group work, Sunday School (both youth and adult) and fellowship – spending time with other committed Christians.  Kind of like mustang clubs or RV people get together and share their love o their vehicles.  By the way – this ‘truck’ was a non-denominational Evangelical Church.  The dictionary defines Evangelical as “Concerning the four gospels or the New Testament.”  Churches that emphasize Christ’s atonement and salvation by faith.  I’m not sure why so many shy away from the term – as Christians – it’s part of who we are.  I was happy and growing in my faith – yet my truck seemed sort of empty without a life partner or soul mate.  So I prayed – and prayed.  I had dated, but hadn’t found “the one.”  Then I met David – need I say more??  But he wasn’t comfortable in my “truck”/church.  We share the same faith in our Savior – but he just wasn’t comfortable in my truck – well…I had prayed so long for this wonderful husband that I was willing to follow him to the vehicle of his choosing.  That’s when I/we came back to the Episcopal Church – my SUV so to speak.  We both love the ride – the worshipfulness of the church – God, Salvation, the love of Christ, and the workings of the Holy Spirit  are preached – yet we also have the responsibility to fill our own tanks – we can use cheap gas – just going to church occasionally – receiving communion once in a while – or we can refuel with high-test – going to church regularly – receiving communion often, reading ht Bible and other devotional books, getting involved with the workings of the church, fellowshipping at coffee hours, the Phillies luncheons, All 4 Kids Sales and the many other opportunities the church offers.  How excited are you about your ride??  Mine’s great! – Wanna come for a test drive?  You’ll be hooked too!

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Last Updated: July 20, 2008
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