Noise is life

This has been a very busy week at HRCC. Not only are we preparing the services for the coming weekend at 3 campuses, but here at the Salisbury Campus, we are preparing for the 4 year anniversary of High Rock Community Church. There have been phone calls to companies to line up the inflatable games for children (and some adults), tents and staging for the music, tables and chairs; phone calls to individuals in the church family to set up volunteer times for serving during the event; e-mails and faxes to confirm even the smallest details. And with everything that was going on, and everything that was discussed in staff meetings; something was missing. I couldn't get it out of my mind. Something was missing. I thought about it for a few days, and still couldn't figure it out.

This is the fourth year since this church was launched, and we have had a celebration each year. The church family comes together and we just have fun. We invite friends to come and have fun with us. We eat, play, laugh, sing, sweat, and serve at about 100 mph, and we don't even think about how worn out we get until a few days later......when we can just sit and relax in the quiet.

Quiet?........THAT'S IT! You can't appreciate quiet until you have experienced the noise. The whole time that we celebrate, there is a noise. It gradually gets louder as more and more of us show up for the celebration. And this is not an irritating noise. This noise is life. This noise is love. The love that we as believers share with an Almighty God; the love that we share with each other; the love that explodes when we come together to celebrate what God has been doing so far at High Rock Community Church.

Noise was the "something" that was missing this week. That's what I was missing....the noise.....life. And it showed up Thursday. There was noise happening Thursday at the church. Phones were ringing; volunteers were working and laughing; children were playing and having a great time; people were dropping by the church with supplies and questions about where they could help out this weekend; errands were being run at the last minute; excitement was building; "What have we forgotten?" questions were being asked. Noise......Life.....Love. Now it was beginning to feel like an HRCC anniversary event. Now we have noise. Now we have life. Now we have love.
There will be people that will be very tired after this weekend, and they will long for that recliner under the ceiling fan, and some quiet. Me?.........I'll take the noise......any day.