On Sunday, I would run into a friend that I knew that I wasn’t close to anymore but I couldn’t have imagined how much I missed them. This was no ordinary friend. This was truly my best friend. My friend and I had stayed up all night talking with on many occasions through the years. You see, my friend and I were closer than I had every imagined. When I would ask a favor or when I was in desperate need of something, my friend would always be there. He would always know just the right thing to say or show me. There have been times that I couldn’t talk to anyone. There had been experiences in my life that I could not share even with my family but I always called on him and he would always answer. You have to understand what I mean by a best friend. He was truly my best friend. I would call him up right after an exciting time or special event and tell him all about it. And on the other hand, I would call him up on the darkest hour of my life when I felt completely ashamed and he didn’t judge me. He never told me what others would typically say like “It’ll be okay” or “What’s in the past is in the past.” He was my best friend. He told me, “we will make it through this…” and for that he will always remain my best friend.

Then during Crissy and I’s first year of marriage, my friend and I remained close. As Crissy and I began to plan for our family we would grow closer to my friend with his experiences and advice. I would talk to him several times a day as Crissy and I struggled through the heartaches of trying to have a baby. We tried month to month for almost a year to plan a pregnancy only to be more upset the next month when we found out that we were not pregnant. We even met with our Pastor at the time, while he prayed for us and he said, “I truly believe that you guys will be pregnant before you expect it.” The following month Crissy was about 3 weeks late and we thought that our miracle had finally happened, only to be shattered once again. Our hearts were completely broken. I was lost. I called my friend. I called the one that had always been there for me when I needed him the most.

I want you to understand that this wasn’t just “a normal let’s go out and eat every now and then” friend. I guess over the years, I had just let “life” distance us. After we received the news that we were expecting a little boy we began to grow apart. We shared that excited time together and completely rejoiced for our miracle but then we began to drift away. I basically knew what he was doing. I knew what was going on and heard about him. I heard how things were going for him and somethings that he was involved in. I guess you could say that I kept up with him as much as I do with my friends on Facebook or follow on Twitter but we were no longer “best” friends or that’s what I thought.

Crissy and I had basically been out of church for almost a year after the birth of our little boy, Keagan Eyre Hensley. We had attempted to visit a few churches to find the right church for our new family but during the frustration of “church shopping” had felt that it was easier to sleep in on Sunday and just term it as “family day”. About five weeks ago, we began attending OneLife Church which has service on Sunday Mornings at Powell High School in Knoxville, TN. With being out of church for almost a year and with a few previous bad experiences with “church”, our expectations were at the bottom. We just felt the need to go but didn’t really expect a whole lot. Honestly, I was a complete and total skeptic. I have taken ministry classes. I have been in “church” since I could ever remember. I have even performed a wedding for some good friends of ours as a “licensed minister” but still skeptical.

This would be our fifth visit. The skepticism has basically left completely. We have began to build some relationships through OneLife and starting to like a lot about church. We were actually thinking about what we could do to help. What? Volunteer? We’ll get to that later. I wasn’t that skeptic free yet or was I? I knew going in that day the series was called “Do You Hear?” With the awesome graphics and contemporary music… I had no idea that the question was completely posed to me. During the last praise and worship song my friend grabbed me. As I began to sing the words, “take my life and let it be, all for you and all for your glory.” As I sang those words, my friend completely wrapped his arms around me. I was shocked somewhat and even opened my eyes to see what was going on, only to close my eyes and completely embrace my long lost friend. My friend said to me, “It’s been a while, I have missed you so much…” What I haven’t intentionally told you to this point is my friends name. My best friend and that relationship that I had let slip away due to “life” and a complete lack of effort on my part was with Jesus Christ.

You see, I didn’t want to sit here and blog about something that wasn’t tangible. Many of times I have sat reading or listening to someone give a testimony that is so super spiritual that I couldn’t even understand what they were talking about and I was completely lost. This day was a spiritual experience not a physical one but it was an experience that I will never forget or overlook. For the first time that I can remember I felt like I was dancing with God as I sang. I understand that some people that read this blog, I may have lost you in this past paragraph. I completely understand because I have been there. As a matter of fact, I was there last week. I can only say to you to keep pushing. Surround yourself with people that care about you and that will only encourage your relationship with Christ. Surround yourself with the people that will push you closer to Christ instead of further away.

As I close, I want to leave you with one last thing. I hated church. I hated what church was and became disgusted with many of the people in church for over a year. If you are there and you are sick of church, again, I understand but when you think you are ready to do something different and decide that you are the only one standing in the way of your relationship with Christ, please visit OneLife Church. I can truly say that I have had a life changing experience in my short five weeks as a visitor. I truly am excited about what God is doing inside the walls of Powell High School on Sunday mornings. If you don’t want to go alone, all you have to do is email me at brad@carsetc.com and I will be your contact because honestly, its extremely weird to go somewhere where you don’t know anyone. Again, we tried this several times.

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