fog machines & finding a church

Trying to find a church in Akron has been interesting. It's been a battle to not compare any churches to Central, because it kind of just sets a church up for failure. Central has so many great aspects: it's small so everyone feels like family, the worship is so heartfelt and emotional each week, and the messages are challenging. So moving to Akron, I came with high expectations, which I think is okay to the extent that I don't rule out a church simply because it isn't exactly like Central. The first church Josh & I went to was... interesting. We walked into a huge sanctuary which put me on edge because I've really never continuously gone to a big church. The second indicator that this wasn't going to work was the fog machine running behind the worship band. If you ever visit a church and there is a fog machine, just leave. Anyway, we stuck it out hoping the message was good. Worship was awful for me. I think the guitar player thought he was at a concert... or something, either way I couldn't hear myself sing. There was also a laser light show which blinded me halfway through. The lack of a challenging message made the decision not go back pretty easy. 

So this week we tried out coffee shop girl's church. First good sign: no fog machine. Second good sign: coffee. Worship was good, the guitar player looked eerily similar to the one from the other church but was much better. The message was simple, but convicting. They are starting a new series called The Cost which will explore what it means to follow Jesus and what it requires. The message encouraged me and I have felt closest to God since moving here. They also offer a few small groups, one specifically for the college age group. So we're going to keep going & hopefully it will continue to be a good fit.