There’s the place. Homewood, Alabama.
Grace Fellowship’s presence is rooted on the Western side of this city.
I always dreamed of living somewhere far away. Though I didn’t grow up in Homewood (instead about 15 minutes west), I was born at Brookwood Hospital. College at Samford. Seminary at Beeson. Doctoral study at Beeson. My second grader goes to school here. Grace currently meets at Lakeshore and Colombiana Road.
In other words, my whole life has mostly occurred along Lakeshore Drive.
Homewood is an enviable place to live in many ways. Wonderful neighborhoods and schools. Situated ideally in the Birmingham Metro area. Rapidly increasing home values. Surprisingly diverse, though that is changing.
Everyone is chasing the good life. As you drive, or run, or walk, or push strollers on these streets—if you are paying attention—you will see that underneath the charm, a lot of pain and fear and worry, too. Beneath it all, my goodness, there is a river of spiritual longing.
And the honest truth is that the satisfaction of those deep longings can be found in Jesus. The security that we seek here in this place, we can have in him. The being known and being loved that we are looking for is there for the taking, and it won’t be conditioned upon what we can achieve or how we much we can impress. It will be free. And it will set us free. And make us alive.