31 Kingston Road, Evington, VA

Church #171 brought me to Gospel Light Baptist Church, and this visit was something that is hard to fully explain, because this was my first time stepping back into the sanctuary since I learned of my mother’s passing.

That alone made the morning tender before the first hymn was ever sung, before the sermon was ever preached, before anyone ever shook my hand.

Grief has a way of making familiar things feel unfamiliar, and walking back into a sanctuary after loss felt different than it once did.

It felt like one more reminder that life can change in an instant, that the Bible is telling the truth when it says our days are like a vapor, and that none of us are promised tomorrow.

I arrived early enough to attend Bible study, and from the beginning there was something simple and sincere about the morning. Friendly faces, handshakes, people speaking, people moving about in the normal rhythm of church life.

Sometimes what looks ordinary to everybody else feels enormous to the grieving heart. Sometimes simply showing up is an act of faith. Sometimes getting yourself through the doors is the hardest part. And that is where I was.

One thing that stood out to me right away was the way prayer was handled. I loved the specific prayer requests that were mentioned before going into the sermon.

There was something moving about hearing people’s burdens named, hearing concern for those who were hurting, hearing those same needs lifted before the Lord immediately. There was a seriousness to it, a tenderness to it, and a reminder that church should never lose sight of the fact that people come in carrying real life, real burdens, real grief, and real needs.

It also seemed clear to me that this church has many people involved in ministry, and I always love seeing that. There is something beautiful about a church that understands faith is not meant to stay still.

There was mention of their soul-winning campaign and of people heading out door to door, and while not every church does things the same way, I do respect a church that wants to be active and intentional in sharing the Gospel.

Sharing Jesus still matters. Urgency still matters. Telling people the truth still matters. Sometimes in church, it feels like we treat eternity as a side issue, but it is not. Eternity is the issue.

The special song by the young lady trio was lovely, and there is something about simple gospel singing that can still reach right into the heart when it is done with sincerity.

Sometimes people want to jazz up worship with all kinds of extra things, but there is still something beautiful about people just singing for the Lord.

The sermon came from Acts 24:24-25, and the title centered around “A Convenient Time.” That message was such a direct reminder that we do not get to control time the way we think we do.

In that passage, Paul reasons with Felix about righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, and Felix trembles, but instead of surrendering, instead of responding while his heart was stirred, he says in essence, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”

That is such a dangerous sentence.

A convenient time.
How many people keep putting off Jesus, keep putting off obedience, keep putting off surrender, because they think there will be a later, an easier season, a better moment, a more convenient time? Am I waiting for a convenient time?

Time is not on our side. We are just passing through. We are not here forever. We do not know when it will be our time. We are not promised tomorrow. And that has been pressing harder on my own heart than ever before. Suddenly the verses about life being short are no longer just verses you quote. They become something you know in your bones.

There are different seasons in life. Some feel long. Some feel painfully short. Some feel like they passed before you even had time to breathe them in.

But, what are we doing with the time we have right now?

That is what I kept thinking about during the sermon…
Am I listening when the Holy Spirit is speaking?
Am I assuming I have more time to become what God has called me to be?

We can be saved and still keep postponing obedience. We can love Jesus and still delay surrender in areas where He is pressing on us.

And I think that is why this sermon met me where it did.

Because life has felt anything but convenient.
Stepping back into church with a broken heart was not convenient.

But Jesus is still worthy now.
Not when my heart feels less bruised.
Not when my life is easier to live.
Now.

I also could not help but think about how often God arranges things by divine appointment. We think we are just attending a service, just showing up at church, just listening to another sermon, but none of those are just routine when the Holy Spirit is involved.

I believe with all my heart that we are not called to places by accident. We are there because God means to say something, to reveal something, to call us closer, to warn us, to comfort us, to wake us up. And I felt that strongly here.

Today was not just another service for me. It was a reminder that God still speaks into our exact season, into our exact grief, into our exact fears, and into our exact hesitation.

This visit also reminded me that when your heart has been broken by life, by loss, by worry, and by exhaustion, it is easy to start living as though survival is the only thing that matters.

But the Gospel keeps calling us higher. It keeps calling us to live with eternity in view. It keeps reminding us that this life is not the main event. We are passing through. We are heading somewhere. And whether you are rejoicing, grieving, waiting, or trembling, the call is the same, do not put Jesus off.

Today is a convenient time.
Today is the day to trust.
Today is the day to honor Him with the breath you have.

I am grateful for Gospel Light Baptist Church and for the sincerity of the morning, for the prayer, the music, the fellowship, and for this message that did not leave room for pretending we have endless time to waste.

This visit was tender for me, for reasons deeper than I can fully say, but I do believe God met me there.

He reminded me again that even after heartbreak, even after loss, even after the world shifts under your feet, He is still speaking, still drawing, still worthy, and still calling us to use the time we have to honor Jesus.

And that is what I want to do.

I cannot wait to see where the Holy Spirit leads next.

Love you all so much,

Annie Stewart Lambert