Faith in the Cracks – Allowing God to seep into the cracks in our lives.

When you walk into a church, a business, a restaurant, or where ever, do you get a sense of the energy or the vibe of the space? Heck, it doesn’t even have to be a building, maybe it is simply a group of people who are gathered. There are places and people who just emit a certain vibe.

To walk into St. Peter’s Cathedral, there is a hushed reverence. I would venture that most cathedrals in Europe have that vibe. You just sense that this is a place of hushed voices, silence, and awe. Fast food restaurants have a different vibe from more upscale sit down places. You can sense in a friend group if there is an ease in conversation or if there is tension somewhere.

Now sometimes we pay no attention to these things. We might be wrapped up in our own spaces or issues or we may just not be tuned in. If you have ever had someone tell you to “read the room” then you probably have missed the energy signals that are around you.

Churches have a vibe to them. If you are a regular somewhere you may not feel it as you are used to it. But if you visit churches you start to pick up what they are unconsciously putting down. There are churches that are highly anxious. Others are warm and welcoming and comfortable. Still others are stilted and buttoned up.

Church leaders everywhere are wondering why people aren’t coming back, and there are of course as many different reasons as there are people. There are churches who have seen growth in the past few years. What is it that they are doing? What is the vibe they are projecting? Next time you go somewhere – see if you can get a sense for the vibe of the place. What does it tell you about the people and what goes on there?