Strangers in Church

Something I'm enjoying about going to a new big church is getting to sit inches from strangers. Lucky for me so far everyone has been of good hygiene and has a concept of personal space. It's fun to try and get a feel for a person just sitting by them. I desperately want to give each person a good stare in the face but this might take away from the fun. While sitting by them I can smell their cologne , get a good look at their shoes and most of the time hear their voice during worship. I really love it when the stranger sings their heart out. I always want to say “ thank you for letting me in on that !” There is no other place I know of where people stand and worship their creator amongst strangers. I can learn a lot from the stranger's shoes, smell, and voice . Sometimes women dig around in their purses and this is also very enlightening. I never look in the purse but the general size of purse and time it takes them to find what they need give me a lot to go on. If a stranger is alone and I am alone, there is a strong sense of their presence and mine I think.

Today I sat by a very small lady with a cast on one foot. She wore socks and clogs on the other foot. I am very drawn to women who where socks and clogs. It's like they are saying to the world. “Yeah, I know boots are in style but I don't care I want to be warm and comfortable!” I admire it. So this tiny lady wore jeans and a sweater , she had very curly hair and glasses. What I wasn't expecting was the huge fantastic voice that came out of her. It was amazing. For several songs I just shut my eyes and listened. When the message began she quick pulled out a kindle which had her bible on it and even took notes on it. No frills,no extra notebooks or pens. She had it put away and her coat on and her simple but classy leather purse on her shoulder before the last song was over. I was still fumbling with my coat , trying to put away my pen and keep by purse from falling off my arm during the last song. When the service was over I had to tell her how much I enjoyed her singing. She looked at me humbly and said “Oh thanks.” She had an angelic face. It was fun to have attributed all these great characteristics toward her before even knowing she was beautiful in the face, she was already beautiful to me.