Amy Grace

So here I am, lost in thought, when this chick taps me on the shoulder and disturbs my mental preparation for worship.... I guess I'd better start at the beginning.

We moved to South Carolina from Tennessee in June 2006. Jon and I were very involved in our church in Knoxville and in fact had researched churches before we moved. We started going to a church in Simpsonville that was part of the Willow Creek Association, a group of churches that operated much the same way as our church in Knoxville. We liked our church in Simpsonville even though it was a good 20 minute or more drive. I wasn't crazy about the worship pastor or the fact that they did the worship music at the end of the service but those were things I could deal with. The kids were having fun in a well-run kids' program and Jon and Dana were playing softball. We met a few couples we really liked and had some people over for dinner here and there. When the new discipleship pastor came, we were excited to hear that he planned to start up small groups. Now here was something we could really sink our teeth into. Jon and I had been involved in small groups nearly as long as we had known each other and had been leading/hosting them for about 10 years. We know that small groups is where the growth and intimacy happen. We immediately signed up to get involved and thus began the roller coaster of disappointment, because no one else at the church lived anywhere near us. Every time we thought we had found a group, it just never worked out. Months passed and we finally came to the conclusion that it just wasn't going to be possible to connect at that church.

We decided to look for a church closer to home and consulted the Willow Creek website again. Jon went out and visited a few churches alone and none of them clicked with him. In the meantime we decided to attend the Lyman United Methodist Church while we were searching for the right place. Jon and I both knew it wasn't a permanent solution but we did know a good number of people there from Karis' time doing Upward cheerleading. Our Knoxville small group was following us on this search and praying for us to find the right church. One Sunday morning near Easter, a friend from that group called and told me she was thinking about us and praying for God to show us where He wanted us to be. That very Sunday we came home from church to find a LifeSong flyer in our door. We searched the website from front to back and Jon fired off email after email to poor Brian George. We called our small group in Knoxville and had THEM check the website to see what they thought. We could hardly wait for the next Sunday to check it out in person! We chose the early service so that we could go to LifeSong first and then to the Methodist church and sort of compare them side by side. Now I can't speak for Jon, but when I walked through the door my first thought was, "Are they ready to start having church yet?" because the building was not completely done. "Raw" is the word that comes to mind. Jeff Hickman met us at the door and introduced us to the Fogels, who are UT fans like us. Everyone was so welcoming and wonderful that it was almost overwhelming. By the time I sat down I was nervous as a cat but yet already starting to feel at home. Then this chick behind me tapped on my shoulder and said something like "We're glad you're here." I turned and smiled in response. Once Jeff started preaching, it just confirmed what I already knew - this was our church. We stayed around after the service was over and was very nearly late for the Methodist church, and that poor UMC just couldn't compete. LifeSong has been our home ever since.

Now about Amy. I had several people at LifeSong tell me that I need to meet this Amy Davenport but somehow or other she just never seemed to be around. In fact, some of them even said I reminded them of her - must be my personality because I haven't had a perm in years. I offered to take pictures for the Aroma ministry but was assured that "Amy does that". How, I wondered, when she's never around? Then Amy Hickman started a Women's Bible Study (I can't even remember what the subject was) and put the infamous Amy D. in my group. I remembered seeing her at the occasional Monday Mingle but didn't know that was *her*. It was in that Women's Bible Study that I first got a taste of Amy's sense of humor.

By the time that LifeSong merged with Calvary I had started to be acquainted with Amy. I wouldn't say that we were friends, exactly. Then Larry put out a call for people interested in participating in the Christmas program and we found ourselves sitting near each other and actually carrying on a conversation. I found out she was a soprano, which appealed to me - no competition, just sweet harmony. And some of my best friends are sopranos. Anyway, when Larry said he would go ahead and audition people for the Praise Team right then she looked at me and said she would do it if I would. I even went first! Then came the days of wondering. She knows what I mean.

But here we are. Amy has filled a place in my life and heart that has sat empty for far too long. She knows what I mean no matter what words are coming out of my mouth. Amy hears the things that no one else hears and I know that no one else will, at least they won't from her. When we figured out that AMY was the one who put the flyer in our door, it all made sense. Leave it to God to work all the pieces into place just perfectly. We have so many things in common that it's almost creepy. I love our "friend shorthand," that we can finish each other's sentences and know what each other is thinking with just a glance or expression. I would have camped out on Tim's doorstep to get her into my small group if I needed to (luckily I didn't because I'm not a good camper). She had to be my prayer partner because she already knows so much about me that she probably knows what to pray for me better than I do. I love how our voices blend together, a little of her and a little of me. There's no judgment in her, just acceptance, no matter what I'm confessing. We're both easy-going and not prone to getting mad over little things. No drama for these two girls unless it's scripted and on a stage. I enjoy learning new things about Amy and I know there is just SO much more there to learn. And while I don't put people into categories, I do sometimes rank them in my head. On a scale of 1-10, Amy's a solid 9. And before she gets upset, I should point out that I've never met a 10 so far, and Amy may get there yet.

P. S. I did NOT snub anyone!