The beach is my favorite… the sun, the sand, the laid back atmosphere. I can sit for hours listening to the waves and think about nothing other than my next meal. I’m sure you’ve had a similar experience of being out of town on vacation or business. No matter how awesome the beach, or how fun the city, there comes a time you’re ready to go home. Have you ever wondered why one place can feel like home and another doesn’t? What is that?Home has some sort of drawing power; you always find a way to get there. Home is the place where you can be yourself. It’s where your heart is, where your people are, and where you want to be. At home, you’re no longer invisible or just a face in the crowd. Sure, home is the place you can feel safe and belong, but it’s also the place others see the real you. Home is the place you are challenged to be the best version of you.God designed the local church to be a place to call home. You’re wanted, you’re challenged, you belong. Ephesians 2:19-22 says it this way:“[…] You’re no longer wandering exiles. The kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day[…]”For those of us who’ve found our home, we understand exactly what this feels like. I’m so thankful I found my home in the local church. Aren’t you? I no longer have to do life alone and it feels great!Maybe that’s not your story and you don’t have a place to call home. What if that emptiness and the inner peace that you’re searching for is really just the drawing power of home? It’s a power drawing you into a place of belonging and telling you there has to be more to life than what you’re living. What you’re searching for is actually Jesus. You’re searching for home. I can tell you that again and again, but the best thing to do is to experience Him for yourself.Our area is home to many great churches. The names on our signs represent our histories, our preferences, and our styles, but what we’re really offering is the same… home. A place to belong. There is no one that Jesus would want left out. You could be one Sunday away from finding your home. Why not give it a try? Take a couple weeks and find home. What have you got to lose? 78.Cody Miller is an associate pastor at Desperation Church in Jasper. For more information, please visit www.desperationchurch.tvOriginally published in 78 Magazine in June/July 2017Image by Blakeney Cox