struggling

For the last 10 years or so, I have attended a very contemporary church. Praise and worship time is really important to me and I really enjoy attending a church that puts a big emphasis on that time of their worship. When we found out we were moving to Madison, one of my biggest concerns was being able to find a church home. Don't get me wrong, the churches in Madison are wonderful and filled with wonderful, Godly people. It's not that. It's just that the churches here are either very traditional or so new that they don't really have anything for kids at this point. About two years ago, we found an awesome church about 30 minutes away. We absolutely love the service time and there are wonderful people there. However, without really knowing it, Joey and I have both been struggling lately internally with not feeling like it's where we're supposed to be. As great as the church is, we haven't developed any relationships and we haven't gotten our kids involved. It's a combination of things and distance is most definitely one of them. Along with the fact that I've been in grad school the entire time and it's hard to do other things during the week. Joey and I had a really long talk about it over the weekend, and we've continued to talk about it throughout the week. We attended a local church this past Sunday. We absolutely love the Sunday School class. It's a group of couples that are in the exact same stage of life as us, their kids go to school, play sports, etc with our kids, and they all live right here in Madison. Needless to say, it's a group of people that Joey and I could really get plugged into. Our kids would also be able to get involved and go to church with the same kids they see all week long. Now....service. Again, it is extremely traditional. In fact, I haven't been to a church this traditional since I was very young. The church is in a period of transition right now because the pastor recently retired and they are looking for a new pastor. Herein lies my struggle. Do we go to a church where we can build strong relationships and have our children really involved? Or do we go to a church where I love the service, but the relationships are missing and the kids are not involved? I think my answer is obvious. I think this is a time in my life in which sacrifice is very important. I want my children to be involved. I want my children to attend a church in which the people there know who they are and rally around us to help support them. I can always listen to Chris Tomlin and David Crowder while I'm washing dishes and riding in my car! Plus, the Sunday School class is definitely a place where Joey and I will be fed spiritually. We had a great conversation and time of study this past Sunday. Something else about this Sunday School class struck a chord with me. They have a big scroll like paper where they write down their praises each week as a class. One of the praises from a few weeks back said, "Bear Sheneman- Stacey Lancaster's nephew- is here! Please pray for him concerning some health issues he is having." Reading that meant so much to me! This class has been praying for Bear even without Joey and I attending the church and it's because the people there know us and love us. That just says a lot to me. I think I just need to set aside my preconceived notions about traditional churches and open my heart to the fact that God can speak to me in a traditional setting just as easily as He can speak to me in a contemporary setting. It's all about the condition of my heart and how open I am to hearing Him.