Midweek I arrived early at my church for an evening activity. I noticed a minivan I did not recognize parked in the shade of a nearby tree. I approached the vehicle, smiled and motioned the driver to roll down the window. Cautiously, a single woman did so. I said, “Hi, I’m Duane. I’m a member here at Church of the Canyons. Can I help you?”  She sighed in clear relief, smiled back, and replied, “No. But thank you. I just needed a safe place to rest. I assumed that I’d be safe at a church.”  I told her, “You will be safe! Be comfortable! And let me know if you need anything!”  As I went about my preparation for the evening, I thought about my own wife, my daughters, and my son. Where would they go if they needed a safe place to rest? What truly are the wise and discerning options today for seeking a safe place to rest? We live in tumultuous times. Things seem more uncertain and challenging every day. Where might I suggest my family go if they needed a safe place to rest, other than a church? Seriously. Tragically, I could not come up with any other place. I kept returning to the woman’s words, her “need” for a safe place to rest. How sad it is, that our choices seem non-existent. Other than a church, that is. But how thankful I am, however, that, just the thought of church, truly means and represents to most people, whether they even attend church or not – a safe place. And how very good it is, that, regardless of one’s faith, belief in God or not, churches (while none are perfect) do represent a safe place to rest. Most people, even people of questionable character, revere places of worship – if only out of self preservation. Overall, humans, even those with minimal common sense, don’t want to mess with — even the idea of — anything connected to God. Because of this, there are certain expectations most people have with all things related to God, like, and not limited to, respect for places of worship. Not all people, but thankfully most. Thinking about this caused me to recall the words of radio personality Dennis Prager (vocally not a Christian) who, many years ago now, posed the question on his show, “If you were walking alone, down a dark alley, in a questionable neighborhood, late at night, and you were given the choice between passing five strange men you knew nothing about, or five strange men who had just left a Bible study, Bibles in hand, which group would you choose to walk by?”  We all know the answer. Yet, our churches are constantly under attack, and attendance is plummeting across our nation, even though churches represent one of the only places today where people know that they can find a place to safely rest in time of need. Unfortunately, a Gallup poll from March reports that church attendance is plummeting in our country. In the past two decades regular attendance has gone from 42%, to 38%, one decade ago, and now has fallen to 30%. Way back on March 25, 2018, the Atlantic reported that 6,000-10,000 churches die in America each year. Might there be a connection to all the unrest that currently defines life in America?  I wonder where the woman parked under the tree at my church would have gone, could have gone, if my church was not there for her? Sad to contemplate. But our church, thank God, was and is there, and not just for her, but anyone seeking safe rest.  I also wonder how greatly our nation would be blessed if more people returned to church, or sought for the first time, the rest not just realized in the presence of a church, but much more importantly inside? The song, “My Soul Finds Rest in God Alone” rings so loudly in my ears. Oh how I hope and pray weary-travelers will continue to feel safe in the shade of our trees at Church of the Canyons, in Canyon Country. But even more so, I pray weary souls would step through our doors on Sunday mornings. People might be challenged by what God’s words say, but they will always be safe in the presence of those who truly revere Him. After all, God is God, and we are not. And, just as Jesus said to His disciples — when, following His resurrection, after conquering death, appearing to them behind locked doors, bearing the scars of His cross — “Peace be with you.” Duane Smith Ague Dulce The post Duane Smith | A Safe Place to Rest appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.