Home Altar & Photo/Video Challenge
- Dr. Layne McDonald
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Your kitchen table becomes a cathedral when you open your Bible there. Your hospital bedside transforms into holy ground when you whisper a prayer. That corner of your living room where you light a candle and seek God's presence? It's as sacred as any sanctuary.
At Boundless Online Church, we believe every space where you meet Jesus matters. That's why we're launching the "Home Altar" Photo/Video Challenge – a beautiful way to celebrate the sacred spaces in our everyday lives and connect our global family through the power of shared worship.
What Makes a Space Sacred?
Before we dive into the challenge details, let's talk about what makes a space truly sacred. Layne McDonald, our online pastor, reminds us that God doesn't need stained glass windows or marble floors to meet with us. He shows up wherever we invite Him in.
Your home altar might be:
A simple cross on your nightstand
Your favorite chair where you read Scripture each morning
A window sill decorated with flowers and a prayer journal
Your car dashboard where you pray during lunch breaks
A hospital room corner where you find peace in God's presence
The beauty isn't in the objects themselves – it's in the intention, the invitation, and the connection you create with our Heavenly Father in that space.
The Heart Behind Our Challenge
This challenge isn't just about pretty pictures (though we love those too!). It's about building bridges across continents, connecting hearts across time zones, and reminding each other that we're never alone in our faith journey.
When you share your sacred space, you're saying to fellow believers around the world: "This is where I find hope." "This is where I meet my Savior." "This is where God reminds me I'm never forgotten, never alone, and deeply loved."
5 Reasons Why Your Home Altar Matters
1. It Creates Consistency in Your Faith Walk Having a dedicated space reminds you daily that God wants to spend time with you. It becomes a visual cue that says, "Come and meet with Me here."
2. It Personalizes Your Relationship with God Unlike a public worship space, your home altar reflects your unique journey with Jesus. It's decorated with the things that speak to your heart and remind you of God's faithfulness in your specific life.
3. It Anchors Your Family's Faith When children see Mom or Dad consistently meeting with God in the same special place, it teaches them that faith isn't just for Sundays – it's woven into the fabric of daily life.
4. It Provides Comfort During Hard Times When life gets overwhelming, having a go-to place where you've experienced God's peace before becomes a refuge. It's where muscle memory of faith kicks in.
5. It Connects You to the Global Church Through this challenge, your personal worship space becomes part of a worldwide gallery of faith, showing that God's people are everywhere, worshipping in countless beautiful ways.
How to Participate: Your 7-Step Action Plan
Ready to join the "Home Altar" Photo/Video Challenge? Here's exactly how to share your sacred space with the Boundless family:
Step 1: Choose Your Space
Look around your home (or wherever you are) and identify where you most often connect with God. Don't worry if it's not elaborate – authenticity beats aesthetics every time.
Step 2: Set the Scene
Tidy up the space if needed, but keep it real. We want to see how you actually worship, not a staged perfection that doesn't reflect daily life.
Step 3: Capture the Moment
Take a photo or short video (30 seconds max). If you choose video, consider sharing what this space means to you or how you use it for worship.
Step 4: Write Your Story
This is the heart of the challenge. In your caption, complete this sentence: "Here's where I meet Jesus..." Then share a bit about why this space is meaningful to you.
Step 5: Add the Hashtag
Use #BoundlessHomeAltar so we can find your submission and feature it in our "Boundless Across the World" gallery.
Step 6: Share with Love
Post on your preferred social media platform or share directly in our Boundless Online Church community groups. Tag friends who might want to participate too!
Step 7: Explore Others' Spaces
Take time to look at other submissions. Leave encouraging comments, pray for the people who shared, and let their spaces inspire your own faith journey.
Creative Ideas to Inspire Your Submission
Feeling stuck on what to share? Here are some creative approaches that past participants have used:
The Minimalist Approach
Sometimes the most powerful altars are the simplest. A single cross, an open Bible, or just a clean space where you kneel to pray can speak volumes about the beauty of uncomplicated faith.
The Story Collection
Show items that each tell a story: the prayer journal where God answered a desperate plea, the photo of a loved one you pray for daily, the stone you picked up during a meaningful retreat.
The Family Faith Station
If your altar doubles as a family devotion spot, show how it serves everyone – kids' picture Bibles alongside adult study guides, crayons next to prayer requests, chaos and beauty intertwined.
The Mobile Ministry
Maybe your "altar" travels with you. Show your prayer toolkit in a hospital room, your Bible app setup on lunch breaks, or your travel devotional kit that keeps you connected to God anywhere.
The Seasonal Celebration
Demonstrate how your space changes with church seasons, personal seasons, or even weather seasons. Show how your faith adapts and grows.
Building the "Boundless Across the World" Gallery
Your submission becomes part of something bigger than yourself. We're creating a digital gallery that will showcase the incredible diversity of ways people worship within our Boundless family.
This gallery will:
Celebrate Global Unity: See home altars from six continents and dozens of countries
Inspire New Ideas: Discover fresh ways to create sacred space in your own life
Provide Comfort: Remind homebound and isolated believers that they're part of a massive, loving family
Break Down Barriers: Show that faith looks different everywhere, and that's exactly how God designed it
Featured Stories That Change Lives
Each week, we'll feature selected submissions with deeper stories behind the spaces. These features often become the most shared and life-changing content on our platforms because they remind us that God works in ordinary places through ordinary people living extraordinary faith.
Making Your Participation Count
This challenge isn't just about posting a photo and moving on. Here's how to maximize the impact for yourself and others:
Before You Post
Spend time praying in your space before photographing it
Ask God to use your submission to encourage someone who needs hope
Consider what message of faith your space communicates
After You Post
Check back to engage with comments on your submission
Visit and encourage others who participate
Use your space with fresh awareness of its significance
Ongoing Impact
Let the challenge motivate you to be more intentional about your daily worship time
Consider how you might improve or expand your sacred space
Share the gallery with friends who might benefit from seeing diverse expressions of faith
Join the Movement Today
The "Home Altar" Photo/Video Challenge runs continuously because faith never takes a break. Whether you join today, next week, or next month, your contribution matters to the global Boundless family.
Remember: this isn't about having the most beautiful or elaborate setup. It's about authenticity, connection, and celebrating the truth that God meets us wherever we are – literally.
Your kitchen table altar might be exactly what someone in another country needs to see to realize they can create sacred space too. Your hospital room prayer corner might encourage someone facing their own health battle. Your simple bedroom Bible and journal setup might inspire a busy parent to carve out daily time with God.
Every space matters. Every story counts. Every submission builds the beautiful, diverse tapestry of how God's people around the world meet with Him daily.
So grab your phone, find your sacred space, and let's show the world that church isn't just a
building we visit – it's a family we belong to, connected across distances through our shared love for Jesus.
Ready to participate? Share your home altar today using #BoundlessHomeAltar and complete the sentence: "Here's where I meet Jesus..." Your Boundless family is waiting to celebrate your sacred space!
Visit us online at www.famemphis.org to connect with our global community and discover more ways to grow in faith together.
First Assembly Memphis 8650 Walnut Grove Road Cordova, Tennessee 38018 Phone: 901-843-8600 Email: info@famemphis.net
Comments