Church

Attending church is like running full speed across the top of a razor thin mountain. As long as your footing is correct the view is great, the experience is beautiful, but one loose pebble and you tumble. You grasp for anything, and sometimes that is a rope thrown from above or a push from below from someone else who is struggling to get back to the top, either way it should be a place where help is only a moment away, usually before you ask. And often times it is just that. But our jaded society has allowed excuses to creep into the church and its buildings. No longer is accountability asked for, no longer is forgiveness free. There are bonds that tie us to that atmosphere. We are asked to conform or be cast out. Sadly we accept these and ignore their limitations, and go on about our churchy life as though it is the one place where we can be on Sunday who we wish we were the other 6 days. Church should be the one place we are free to express our shortcomings and get loving support, church should be the place we bring our failures and disappointments with ourselves and others to get loving prayerful people to walk along side of us while we deal with different issues in our lives. But is it? Is it being the non judgemental, loving caring entity it should be? You have to ask yourself that question. Are you being that person to others? Are you so in tune to the Holy Spirit that when someone needs a shoulder or a prayer, you sense that? Churches are made up of people, in order for "the church" to become what Jesus would want it to be, each and every individual needs to be what God wants us to be. We need to shake off the feeling of going to church as a duty and see it as an opportunity. Start being open about our failures so we can begin to see others being open about theirs. Paul said in Galatians: Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. So we should be striving as the body to serve Christ through our servitude to others and the body of believers.Likewise 1 Peter 3:8 says, Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. All of that should be directed toward God, to please him, not ourselves. Years ago I walked away from organized religion and railed on it as an evil that man created to subvert the will of God. I no longer believe that, I find fellowship with other believers a necessary part of Christian life. But hear me on this, when your church begins to get in the way of you and your relationship with God(due to to your failings or theirs), one of you needs to change. That is where I am right now. No disrespect to my wonderful friends, but when something is ticking, it is time to look for the source of the noise. God may lead us elsewhere, and due to some rather unfortunate circumstances I believe he is. But I can clearly see the blessings he has bestowed on our family while we were in the body we have been in for over 10 years. I believe he will continue to bless them and my prayer is just that. But do not let what God has done in your life suffer from bitterness, but celebrate his victory that has brought you this far. God is Good! All the time!! All the Time!! God is Good!!!