Two experiences brought the local church to mind. Not one church in particular, but the body as a whole.
1. The RV experience. It's amazing...one RV, so much mud! We manage to get this thing stuck each time we go there! God uses the simplest things to teach profound lessons. I digress.
Yes...the RV was stuck again. 32 feet of driving bliss was stuck in the middle of a grassy field. We never saw that coming. We did all the usual tricks; boards under tires, people pushing (20 or so), "rocking" it. The truth is, we didn't get that thing out until a guy showed up a with a dually 4x4. In his terms, he needed to "snatch" us out of the rut to get it moving. He was right. We all wanted the same thing, but his direction was clear and it worked.
I thought of churches who continually push to do things the way they have always done them and are stuck. It's frustrating and it's not fun at all. I've been there. I've spun my wheels more than once and pushed harder to make it not happen. But it did.
Clear direction and process are key in the movement of a church, particularly in student ministry. It's so easy to get hung up on events and routine that the disciple making process becomes more of a task than a joy. What is your disciple making process?
2. Billy and Dixie. Nope. These are not fictional names. We worked hard on their home for two full days; as many as 40 people at a time were all over their house installing drywall, putting on a roof, etc. It was no joke, but so worth it.
We talked with Billy and Dixie often and they shared with us their church experiences. They said they were Christians and attended a local church. We discussed their journey on finding the church they now attend. It wasn't pretty.
Billy talked of how often they were shunned at churches they visited because people knew their past. Billy had been in prison, Dixie had tattoos and a past she wasn't proud of and people treated them poorly. Finally, they found a church they could call home.
May that never be true of our churches. May we reflect the grace and mercy of Jesus to everyone. Hopefully we'll never be so arrogant as to forget our own pasts and the people that loved us into the Kingdom.
If you get a chance to talk to anyone that went to Mississippi this week, ask them a few questions. I'm sure they have some lessons of their own.
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