"What's the point of all of this..."

A question that I have asked in the past, and which many people around me have and are asking in some form is this: "Why go to church?" "What's the point?" and similarly, "What should church be, and what should churches do?" I have been on both sides of this question at different points in my life. I have been hurt by churches and wondered what the point of church is, does it really do any good? I have also been, and currently am, on staff at a church, and I have had a great opportunity to see the benefit that church can bring.

People have all sorts of reasons why they go or don't go to a church. Some people absolutely hate churches and anything that has to do with them. I have seen people become so hurt by and upset with churches that they swear to never go back. I have also seen people who don't go to church because they don't have the time or energy, it's simply another chore for them, and obviously, there are those that don't go because they don't hold religious beliefs.

I have also seen people that go to church because it is a responsibility, something they are expected to do, or something that they grew up with and has become a habit. There are also those that are forced or coerced in some way to go to church and really don't want to be there. And, of course, there are those that go to church because they love it and want to be there to fellowship and worship.

All of this makes me wonder, what should churches be doing, what should their goal and purpose be? Should churches cater to those people who want to be there and ignore those that don't or should they reach out to try and draw in those that don't want to be there and take for granted that those that do will come regardless? Or should there be something between these two?

I have come to realize that church is a very important and essential part of my life, and as I am on staff at my church I want to try and ensure that we are doing everything that we should to ensure that we are reaching people where and how they need to be reached and not hurting or pushing people away, and I do not think that we should ever be content with or "stuck" in how we are doing things, but constantly be striving to make a difference. I also believe that church should not be a place that people merely go to. That's completely useless. It should be a place that people grow in and are changed by. In the movie "To Save A Life" there is a quote:

"What's the point of all of this if you're not gonna let this change you?"

So my question is this: What are you looking for in a church? What would make you want to go to church in the first place? What would make you want to stay at a church? What would change you if you experienced it?

God Bless!

DISCLAIMER

I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I have many flaws and faults, and I always will. I post a lot of stuff on here that could be classified as "sermons" or Bible Studies. They are truths that I have learned and am learning, but they are not my truths. They are God's truths, and they are relevant to anyone and everyone reading them, including me. Please never assume that I write with any intention other than sharing the amazing truths of God, many of which I am still learning and grasping myself. Do not judge the truth or power of the truth based on my imperfections. This blog is called SADness & Truth, and these are contrasting elements. The Truth reveals how sad the SADness is and the SADness reveals how incredibly amazing the Truth is!

God Bless!

Sadness: How can you help?

For the last several months the SADness part of this has been a story from my life a childhood, and that will continue, but for this month I wanted to look at a different kind of sadness. The world that we live in today is filled with sadness and sorrow. It is easy to see that when something major happens, like the earthquake in Haiti last week. It seems that when there is some major catastrophe in he world everyone's eyes are opened for a minute to see the help that so many need, but once the need is out of the news, off CNN and Facebook, and no longer a trending topic on Twtter we forget about it, but that doesn't mean it's gone. There are people all and us everyday that desperately need our help, and yes, they are in Africa and Haiti and other places like that, but they are also here in Albuquerque, in your neighborhood, at your school or work.

How many of you walk by, talk to, or interact with in some way, people everyday who do not have enough money to pay their bills, who do not have any food to feed their children or themselves, who are living on the street, or who have any of an assortment of other needs, physical, emotional, or spiritual? They are all around us, and often, as people, and even as Christians, we seem to put on blinders, we look directly in front of us and refuse to see the need surrounding us. Either we don't want to believe there are people who have needs, it is upsetting for us to see it so we look away, or we simply do not want to have to sacrifice our time, money, emotional investment to help someone out, especially someone we don't know.

So here is the challenge. As the recent earthquake has opened everyone's eyes to hurting and needy people around the world, keep your eyes opened. Be aware of people you see throughout the day who could use a little help. Be willing to make a sacrifice to show God's love to someone. I asked everyone in X-session this week, "What can you do to help someone else?" And, I ask you the same thing.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." - James 1:27

"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." - Luke 12:23

God Bless!

Waves

We are only 5 days into the New Year, and already I have had a whole slew of experiences, both great and terrible. I guess that just goes to show that it really doesn't matter what year we are in, life truly is full of joy and sorrow, but through all of it there is a constant that we can grab onto and ride through the roller coaster of waves that make up life.

This past weekend I preached at our church. This was amazing and terrifying at the same time! Now, I have been leading out with Bible Studies for many many years, and I have been a licensed as a minister and been leading a youth group for 2 years, but there is a difference between that and standing up in front of the church in the role of pastor. It was amazing and exciting because it was an opportunity to allow God to speak through me. It was terrifying because I had a whole church looking at me and trusting me to teach them and faithfully relay God's word. That's a huge responsibility! Saturday night I was quite nervous, but it ended up going great, and Sunday morning went even better. It was quite amazing! I will probably post the general outline of what I talked about soon. The ironic part of the whole thing was that I, the Youth Guy, was preaching because the Pastor was out of town on a youth ski trip. :)

So that was great! Then we had a bit of a sad day as we watched the Broncos get kicked out of the playoffs, followed closely by the Steelers, and then we watched the Bengals get killed, but they are already in the playoffs so Manda was ok with them losing.

Monday turned out to be an utterly dissapointing day. I was very excited to have youth that night and start a new year with new ideas and opportunities and chances to grow as a group and for each of us to grow individually with God. However, for the 1st time in 2 years, not a single person showed up. It was very dissapointing and frustrating, and to make things worse, I learned that a large reason for this is that my family is basically going through a shattering at the moment, which I won't go into, but which is wreaking havoc on everyone involved. 

I woke up this morning amazed at how much can happen in 3 days and how different every day can be, but I also realized, even more than I have before, that life really does not and will not make sense. We can have incredible, amazing experiences that are butted up against terrible devestating ones, but we cannot allow these things to determine how we live and feel. We must rely on God, every single day, every single second. If we are with Him we can trust that we have a secure path through the fog that surrounds us, but the farther away we get the more lost, confused, and cold we become. He is our guide and lifesaver in the ocean of life, and that is an incredible hope and security!