9/4/08
24 hours later....
24 hours later….
I was happy to see such a great response to yesterdays blog (“Church”)!
The comments have been flowing in from email, posts, phone calls, and even in person!
Thanks to everyone who passed the blog onto others. I felt like it needed to be said..and the feedback suggests a resounding YES…I wasn’t EVEN CLOSE to being alone.
I want no part of a social club, if I did, I’d find one without the bickering. Ha!
But, I do want (NEED!) a place of worship where I can be with other believers in seeking, praising, and growing closer to God.
A place that welcomes everyone…realizing that we ALL fall short and need the Saviour.
And yes, that includes welcoming those who make audacious comments like the one I mentioned in the blog. Christ can do a wonderful work through that person despite their short-comings.
¶ 9/04/2008 
I was happy to see such a great response to yesterdays blog (“Church”)!
The comments have been flowing in from email, posts, phone calls, and even in person!
Thanks to everyone who passed the blog onto others. I felt like it needed to be said..and the feedback suggests a resounding YES…I wasn’t EVEN CLOSE to being alone.
I want no part of a social club, if I did, I’d find one without the bickering. Ha!
But, I do want (NEED!) a place of worship where I can be with other believers in seeking, praising, and growing closer to God.
A place that welcomes everyone…realizing that we ALL fall short and need the Saviour.
And yes, that includes welcoming those who make audacious comments like the one I mentioned in the blog. Christ can do a wonderful work through that person despite their short-comings.
That goes for you and I too!
Since I syndicate my blog to feed through about a dozen sites, it’s impossible to see all the comments in one location, so I have collected a few and am reposting below, It does make for good conversation/discussion:
Comments:
Seeing her comment makes me think of a lyric from Todd Agnew’s My Jesus where it says:
“My Jesus would never be accepted in my church,
His blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet”
I think those who “don’t look like us” are exactly the ones you want coming in each and every Sunday. Think about it, if Jesus was walking the earth this Sunday would he be in a church or hanging out on the streets with the lost, or in a corner bar? We as christians I think need to do everything short of sinning to get people to church, once they are there God will do the rest.
Great post Jamie and I can’t wait to see more conversation on this topic.
Derek Chalfant - September 4, 2008 at 10:31 am
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Oh no, you aren’t alone.
When I hear things like this I remember this verse:
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” -Luke 5:31-32 NIV
I know that Jesus really meant that there’s no additional saving to be done if they are already saved, but I also like to look at it as Jesus didn’t care how a person looked or whatnot, he was only concerned that they were not saved.
Commedian Dennis Miller once said something like “The Bible tells us that God created us in his own image and I gotta tell ya, I just don’t think he’d wear his hair like that.”
Ed - September 4, 2008 at 2:31 pm
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Oh my freakin goodness. All I know to say is "Amen". I would so love to elaborate, but this captures my heart's words completely. You were reading my mind...
Posted by Scott on Sep 3, 2008 4:33 PM
Comments:
Seeing her comment makes me think of a lyric from Todd Agnew’s My Jesus where it says:
“My Jesus would never be accepted in my church,
His blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet”
I think those who “don’t look like us” are exactly the ones you want coming in each and every Sunday. Think about it, if Jesus was walking the earth this Sunday would he be in a church or hanging out on the streets with the lost, or in a corner bar? We as christians I think need to do everything short of sinning to get people to church, once they are there God will do the rest.
Great post Jamie and I can’t wait to see more conversation on this topic.
Derek Chalfant - September 4, 2008 at 10:31 am
----
Oh no, you aren’t alone.
When I hear things like this I remember this verse:
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” -Luke 5:31-32 NIV
I know that Jesus really meant that there’s no additional saving to be done if they are already saved, but I also like to look at it as Jesus didn’t care how a person looked or whatnot, he was only concerned that they were not saved.
Commedian Dennis Miller once said something like “The Bible tells us that God created us in his own image and I gotta tell ya, I just don’t think he’d wear his hair like that.”
Ed - September 4, 2008 at 2:31 pm
----
Oh my freakin goodness. All I know to say is "Amen". I would so love to elaborate, but this captures my heart's words completely. You were reading my mind...
Posted by Scott on Sep 3, 2008 4:33 PM
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I have to admit I have felt this. I really didn't think about how I looked when I was "Prego", I was so in to the service. But, shortly after Clay was born, my parents started going.....Then, I started feeling itty bitty. For instance, a couple of weeks ago, my mom right before the church service was like, "You got something under your neck...go wash it off..." I did, but......I was like, "Why did she do that in public?" I know she was just being motherly...... but, there is a line of different people at the church. But, certain ones do make others feel inferior. The point should be "worshipping", coming to God. It's a place where you can go to God, no matter what. God doesn't care, so why does everyone else? But, I decided, I'd do my best. But, if I didn't feel I was up to par, I wasn't going to worry about it. Man, if I ever get the hubby to go to church....the elders are gonna have something to talk about. All he's got is T-shirts and Jeans. But, the service I get him to go.....Will be so awesome to me.....I won't care! Any-ways, he said he "might" go this Sunday. Woo-hoo!
Posted by kacy on Sep 4, 2008 12:35 PM
Posted by kacy on Sep 4, 2008 12:35 PM
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I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm a delivery driver for pizza hut and one time I made a delivery to a church. I was greeted at the door by a guy who said he was taking me into the "Lions Den" and "if I wasn't a Christian now, I'd be one before I left. Sanctified by the blood." Now, thats good and all I got a laugh out of it (the guy didnt though...he was serious) because I'm a christian and I get all the lingo. But what if I wasn't? What if I was on the verge of it and standing on the edge of the blade? It would've been tipped the other way because of some "Charasmaniac". Too many times there are Christians who do more harm to the Kingdom than good. I used to work at CBN (The 700 club with Pat Robertson!! I cut his grass at his house...seriously) and now I never wanna work for a Chistian organization again. I'm sick of the moopy, complaining, arrogant, ignorant, holier-than-thou, "My God told me what to do and I dont care what you have to say about it even though you're my boss" type of Christians. They do nothing to further the Kingdom and hold back the ones who want to go for greater things. The ones who spend 24 hours a day in a church and dont work there are even worse. But thats a whole other issue. In all, I wish Christians would grow up and move on past all this "Religious" crap. Thanks for the post, Jamie. God bless!
Posted by Redd on Sep 4, 2008 12:12 AM
I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm a delivery driver for pizza hut and one time I made a delivery to a church. I was greeted at the door by a guy who said he was taking me into the "Lions Den" and "if I wasn't a Christian now, I'd be one before I left. Sanctified by the blood." Now, thats good and all I got a laugh out of it (the guy didnt though...he was serious) because I'm a christian and I get all the lingo. But what if I wasn't? What if I was on the verge of it and standing on the edge of the blade? It would've been tipped the other way because of some "Charasmaniac". Too many times there are Christians who do more harm to the Kingdom than good. I used to work at CBN (The 700 club with Pat Robertson!! I cut his grass at his house...seriously) and now I never wanna work for a Chistian organization again. I'm sick of the moopy, complaining, arrogant, ignorant, holier-than-thou, "My God told me what to do and I dont care what you have to say about it even though you're my boss" type of Christians. They do nothing to further the Kingdom and hold back the ones who want to go for greater things. The ones who spend 24 hours a day in a church and dont work there are even worse. But thats a whole other issue. In all, I wish Christians would grow up and move on past all this "Religious" crap. Thanks for the post, Jamie. God bless!
Posted by Redd on Sep 4, 2008 12:12 AM
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i always love the way god shows himself OUTSIDE the church all the time!!
bless!cesar
im closer to god than ever, but far from church than ever...
Posted by LA CAIMANERA on Sep 4, 2008 2:51 PM
i always love the way god shows himself OUTSIDE the church all the time!!
bless!cesar
im closer to god than ever, but far from church than ever...
Posted by LA CAIMANERA on Sep 4, 2008 2:51 PM
