Church

What would happen if we looked at church as family? What if we did became a part of a church and lived as though that group was our extended family? Not so much a place to go and be spiritually fed as a place to go and belong, share, interact, develop and yes, grow.

What if evangelism was more about adding to the family than seeking to get people saved? What if discipleship was more about honest brotherhood, truth and accountability and less about themed teachings, study books and worksheets with action points?

I'm a teacher, pastor, and leader.  I'm skilled at not dealing with people and only dealing with issues, ideas and programs. If I love you, would I allow you to go through life unchecked and unchallenged? What if I had a love, not based in God's ideals, but based in the fear of man and the fear of being rejected by society? What I am trying to say is that it is easy to fall into the habit of being friendly and hard to be a family member. Friendly only requires I show up, family requires that I care. I want us all to be a part of a family church, not just a friendly church.

BUT
Every now and then I stick my head up out of the sand and discover a deep rich sticky empowering love, a love that is more personal the organised, more practical than piety. Every now and then I discover a new brother or sister. And in them I meet a mixture of truth and grace, love and correction, diversity and unity. I find the very stuff of family.

If it has been a while since you have gone to church, go. In most churches we think we are offering God. The truth is we are offering you a family that is seeking God. God shows up sometimes at church in wonderful and powerful ways. When that happens it is often because some person brought God with them. But on almost any Sunday, you can find family, brothers and sisters. And yes they are going to be just like brothers and sisters, full of opinions and expressions, feeling free to share themselves and their ways. But isn't that what we need?

Don't we have enough planned and directed reality shows in our lives. Don't we know enough about family as to allow people to be people? Are we really going to require the family of God to be perfect while we allow everyone else grace to be who they are?  Just as not every family is healthy, not ever church is healthy, but some are.

Need some love? Need some friends, some family? Desire to take a break from media and reality offered by the technology or the world? Ready to meet some real people, encounter some real love, maybe face the reality of brotherly, sisters and honesty? Go to church. Church - it helps a friend become a brother and an acquaintance become family.