Days To Remember G's Blog

My husband and I were talking & walking the track the other day at the gym. The walking is fine, but the talking and the time together warms my heart. If you know me, I am not a bit about idle chit chat. I think that is why I do not do so well with the common social gatherings, like just the idle weather, how are the kids (unless it gets to details), how's work, or really understand the social joker, etc. I like to talk about real things, deep things, the things that make you get to know a person. I love that type of intimate conversation. The conversation that allows for me to see who it is that I am really talking to. I love that about Page and our walks/talks. I am thankful to the Lord for blessing me with that on a daily basis.

Our talk was on this book, that Page has read, and I have just finished. The book is "So You Don't Want to go to Church Anymore?" One thing about me if you know me........is that I am real, I wear my emotions well, I tell you as it is, and what you see is what you get. I like authenticity and I desire to have that authenticity with fellow believers in my spiritual walk. I desire to have others with me on this journey to encourage, and grow in Jesus more and more. I have felt often that what I find in the day to day is that most people are not on the same wavelength as I. Being the same wavelength I am just meaning desiring that getting to know you factor. It is weird. There has been this sense of restlessness for me with "the institutionalized church" for awhile and this book has really helped me to realize why. It makes so much sense. First of all, I have to return to my first love of Christ. Live in Him each day. Trust in Him. Be authentic to those around me and serve Him. There is so much to share from this book, not to ever replace THE BOOK being the Bible, but all I have to say is boy sometimes we certainly do have our ideas backward from what God wants and this book has been so great at pointing those things out. It has been challenging to me and breaks my heart at what I have seen and see to this day in what we call our "institutionalized churches." I am certainly going to press onward to what it is that God would desire from me and to draw closer to Him.

I liked this quote from the authors Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman, " Fellowship happens where people share the journey of knowing Jesus together. It consists of open, honest sharing, genuine concern about one another's spiritual well being and encouragement for people to follow Jesus however he leads them." The thing is that this does not necessarily happen when we go to a building each week. It occurs when we live out the life of Jesus with one another on a day to day basis.This can occur anywhere because if you have Christ in you, you are the church.

I encourage you to read this book. It will make you see "church" with some new spectacles.

I am sure I will be blogging more about this. Night Night.