looks like I broke a rib about 12 days ago... I've been skateboarding a lot, lately, and I fell... i've kept going, though. there's no sense in slowing down for it. I just grunt a lot and like that... when I fall skating, i almost black out...
“ The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. ” - Psalm 138:8
I feel I should share with you brother Lew. Our Lord has put you on the front of my mind this day and I have been praying for you.
Something I have been thinking about today is denominationalism. Why do we do it? Here is how it looks to me. In Anderson Township alone, we have like 20 different churches for like 5 protestant denominations. Then we have like 2 churches, 1 mission center and 1 montesary for catholicism. On one road alone, Salem road, there are a total of seven protestant (seven freakin' churches!) in a two mile stretch from Beechmont ave. to Birney. Now, Anderson Township only has like an upper of 10,000 residents. I am going estimate that only about 7,000 of those people would call themselves Christians and only at most 3,000 would say they actually are Christ-followers in every way of their lives. I could also safely estimate that of those 3,000 self-proclaimed Christ-followers, about 800 live their lives as part of something that resembles the scriptural community and they are mostly probably the poorest of this area. I have been to a Lutheran church where the pastor essentially bashed other churches in Cincinnati and Anderson Township. I have been to a Methodist church that rarly offers the teachings of the redemptive atonement of Christ and fails to even as much mention or work with any of the other 22+ churches in Anderson. I have been to a Catholic church that doesn't recognize any person that is not catholic as Christian or worthy of the eucheristic offerings of communal salvation offered even to the gentiles by Christ. So why so many churches? Well, in Anderson it has become obvious that the church has become something of building, gathering and hiding from the world rather than body of people going, spreading and preaching in Love and Grace. Which is Christlike? Which is asked of us constantly in Spirit, avoid and hide from those who we find disagreements or join, love and come to agreement in order to work together to spread the Holy Spirit? Did Christ say something that separates against itself would spread and grow and gain strength or fall and tumble into self-destruction? It may seem cliche but, why can't we all get along in the Kingdom? Why can't we realize that we are all on the same mission, under the same commission serving with thr same Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
"Wake up O' sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you." - Right? Is our Church in sleep. Let's wake up our brothers and sisters, right?. I am encouraged to hear about your journeys to skate parks. I drive past one in A-town often. It is literally like 300 feet from a church on both sides. 300 feet from where you would expect Jesus-people at their highest concentration, right? Unfortunatly not. I lift you up in prayer brother Lew. Your mission in our body is one of great inspiration to me and I thank you for that. Grace.
“ The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. ” - Psalm 138:8
ReplyDeleteI feel I should share with you brother Lew. Our Lord has put you on the front of my mind this day and I have been praying for you.
Something I have been thinking about today is denominationalism. Why do we do it? Here is how it looks to me. In Anderson Township alone, we have like 20 different churches for like 5 protestant denominations. Then we have like 2 churches, 1 mission center and 1 montesary for catholicism. On one road alone, Salem road, there are a total of seven protestant (seven freakin' churches!) in a two mile stretch from Beechmont ave. to Birney. Now, Anderson Township only has like an upper of 10,000 residents. I am going estimate that only about 7,000 of those people would call themselves Christians and only at most 3,000 would say they actually are Christ-followers in every way of their lives. I could also safely estimate that of those 3,000 self-proclaimed Christ-followers, about 800 live their lives as part of something that resembles the scriptural community and they are mostly probably the poorest of this area.
I have been to a Lutheran church where the pastor essentially bashed other churches in Cincinnati and Anderson Township. I have been to a Methodist church that rarly offers the teachings of the redemptive atonement of Christ and fails to even as much mention or work with any of the other 22+ churches in Anderson. I have been to a Catholic church that doesn't recognize any person that is not catholic as Christian or worthy of the eucheristic offerings of communal salvation offered even to the gentiles by Christ.
So why so many churches? Well, in Anderson it has become obvious that the church has become something of building, gathering and hiding from the world rather than body of people going, spreading and preaching in Love and Grace. Which is Christlike? Which is asked of us constantly in Spirit, avoid and hide from those who we find disagreements or join, love and come to agreement in order to work together to spread the Holy Spirit? Did Christ say something that separates against itself would spread and grow and gain strength or fall and tumble into self-destruction? It may seem cliche but, why can't we all get along in the Kingdom? Why can't we realize that we are all on the same mission, under the same commission serving with thr same Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
"Wake up O' sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you." - Right?
Is our Church in sleep. Let's wake up our brothers and sisters, right?.
I am encouraged to hear about your journeys to skate parks. I drive past one in A-town often. It is literally like 300 feet from a church on both sides. 300 feet from where you would expect Jesus-people at their highest concentration, right? Unfortunatly not. I lift you up in prayer brother Lew. Your mission in our body is one of great inspiration to me and I thank you for that. Grace.