On the Church

I'm preaching today hoping to dispel the myth that the church isn't necessary. In these days that's not a slam dunk like it used to be. And maybe it shouldn't be. Those vital places that made such a difference in the lives of pagans like me seem few and far between now. Many seem content to just repeat what they did last year, or in the case of the FBC down the street, go back to what worked in 1973.

Well, I was saved in 1973. My wife drove a Vega and I drove a 300 horsepower 10 mpg Duster 340. It had an 8 track tape player.

The earth has turned and life has moved on.

"Unstirred waters lead to stagnation, and stagnation can't support life. Churches looking for lack of change and preservation of 'what has always been' are on course with slow, creeping death. Injection of new life, ideas, freshly surrendered lives, spiritual fervor, hunger to penetrate culture, and better ways to connect people in community all lead to disequilibrium. Disequilibrium is uncomfortable, unpredictable, and chaotic--the dominant reasons people don't like it...without fresh injections, organizations will be lulled into a false sense of complacency and end up 'the frog in the kettle slowly brought to boil.'" Ron Martoia, Morph!, 173