What are we "for"?

I've heard statements several times lately concerning what the "church" is against. These conversations seem to pick up speed every four years around election time. So my natural train of thought is this...if the "church" is against all of these things then what is the "church" for?

Why is it that what people are against get so much publicity compared to what they are for?
So I pose the question to all of you in hopes of receiving some feedback.
What would you say the "church" is for?
What d0 you think?

Sunday night prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you for the chance to worship You today.
Thank you for the family You have formed around me.
Thank you for places like the circus where I can have fun with my family.
Thank you for being God and never changing.
Thank you for never giving up on me.
Thank you for boundaries in the midst of chaos.
Thank you for good-night hugs and kisses.
I love you, Lord.
Amen.

turning...

This has been a week that no one really wants to see and yet God has shown Himself in some very cool ways. Within 24 hours of each other I sat with a family as they told their twin 8 year-olds that their father had passed away and then I received word that some good friends of mine had also experienced lose. Both were hard to swallow. Both lead to unanswerable questions. Both can not be explained away. Both really, really suck!

Then I was struggling with how to lead Bible study Wednesday night and Allison suggested we just praise and worship. My first thought was selfish b/c I tend to put a lot more time planning something like that than I had left in the day. But God kept nudging me in that direction. So I picked out some songs and then said "Ok, God, You know what you are doing."...and boy does He ever.

Wednesday night we prayed and sang and held hands and lifted each other up and sat still and cried and worshiped and experienced THE almighty God. At the end of it all one person came up to me and said, "tonight, we had church."

Wednesday I cried for all my friends. Mostly during the most random moments. Wednesday night I worshiped with those tears. Now yesterday and today I've worshiped God with what He has graciously given me. I've walked on the beach holding hands with my wife...the greatest Christian I've ever known...and I've played with and hugged my daughter, the personification of adventure.

As I sit here thinking back over this week God has put Jeremiah 31:13b in front of me...
"I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow."

I don't know how God does it but He is the only one who is able to turn mourning into gladness.
Don't ever forget that God is able to do anything...even comfort when it doesn't seem possible.

Prayer of the Day

Found this prayer today....

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
Because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.
You endured shame so that we might be redeemed.

Father, help us to live openly and humbly before you and one another.
Help us to stand in solidarity with the humble—those who feel shame,
those who have been brought low, those who are mistreated.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

27 states!

We are up to 27 states!!! That means that I have had hits on my blog generating from 27 of our 50 states. That is awesome! Don't forget to check out the blog as you travel around...ESPECIALLY if you leave the U.S. or travel to Hawaii or Alaska. I'm trying to reach out and receive hits from all 50 states...thanks again to everyone for your help on this.

Also don't forget that you can donate to breast cancer research by clicking on the link on the right side of this page.

gulp!

I keep running into scriptures and situations lately that seem to be pointing to one thing. BE the church always. There are so many who keep thinking that one day they will "get back in church". Some think I need to get my family back in church. This whole idea should motivate some of us to BE the church all the time. If we are walking in unity with other believers wouldn't this be a light shining bright that brings glory to God Himself?

As one of my neighbors sat in my living room the other night sharing his struggles and his desire to "get back in church" this thought hit me. This moment right now may be the ONLY church service he makes it to! WOW! Talk about realizing the power of a moment. I didn't have the perfect things to say to him. I didn't have great counseling advice. I didn't really know what to say in response to his sharing. I did, however, find myself in a position of putting my money where my mouth is.

For years I've taught and preached that there is never a bad time to praise/worship God. So that's what we did. Before he left we prayed together and worshiped God together. Instead of waiting for my neighbor to show up on a Sunday morning we sat right there in my living room and praised God even in the midst of struggles.

Galatians 5:6 says, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."
That's not just a Sunday morning thing or a Wednesday night thing but an anytime and every time thing...even on a Monday evening.

That's my encouragement for anyone who is reading this right now...don't wait for your friends and neighbors to show up at church...go and be the church today in some way where you are.