I Love My Church

I LOVE MY CHURCH! Church is my home. I love going to church, singing in church, meeting my friends at church, serving God at my church, finding support and encouragement and comfort at my church, praying with people in my church.....I LOVE MY CHURCH! In the Bible it talks about not giving up meeting together with other believers and to never stop praying together and having fellowship together. That's what I love about my church! It's my family! And if I miss going one Sunday, for the rest of the week it feels like something is missing, it feels like I missed out - like I don't have the strength I need to go into a new week. That what church does for me, it gives me strength for the week to take on anything that comes into my path. It keeps me from becoming too discouraged and depressed and to know that I've gone with God's blessing into the week and that I've started the week off right by taking a day of rest. For me that includes taking that time to go to church each week and having that worship time with other believers and listening to God's Word through the message given by the pastor and gaining wisdom by it. It's encouraging, uplifting, comforting, exhalting, - it pumps me up for the week! It's the best drug out there - I can't do without it!! :-)

Church isn't just about the building...it's about the people. When Jesus is talking about the church in the Bible, he's not talking about a building, he's talking about people. The people, Christian people, make up the church. It's a family of believers and they're all over the world. The building is just a common place where we meet with other believers to sing, pray, have fellowship, and worship God together. It's also a place where we can eat together and do other wholesome activities together as a family who believe in God. I LOVE IT!!
In this picture, we're all dressed up in Bible times costumes performing our Easter drama production one year. It's so great to sing, act and perform together bringing glory to God.

Church is also a place where our kids, any kids, can develop their talents and gifts to the glory of God. Whether it's singing, playing a musical instrument, computer work, artwork, working with kids, or carpentry....whatever their gift is, this is a place they can use their giftings to be a blessing to others and to serve God with. It's a place where kids feel safe. It's a place where they can come and play with their friends, meet with their friends and grow up together. Kid's clubs, Sunday school, and Youth groups are excellent aspects of the church that kids of all ages love. In this picture here the kids are singing in the Christmas kids choir and blessing everyone listening. They were great!!

Another incredibly special aspect of church that I LOVE is getting together with a group of ladies to talk about God and to study His Word, the Bible, through Bible study and prayer. That has been the most impacting part of my life - being involved in a Bible study group. When you are studying God's word together with other believers, you develop a bond like no other. These friendships are everlasting frienships. There's nothing on this earth that you can take with you to Heaven when you die. BUT, there's those friendships with people who believe in God and His Son Jesus who came down to this earth to die for our sins and who rose again and is now living in heaven preparing a place for us. Those are everlasting friendships and that is the only thing you can take with you to Heaven. All the earthly things are left behind here on this earth and will eventually be destroyed. Nothing lasts forever except for those relationships that you make with others who believe in God and His Son, Jesus. It is only through Jesus that we have acceptance into Heaven - if you don't believe in Jesus, you don't go to heaven, it's as simple as that.

We'd just finished a Bible study, More of Christ, with this group of ladies. It was incredible. It was about the Beautitudes - I talk about it in a previous blog. There was this one lady, Sara, who was in the study with us - she's from England. She's now moved back there but she took an extra copy of the Bible study with her and would like to take that study with a Christian group of ladies out there. So now, someday when God takes me to England, I can visit her and I'll have a place to stay. :-) God brings all sorts of people through our lives - some for long term and others just for a season but it's always for a specific reason that He brings those people into our lives. I again thank God for each one. We are to be a blessing to each other and to encourage each other in the Lord. Thank you God for Sara.....and all the others ladies you've brought through my life. I have learned something from each one.

I LOVE MY CHURCH! It's a line that is often used by our pastor at church and it's something that sticks with me. I love the people, I love the music, I love the kids, I love the everlasting friendships, I love the prayer, I love the worship times, I love knowing that there are always people praying for me, I love the fact that I can always be open and honest, I love, I love, I love my church. Is the church perfect?? Are the people perfect?? NO!! We are all human beings born with a tendancy to make wrong choices, say the wrong thing or look at someone the wrong way. We are human - we all make mistakes and we all need forgiveness. That's also why I love my church because we can talk and work things through, pray together, ask for wisdom together and forgive each other. It's a place where you feel you belong, where you are part of a large worldwide family. It's home!! It's my family!! I love it!!

My home church is Cornerstone Church - has been for 18 years. Their website is www.cornerstone-church.ca You're all welcome anytime!!