Loving Someone

I believe in the church. It's God's way of bringing about His kingdom. No, it's not perfect. It's full of people who have their own agendas and selfish inclinations. If I am willing to be honest, I have to admit that I am one of those people. I've also realized that one of the reasons I get angry with the church is that I'm too interested in "the church". As a pastor church can become a hobby, a passion, an addiction. When it's not moving as I think it should I get frustrated. As I was praying a few years ago God spoke to my heart and asked me, "Do you love me or do you love my bride?" It was one of those moments of clarity that I will never forget. I love the church, but I have to realize that the reason I love the church is because I love Jesus. And as I love Jesus, I find myself more patient and willing to work among the muck and mire that I find in my own life and in the lives of those who are the church. Brian McLaren sums my thoughts up in his newest book, A Generous Orthodoxy,

"A friend of mine once said that every new Christian should be equipped at baptism with a manure detector (not his exact words) because their is plenty of it around in the church world, and I agree. I've seen it and smelled it (and too often tracked it through the house). Sometimes, honestly, I've felt like giving up and walking away in search of fresher, healthier air. But there is something here that I love and can't stop loving, and that something is actually Someone."

May the Someone that we love so consume our thoughts and emotions, that we may walk together as His bride, painting a picture for the world of how beautiful He truly is.