Hi Friends!
This post has been a long time in coming. It was written months
ago. Seriously, I know you did not even have a clue that there was a part two
to the first Bird feeder saga. “Sigh”
I will just say that in order to understand this post I ask that you go back and read the first one. (Hint, click here.) Please take the time to read the comments that follow the post. I honestly believe the people who shared there brought in more wisdom and food for thought than my little post. You could even stick around and read more of the Bibledude's awesome site. You will not regret it. ;)
My question is, will you join in on the conversation?
Because my friends this is where we have been for a few years now. Asking questions and seeking answers in something as radical and simple as…
His Word.
(Gasp, I know right?!)
We are following God on a new adventure down an old path.
Asking questions and tipping sacred cows is not for the
faint of heart. Honestly, it can be freakishly uncomfortable.
But this is worth it, this lovely journey to better understand
God and His church.
For each person this expedition could lead to different
places, different ministries, and different conclusions, but it is better when
we journey this adventure together. We can pool our collected wisdom and different
experiences and compare it to His word.
Will you join me? Would you like to share?
And now…
The $5 dollar bird feeder that is a metaphor for our life in the church.
Winter Reflections on the Bird Feeder and the Church part 2.
It hit me today as I looked out the window, I could see and hear the Birds again. They were
on our new $5 bird feeder that our kids wanted to get. Our old one was pretty,
but had some serious issues that kept reoccurring. (Read here, Winter Reflections)
So this winter with a dysfunctional bird feeder and a budget
tightened by our resignations, medical bills, and appliances failing after the
lovely power outages, I have found myself walking outside every couple of days
to feed our birds.
Nothing spectacular, mind you, just sprinkling the seed on
the ground and branches where it’s hidden by tree cover and safe for our little feathered friends to eat.
The other day though, we saw a clearance “cheapo” bird feeder and
the kids were excited. (Yep, we get excited about these kinds of things.) So we binged and bought it.
The lovely $5 bird feeder has been out for a few days now.
Birds are happily alighting on it and they do not seem to
care that it is not as pretty or grand as the last one. Maybe the birds know something we don’t?
They are after all leaving it with bellies full of good nourishing seed again.
This is lovely.
So once again I hear my heavenly Father nudging me to listen, to pause…
To lean in and learn from Him...
Sometimes we try to repeatedly fix things that just continue
to break.
You see we can keep on trying to fix something that is
remaining broken or we can find a simple solution.
Like a $5 dollar bird feeder or just grabbing some seed and heading out daily to feed those hungry cold little ones.
Sort of like the church. Sort of like our faith…
We can hold so tightly to our beautiful buildings, to our precious methods and sacred traditions and in doing so we sometimes forget what God and His word actually have to say about them.
So maybe we don’t need a big flashy building?
Maybe we can just use our homes, our hands, and our feet to go out and feed the cold and hungry.
Maybe, just maybe there is more than one way to do this church thing.
Even more importantly we can actually decide to be the church.
What are your thoughts friends?
Both churches within buildings and those that reside outside the traditional brick and mortar can serve a purpose.
Do you believe it's possible to "do" church more effectively inside or outside of a building? Why or why not?
(P.S. What is your definition of "doing" church?)
What are your experiences good or bad with this?
What might happen if the body of Christ was more active outside of it's buildings than it was inside?
Whether it's a church that meets in a cathedral, movie theater, homeless shelter, or someone's home what do you personally view as the most effective venue?
What pluses and downfalls do you see for either side of this spectrum?
We cannot truly learn when we are only surrounded by people who think the same as we do. I encourage you to all share your differing ideas, what you have found in God's Word, your personal experiences, and heart in a respectful manner so that all of us can learn from each other.
If you are unsure of what the purpose is for this series than please click here and read the "Let's Talk Church" intro.
