OK today I have to tell on myself. We can all learn a lesson from this though.
Yesterday, I took an amazing woman with me to church in Houston, TX. We decided that we wanted to go to church and how we got to this particular one really isn't important but let me describe the church. I don't know how things really look outside of Texas but for this Texan, when you say small church it brings up a certain image.
The church building is a quaint little place and the biggest structure by far is the sanctuary. But the whole thing isn't very big. When you go inside, you find the steeple roof and the bench pews all neatly arranged. There is an alter down front where people go to pray every Sunday. There you can pray with the pastor or some other deacon who is ready and willing to help you communicate with God. Most of the time, you see a plaque on the wall that has three rows. One with weekly attendance, one with the offering from the last service and I can't remember what's in the other row.
The people are all normally very friendly and they want to shake your hand and give you a hug. They greet you warmly and there is a general order to the church. That means that certain families have went there for many years and they sit in the same place every Sunday. As you sit, there are three things in front of you. There is the Bible, a hymn book and normally a little pencil to fill in the offering envelope that sits next to it.
Many times kids accompany their families to church and sit with mom and dad. Sometimes it's because mom and dad want them there. Sometimes it's because the church is so small, they don't really have a children's church. Normally there is a nursery with a couple of grandmotherly figures who faithfully take care of the babies. Many times, this is the second or third generation from the same family that they have seen.
The choir sings three hymns, the pastor preaches for about an hour and the whole thing is concluded by noon. It's just the old time way.
See the thing is, I come from a very big non-denominational church in Fort Worth where we are taught from the bible. I like our church and it is the best church for me at the moment. Also, I read my bible every day. I'm not saying that to brag, the devil knows the bible but it's important to this particular blog. I have read the bible through several times and while I am not a bible scholar, I do know some things from the bible. So when we sat down yesterday, I really wasn't expecting to get anything from the message. After all, this was a small church full of sweet people. They sang three hymns that I know well and there was only one person in the choir. After that, the took up the offering and we were welcomed by everyone.
Now these were some very sweet, genuine, loving people. And for the most part, they were at least one generation older than us if not more. I was not expecting much revelation out of the service. We went there to bless this congregation and we enjoyed the whole service. It was a good one. What I did not expect was to learn anything. After all, I go to a big church. I really didn't expect to get anything from the sermon but guess what. The Lord used that as an opportunity to teach me that I didn't know it all. I saw things in that sermon that I have never seen before in all my many years of reading the bible. Lord, please forgive me for being arrogant.
Let me say, I did not have a major prideful spirit but I was walking in a little bit of pride. By the end of the service, I am sure our offering blessed them but I know their service blessed and taught us both something.
So what am I trying to say? We don't know it all. God can use the most unlikely places to teach us something. So be careful of that prideful spirit. It can rob you of learning and so much more. I am thankful for that sweet church and the sermon we heard.
That's another Opinion of the Minion
Yesterday, I took an amazing woman with me to church in Houston, TX. We decided that we wanted to go to church and how we got to this particular one really isn't important but let me describe the church. I don't know how things really look outside of Texas but for this Texan, when you say small church it brings up a certain image.
The church building is a quaint little place and the biggest structure by far is the sanctuary. But the whole thing isn't very big. When you go inside, you find the steeple roof and the bench pews all neatly arranged. There is an alter down front where people go to pray every Sunday. There you can pray with the pastor or some other deacon who is ready and willing to help you communicate with God. Most of the time, you see a plaque on the wall that has three rows. One with weekly attendance, one with the offering from the last service and I can't remember what's in the other row.
The people are all normally very friendly and they want to shake your hand and give you a hug. They greet you warmly and there is a general order to the church. That means that certain families have went there for many years and they sit in the same place every Sunday. As you sit, there are three things in front of you. There is the Bible, a hymn book and normally a little pencil to fill in the offering envelope that sits next to it.
Many times kids accompany their families to church and sit with mom and dad. Sometimes it's because mom and dad want them there. Sometimes it's because the church is so small, they don't really have a children's church. Normally there is a nursery with a couple of grandmotherly figures who faithfully take care of the babies. Many times, this is the second or third generation from the same family that they have seen.
The choir sings three hymns, the pastor preaches for about an hour and the whole thing is concluded by noon. It's just the old time way.
See the thing is, I come from a very big non-denominational church in Fort Worth where we are taught from the bible. I like our church and it is the best church for me at the moment. Also, I read my bible every day. I'm not saying that to brag, the devil knows the bible but it's important to this particular blog. I have read the bible through several times and while I am not a bible scholar, I do know some things from the bible. So when we sat down yesterday, I really wasn't expecting to get anything from the message. After all, this was a small church full of sweet people. They sang three hymns that I know well and there was only one person in the choir. After that, the took up the offering and we were welcomed by everyone.
Now these were some very sweet, genuine, loving people. And for the most part, they were at least one generation older than us if not more. I was not expecting much revelation out of the service. We went there to bless this congregation and we enjoyed the whole service. It was a good one. What I did not expect was to learn anything. After all, I go to a big church. I really didn't expect to get anything from the sermon but guess what. The Lord used that as an opportunity to teach me that I didn't know it all. I saw things in that sermon that I have never seen before in all my many years of reading the bible. Lord, please forgive me for being arrogant.
Let me say, I did not have a major prideful spirit but I was walking in a little bit of pride. By the end of the service, I am sure our offering blessed them but I know their service blessed and taught us both something.
So what am I trying to say? We don't know it all. God can use the most unlikely places to teach us something. So be careful of that prideful spirit. It can rob you of learning and so much more. I am thankful for that sweet church and the sermon we heard.
That's another Opinion of the Minion
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