One Year Ago, God Is Sending His Very Best After Me
Year 2007 rolls around.
I am taking a lot of church invites. Went to Potter’s House, Fellowship Church, Prestonwood Church, Irving Bible Church. Went to my old home church. Went to smaller churches.
They were all well and good. But not compelled to stay at any of them. I keep telling myself I need more meat. I keep saying I need something substantial. I got to be feed. The church should be here for me.
I move to from Grapevine (suburb of Fort Worth) to Dallas. After moving to Dallas, I get invited by who would be one of my best friends through all of this, Court, to a church in Southlake, Texas called Gateway Church. Sure I will entertain this. Oh hum, a megachurch in the rich part of town. No, I am not going to be connected. No, I am not going to like it.
But Court is a cool guy. Why not.
My son and I attended one weekend service in the beginning of April.
Wow, not bad. Wow, this pastor is a great shepherd. Wow, this pastor assumes we are reading our Bible. No, I don’t know what he is talking about. Where is that at in the Bible? Dang it!
At least I know where Habakkuk is at in the Bible. No, don’t ask me about it.
Hmm, not bad. Too bad I won’t be going here.
Court invites me out next weekend. That ain’t a arm twister. Why not? This is a great church.
Next weekend, we went to Gateway again. I tried be critical and I tried to pick it apart both sermons. I couldn’t.
Got invited again but this time I insisted that I couldn’t go.
The following Saturday after, my son and I was rolling through the greater Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex when this question pops up from my son:
Son: Daddy, can we go to my church?
Dad: Uh yea, son… hmm… errr… what church are we talking about?
Son: The one with the cross on the top
((Dad thinks to himself, “How does he know about the Cross?”))
Dad: There are a lot of churches with crosses on top
((Dad knows which one son is refering to))
Son: I AM TALKING ABOUT THE ONE WE WENT TO LAST WEEK WITH YOUR FRIEND COURT
Apparently, my son sent out the memo that we have already found a church to call home. I just haven’t checked my email just yet.
But Gateway did become my home.
I certainly didn’t expect to fall in love but I did.
Great hear how God works.
How good of God to send Court your way!
Is there more?
Yeah, that’s awesome.
I like Robert…he’s a good speaker. So is Preston. Good guys.
As far as that church goes…man, I look around, and I see flat screens and Macs galore…and I’m thinking to my self, “Could this money be better utilised towards something far more useful, like building new homes for the homeless, or helping out those that are unemployed gain the skills that they need, in order to not only secure employment, but better employment? Or how about something as simple as giving away food and clothing for those that are less unfortunate?
Where’s the outreach? The fundamental problem with ALL churches is it’s just been reduced to a rah-rah session, uplifting each other (there’s nothing wrong with that, mind you), instead of reaching out to others!
I can’t possibly go to Gateway, let alone any church, until I start to see this being the focus of, instead of being inclusive.
Tam: One more in the morning and it ends on Saturday. I originally plan it for four posts and it ended up being 7 in all.
Jessie: Then you should find a church that does just that. My point is about the church is that I started looking for how the church can serve me. But with God has done in my life, one of the things I learned is that it is not about me, it is all about God. It is not about me, it is how I can love others and how I can serve others.