I recently heard a story about a former gang member who started attending a church in California. In spite of his past, his piercings, and his ink, he was welcomed and accepted--and the guy really seemed to like what he was experiencing there.
After a few months, the guy stopped attending. It seems this church just wasn’t turning out to be what he had expected. He told someone that when he had originally joined his former gang, he was immediately immersed in a brotherhood--a family that had his back in any and every circumstance . . .people to go through life with, and whether they were living rightly or wrongly, he knew he belonged. Although he was accepted at this church, he didn’t feel like one of them. Though they welcomed him, he didn’t feel like family.
Do
you have a group of people to whom you belong, people whom you know have your back? Would it surprise you to know that is
exactly what the church was designed for? Sadly, many have missed the mark on that issue. But God designed us to live in
community, to go through life together, to be a group of people that look more
like a family—a “gang,” even—than an organization. So if you are part of a
church, work toward making yours a place like that. If you aren’t part of a church, I challenge you to find one
that is. Because God really does
have your back, and he wants to surround your life with people who do, too.
Wow thanks for sharing this! Inspirational!
Posted by: Brandie Drumm | August 03, 2009 at 07:10 PM