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As believers, loving others is not to be an option, it’s to be a lifestyle. No one does that better than my wife Cheryl.
Recently we were on a 3 1/2 hour flight to San Francisco. I was in the window seat, Cheryl was in the middle, and a woman we didn’t know was in the aisle seat. I do some of my best work on a plane, so I was in a groove and time seemed to pass quickly. I knew Cheryl was talking to the other woman, but didn’t pay much attention. I was in a zone and very focussed. (Cheryl’s always complimented me on being able to ignore everything around me 🙂 )
At one point I looked up, and Cheryl was crying…and so was this woman. Of course my first thought, as every man thinks when a woman cries, was “what did I do?” As I later learned, this woman has just returned from her father’s funeral. Cheryl, who lost her father over a year ago, was able to minister to this woman on the plane to San Francisco. They traded contact information and Cheryl made herself available after this brief encounter ended.
This week, Cheryl received this email:
About once a month, someone shares a story with me that’s big. I get stories all the time, but I’m talking about the kind of story that makes your jaw flop open when you hear it…that kind of big story.
I’ve quit being surprised when it happens, but I’m usually surprised that it’s happening to the person telling me the story. Usually this type of story starts with a phrase such as “I hope you’ll still be my friend after I tell you this...” or “Please don’t give up on me when I tell you this…”
Someone made a huge error…they messed up…they sinned…
What surprises me most, however, is that no matter how much I preach with grace, in spite of the fact that “grace” is in our church’s name, even though I’m not bashful about saying I’ve had tremendous failures in my own life…
People still worry how I will respond to them.
Guilt does that too a person…and struggling with the emotions after a moral failure is often one of the hardest consequences…
Let me make one thing perfectly clear, however…
This is a note to the church shopper, especially those who can’t seem to find a place to call home. You want to have a church family, but nothing seems to connect with you. You’ve tried every flavor of church, but none match you taste.
My desire would be to see you loving your church experience. No church is perfect, but if you will follow a few tips, you may find exactly the right fit for your family. Here is my best advice. Don’t give up until you’ve tried all of this process, because each step is necessary to achieve the best results:
If you are looking to connect with a church: