Our mission team made it home for the Dominican Republic safely last week and then we spent the rest of the week recovering and catching up on all the things that went undone while we were gone. It was a wonderful trip and as I process the experience in the coming days, I will share more with you about what God did and is doing.
But one thought has stayed with me as I have reintegrated back into my schedule and that is the importance of the church being the church outside the walls of our buildings. I saw a group of people who left the comforts of air conditioning and television and went to minister in another country. I saw the impact of the church truly being the church and I saw the difference it has made in the lives of those serving as well.
Moving forward, we must continue to look for ways to BE the church to a world who needs to see believers living out their faith. This coming Sunday afternoon our church is having “First Baptist Day at the Hooks.” The Hooks is a double A ball club here in Corpus Christi (that is doing very well this season by the way). Our church is going to have a presence at the game this coming Sunday afternoon. Those among us that are musically gifted will be singing the national anthem to begin the game.
And our Recreation Minister has orchestrated an invitation for me to throw out the first pitch. Do you know how long it has been since I threw a baseball – let alone 60 plus feet in front of thousands of people. To answer the first half of that question – a very long time. To answer the second half of that question – NEVER.
So – OK – I may be a bit nervous, but here is the point, this will be just one simple way for the church to be visible in the world. We will be supporting our local team, enjoying wonderful fellowship and showing all those present that our church family loves being together and loves Jesus. Being the church in the community does not always have to involve back breaking service (although that is often a key component) – it also takes the form of the church being real and showing love and community.
Now where did I put my ball glove – I think I need to practice!
Be a blessing today!
And we are off! 20 people from our church are on the way to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. We will be working with churches and schools in and around that city serving in a multitude of ways from construction to Vacation Bible Schools and sports camps to sewing projects and school teacher training.
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We wrap up Vacation Bible School today. It has been a wonderful week full of activity, laughter and showing the love of Christ to children. I am so blessed to be part of a family of believers that values the spiritual progression of kids!
as focused on sermon preparation, I heard a loud bump on my window followed by another. I knew what had happened – a bird had flown into the glass. So I got up to inspect the area outside my window expecting to find a bird laying dazed on the roof. Instead, what I found was a bird sitting nonchalantly on my window sill as if it was a normal day in its little life. It seemed fine but it caused me to wonder why the bird had flown into my window – not once but twice.
This coming Sunday we will be discussing the importance of sharing. I remember as a child, I was taught to share. The lessons weren’t always pleasant because there is something inherent in us to want to keep things for ourselves. I would like to think that as we grow up, we get better at sharing. But sadly, I think that we just get better at masking our selfishness. It is a constant battle to put other people’s interests above our own. But that is what we are called to do as believers.
Clay in the Hands 