Dare You to Move

After seven years of bouncing between a bowling alley, then a skating rink, then a YMCA, our church, Lake Forest Church, has finally moved into its own building. This is a very exciting time for all of us. The drive to build the church building came when Krista and I were deciding whether or not eDOT was the place God was calling us to. Ironically, the drive was called “Dare you to move”. We joke all the time that they dared us and now we are moving. I also joke anytime that someone says something like “Doesn’t it upset you when such and such happens?” to which I reply, “Yeah, I think I’ll just leave the country!”

But isn’t that the state of the church both in Europe and the US? People get upset with something in the church and say “Fine, I’ll just leave”. Here in the Bible Belt (i.e. Southern US), people seem to just jump to the next church down the road. In other places, they just leave the church completely. In Europe, churches are struggling - places that once held people for worship are now dance clubs, apartments or tourist traps. Europeans don’t see Jesus’ love in the church and so they don’t see a need for church and therefore no need for God.

So now I ask those that are a part of any church - Do you Dare to Move? I am not asking you to literally move (like Krista and I), but are you willing to move with the Holy Spirit and show people the love of Christ? People will still leave the church (just as people walked away from Jesus) but are we really doing all that we can to show people God’s love. If not, think about the different ways we could!! What about feeding the hungry, listening to a teenager who just needs to be heard, visiting an elderly person who can’t get out to see anyone or just smiling warmly at someone as you pass by them. How are you called to share God’s love?