Disciple Now Speaker – We Are All One
This past weekend, I got to serve as a Disciple Now speaker for Heritage Baptist Church in Texarkana, TX. We had a fantastic weekend, and being a Christian youth speaker is such an amazing opportunity. I loved watching the teens worship and praise God with all of their hearts, and was reminded why our worship as adults needs to be as free as theirs was.
Now, I must tell that I am painfully aware of the dissidence between the Churches of Christ and the Baptist Church. While there are areas of tradition that I treasure, I contend that if you believe in Jesus, then we are in the same wonderful family. I do not share feelings of animosity, and feel strongly that if we all learned how to stop the arguing and start realizing that we have more in common as believers in Jesus than we have to argue you about, God’s family would be a much happier place. I love my brothers and sisters that I met with this weekend, and am honored to have been called the same from their perspective.
I tell you all of that to say that their outpouring of love by the church throwing a birthday party for Hannah simply blew me away. They had a cute cupcake-cake that was formed in the shape of a dog. (Hannah kept asking me what happened to the dog’s nose…and it felt strange to tell her that she had eaten it!) We sang the familiar birthday song, helped Hannah blow out the candles, and had a wonderful celebration. The church members even bought her a baby and stroller set to go along with her collection. She couldn’t have been happier.
I know all churches have differences, and I am not advocating that we agree on everything. However, with both myself and the youth pastor at Heritage Baptist being each raised in a denomination that has historically called the other’s denomination a heresy, I can’t help but feel that the kind of love we experienced is exactly what Jesus was praying for in John 17: 20-21:
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
I continue to be amazed each and every day with the love shown in the family of God.
Where Am I Going, Again?
Last week, we got to spend some time in Johnson City, KS. I know…I had to look it up, too! Johnson City is in the far southwestern corner of the state and is only a few miles from the Colorado and Texas borders. It was quite literally the “middle of nowhere.” While a remote destination, the people of Johnson City, KS, couldn’t have been a nicer bunch!
Our trip began at a Wednesday night service at Fields Memorial Wesleyan Church to a group of teenagers and adults. We had a wonderful evening of pizza, worship, and a message to get those in attendance to ponder what it means to be a positive Christian. I believe that’s the only way Christians can serve and carry out God’s will in the world…we must be a happy people!
On Thursday, I began the morning at Stanton County High School, speaking to the students there about truly living life for all it’s worth, and about not letting any obstacle get in your way. We had a blast during the question and answer time that I always try to incorporate in my school presentations. The students asked questions for a good thirty-five minutes and we had a great discussion on how to approach others with disabilities…along with some fun stuff like answering how I play Rockband 2!
Thursday night, I spoke at the Life Support Crisis Pregnancy Center’s Annual Banquet. This event was the main reason for being in Johnson City, KS, and the banquet was wonderful. So many people showed up that the hosts had to put out more tables! We met so many people with their own stories of hope and inspiration, and I loved being able to encourage and support Life Support in their efforts. We had a fabulous time with Lisa (the Exec. Director of Life Support) and her wonderful family! We felt right at home in Johnson City!
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