Recently, I have been through yet another personal journey that has rocked everything I thought I was square with.
For instance, without REALLY thinking I always subconsciously thought that going to church was my ticket to heaven. Of course, I knew that it was a relationship with Jesus, but the unspoken rule was that going to church was the outward sign that I had that relationship and was a true believer and "Christian."
Our lives have taken an odd turn in the past few years and I find myself NOT going to any church and STILL a very strong believer. In fact, I think my faith is stronger now, because I don't have the security of the church to fall on. My faith is truly on a solid rock, which the Bible says is Jesus.
There is an old hymn that says, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame and wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand...."
The funny part of it was, is that we always sang it in church and it seems that I really was not trusting in Jesus, but it was the church that I was trusting in.
Now, don't go thinking I am putting churchgoers down. It was a very important part of my life for over 50 years...it's a part of the very fiber of who I am. I think about going to a church almost every Sunday morning....but I just don't get excited about it, so I stay home.
So rather than making anymore 'arguments' and excuses for no church, I want to share one big thing that has been on my heart.
When we first moved back to Southern California, and because of the bizarre twist my job took, I wondered what the heck!? Did we feel so right about coming back just to get kicked in the teeth? I wondered why I was put in a job among corrupt church leaders for such a short time. I kept asking what it was that I was here for?
I was surrounded by widows, orphans those rejected by the church that is supposed to help and love them like Jesus loved - and it hit me that I wanted to pay attention to a scripture that I have ended up living out during my life and didn't even realize it. It says:
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:26-27
Since I have personally adopted orphans and have befriended widows and those abandoned by "the church" ....and now we are working with seniors who are also widows... I figured we were doing some right things.
Please don't think for a minute that I think I am pure and faultless - but it says that THIS is the thing that God accepts as pure religion.
Since then, I have been giving to real religious matters, and that is adoptions. I am not adopting anymore children myself, but am trying to help those who are....THEY are the ones on the front lines.
If anyone reading this feels compelled to give as well, I have a few ideas for you. On my sidebar, I have put buttons up for some people that are practicing their religion by actually LIVING it.
I have personally checked out and donated to all of the adoptions that I have posted here and will not put anything that I have not checked out or personally donated to. I will try to write more about the individuals later.
