I'm Back... Again...

Howdy All,
Scott from Texas here.

I'm back!
I really thought when I started this that I had a lot of junk to get off my chest.
I guess I was mistaken or maybe God has just worked a lot of that out.
We invited all the neighbors over this past weekend. Some of the regular crowd, some new ones. It was nice. When I first left the sunday morning club I was very into the house church stuff. I read everything i could get about how people were doing it, but it never took off. I really thought that was what I was supposed to do. Get everyone to my house and have church. God made sure that didn't happen. He was still working on that with me. I still thought you had to "have" or "do" church. I just started hanging out with the people that lived next to me, and across the street, and down the street. All the kids from up and down the street would end up in our front yard. Riding bikes and playing. So the more we stood outside with them the more we got to know them. Relationships grew out of that and I have found closer and deeper friendships with them than I have ever had before. Every weekend we end up at one of our houses. We cookout, play games, visit, and just enjoy relationship. God was showing me exactly how to be the church, instead of doing it.
One of the neighbors recently got married. All the rest of us went to wish her well. She moved off but we are still in touch. Her new husband has become just as much a part of us as she is. We also have been with another when his father died suddenly. We just did what was natural and came alongside him and helped him through it. We didn't just take him some food and say we'll pray for him. This is because we have an actual relationship. It is friendship at its deepest level.
I thought I had friendships at the sunday morning club but as soon as you would have something happen, you would have a few people bring food over. Then you wouldn't see anyone until the next time you went to the club. When we left the club all of the people that remained at the club wrote us off. I never heard from them. Three years, and no contact. Now THAT is some true friends... hmmm...
One of the club members that left about the same time I did has kept in touch with me we have become close friends. The two of us with a few others have solved many of the church's problems over a few pints! Work too has provided a place where I have found friends, because I don't have to only associate with the people of one particular club, has allowed me to have relationships with a variety of different people. It is true freedom. Freedom to love people. Strange that I never knew it before.

That's all I have for now. I'll chat some more next time... whenever that may be...

See ya then.

Scott from Texas
scottfromtexas@gmail.com