Everyone Has a Place

I'm thankful for the noticeable impact on marriages in this series. We're receiving good reports almost daily. I've also heard positive reports from singles, single parents, divorcees and widows. Isn't that the way it is supposed to be?!?

Imagine being in the early church and hearing sections of the Bible read which seemed to have no relevance to you personally. Actually, in the early church, all issues were viewed as being relevant because they viewed themselves as a family. Your issues affect me and my issues affect you because we are joined together through relationship with Jesus. That can be awesome, and it can be messy.

In our consumer culture we tend to approach faith like a buffet line. We tend to only embrace what makes us feel good (in the moment) and avoid anything challenging. We tend to hang out mostly with people like us. We've heard about other people's suffering but distance ourselves from learning anything about it.

June (my wife) and I enjoyed our first small group years ago which was comprised of young, old, married and single folks. Everyone had different life experiences. We got to know each other, laughed together, prayed together, learned together and walked through stuff together. Diversity in community has a way of teaching us to look beyond ourselves and realize the universe does not revolve around us. The grace we need can only come through humility.

My hope is not only that marriages will get stronger, but we will get healthier and as a family. That means everyone has a part to play. Everyone has a place at the table.

So let's pray and keep building together. We're a part of something amazing!