Here and Now

"Churches should be places where people come to hear the story of God and to tell their own." I just read that line in a book called Chasing Francis . Is that what church is? I like the simplicity and honesty of the statement - but is that all? It seems a little...self-centered. You know - it's about me hearing and me telling. What about me serving and me sacrificing and...? So, that's not ALL churches should be. Okay - then, yes. Churches are where we hear about God and where we tell what God has done in our lives. So - yeah, that's it. I just was struck by that statement.

So I stop in a little early for my shift at the Crossing (I stopped at the hospital to visit someone and I couldn't) and there's about a half dozen teenagers sitting around the kidney-bean shaped table talking about...well, everything. And I hear (from a girl, no less) - "There was an episode of Star Trek about that..." About what? Dunno - I was heading to the other room. When I came back they were talking about Pokemon...sigh... But I'm a little comforted that Geeks still talk smack about Star Trek - and Pokemon - and all that goofy stuff. And it's not just because I'm a Geek - but because kids are still being kids - being themselves - and hanging out. This whole new virtual world scares the cr@p** out of me. Not because I'm so tragically unhip (I am, but I don't care) but because I worry about kids being more connected than ever before - and more isolated. I just had a conversation with my friend Jim (well, a couple weeks ago) about what I w