Two soldiers from Spring, Texas, brothers, are the very first brothers to have the honor to serve as honor guard at the grave of the unknown soldier The older is 5'11", while his younger bother is 6'7". That is taller than the measurement is supposed to be, but they waived that requirement for the brothers.
I mention this because these soldiers who stand this guard have very strict requirements in uniform and behavior to meet. They even stood guard during IKE.
This all came to mind as I read an article in the paper about people looking for churches. The article quotes the Barna Group and Life Way Research, both organizations that study reasons for “empty pews”. The article tries to show what people look for when seeking churches. They speak with admiration of the large growth of ‘non-denominational’ churches which offer many things beside worship, help with taxes, physical activity, fitness and recreational facilities, etc, etc.
A person with Lifeway said, “People want honest, and have the Bible brought to life so they can live their faith every day”. But “specific denomination was not important, and many people were open to more than one denomination.”
They quote Kerry Shook of The Woodlands. “We find denominations put up barriers. . so we take those barriers away and welcome everyone.”
The article speaks about Church, but it seems to forget that the Church is God’s invention, and should be run by His rules. But I see no mention of God.
It reminded me of a steeplechase race planned by a running club. They invited runners, and hundreds showed up because the prize being offered was a large sum of money. They explained to the runners that the track was clearly marked, but it wound up and down, and twisted through some rough terrain, but each turn was clearly marked by an orange pointer. So the race began, runners were on a track for maybe half a mile, then the first turn came and the pack followed. During the race, they crested a rather steep hill, and the pointer showed left off the track, but left led to a muddy path leading to some woods. By this time the runners had sort of established a routine of following, and when the first stayed with the clear track, most of the rest did too. Some noted the pointer and turned into the muddy trail, but not many. You guessed it, the muddy trail was the right one. The broad way led to a jumble of shacks and not much else. No prize.
And the word of Jesus comes to mind. Matthew 7,13, “Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Go where Jesus' Word is taught and He is Savior of your soul.
GPD 2/20/10
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment