Family of God

9/1/14        Gwen and Roy        about 60

During the month of August I decided to focus on our cabin rehab project.  This put me “off the grid’ in regards to posting my usual witnessing stories on Facebook and my blog, but it did put me in a Menards almost daily, where I was able to share the Gospel while picking up the building supplies I needed.  This turned Menards into an adventure, and I have too many stories to remember or tell, so I’ll just focus on the most recent.  I reached out to an older couple named Roy and Gwen, and when asked about their beliefs Roy just pointed to Gwen and said “She’s the churchgoer, she’ll like that question!”  She did indeed, and I met a faithful sister in the Lord.  Roy, too, proclaimed faith in Christ, but isn’t much interested in attending church.  So I asked why not, focusing not on what church can do for him but on all God can do through him for the church.  “You are part of God’s family, and not going to church is like refusing to attend a family reunion” I said.  He looked shocked, and said “I can’t believe you just told me that!”  He told me how he was feeling guilty for not attending a family reunion the day before, and how his brother had called him to ask why he wasn’t coming, telling him “Our family isn’t complete without you!”  Roy could really relate to what I was saying about his spiritual family as well.  We who believe have been adopted into God’s family, and He is now our Father and we have other believers as brothers and sisters, and mainly through our involvement in the family we are becoming more and more like the Son, more and more like a natural-born member of the family.  Not to attend church family gatherings will only stunt our growth, and will keep others from growing as they should too.  We need the family, and the family needs us.