{"id":407,"date":"2018-08-16T02:55:44","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T02:55:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shop.honestreflections.net\/?p=407"},"modified":"2019-12-10T08:43:56","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T13:43:56","slug":"church-isnt-a-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2018\/08\/16\/church-isnt-a-building\/","title":{"rendered":"Church Isn't a Building!"},"content":{"rendered":"

“For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”\u00a0 Romans 12:4-5<\/strong><\/em>
\nI love my church, beyond words.\u00a0 \u00a0I love my pastor. I love the campus pastors. I love the people I get to love on and meet because of them.\u00a0 It’s a wonderful place.\u00a0 There is always a seat next to me available if you want to join me.\u00a0 It’s a great place to meet Jesus.
\nThe last three weeks, my husband and I have been traveling.\u00a0 I don’t diss church just because I’m not at home.\u00a0 As much as I love my church, I also believe being in church is so important when we’re not at home, we always find a church to visit.\u00a0 Church is not a building, church is the people who fill it.
\nThe amazing part of visiting churches while we’re gone is the ability to briefly connect with other believer’s.\u00a0 Other’s that are persevering and pushing through the hard times, because there are always hard times.\u00a0 Don’t be fooled.\u00a0 Christ didn’t promise a rose garden, Christ told the truth:
\n\u201cI have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.\u00a0In this world you will have trouble.\u00a0But take heart! I have overcome\u00a0the world.\u201d John 16:33\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nI have been reflecting on the churches we have visited this summer.\u00a0 They are all so different, but one thing remains the same, Jesus.\u00a0 They are all seeking and loving Jesus.\u00a0 I found Jesus everywhere we went.
\nHilton Head Island Community Church is the first church my husband and I attended as a married couple.\u00a0 That is where we went on our honeymoon.\u00a0 We were married on a Friday night.\u00a0 We left on Saturday and we kicked off our honeymoon by going to church.\u00a0 They were doing a sermon series on marriage. I don’t think that was a coincidence.\u00a0 I love going back every chance we get.\u00a0 I love that it is the same lead pastor.\u00a0 I love that his wife is still leading worship.\u00a0 I love that this year, they are expanding.\u00a0 I love that they are buying a new building and they are creating a community center.\u00a0 I love how God is working in their church.
\nLife Community Church is where we went next.\u00a0 It is a church I helped plant 11 years ago.\u00a0 \u00a0This church has a huge part of my heart, because of the people.\u00a0 Mike and Lynda changed my life.\u00a0 I can’t put into words what their love for me, truly unconditional has done.\u00a0 When they were called to plant this church, I knew I was called to help them.\u00a0 \u00a0I can’t put into words what they mean to me, or LCC.\u00a0 In February of this year, their lives were changed forever.\u00a0 As Mike and Bryan, his son, were finishing a home for a homeless vet, they were robbed at gunpoint.\u00a0 Mike was shot five times and Bryan was killed.\u00a0 Bryan left behind a beautiful wife and daughter.\u00a0 I cannot put into words how devastating this loss has been.\u00a0 Bryan was their worship leader.\u00a0 As I was helping set up for church, because that is what we do when God gives us the opportunity to worship with them, I wondered why there were so many boxes of tissues?\u00a0 Then I realized, this church sheds a lot of tears.\u00a0 This church is in the depths of grieving.\u00a0 And Jesus is there.\u00a0 He is in the midst of their grief.\u00a0 He is comforting them in ways that only He can.\u00a0 Jesus is there.
\nLast weekend, we had the privilege of worshipping in Harligen, TX with our Uncle Earl.\u00a0 I loved their church!\u00a0 The people were so welcoming and inviting.\u00a0 They have an incredible homeless ministry.\u00a0 They put out food every Sunday morning.\u00a0 The homeless in the area come and partake.\u00a0 The love of Jesus was\u00a0 so strong in this church.\u00a0 And they have Holy Yoga!\u00a0 I truly wish we were there long enough for me to take the class.\u00a0 But wow, did I feel the love of Jesus!\u00a0 I just have to brag on Uncle Earl, he inspires me.\u00a0 He checks in every week at church to invite people to come with him.\u00a0 He runs the elevator, but it’s so much more than that.\u00a0 The conversations that take place on those elevator rides, not a word is wasted.\u00a0 Love is shared.\u00a0 My favorite part was the elderly lady that sat next to me.\u00a0 When we started to sing the hymns this beautiful soprano voice rose from beside me.\u00a0 I saw a glimpse of her youth as I heard her sing the words.\u00a0 Her love of the Lord flowed so freely from her lips.\u00a0 It was a divine appointment to sit beside her this past Sunday.
\nI love my church.\u00a0 Beyond words.\u00a0 I miss it when we aren’t there.\u00a0 I’ve listened to every message I missed while we were gone.\u00a0 I’m grateful to be a part of it, more than words can say.\u00a0 I’m also very grateful that God is alive.\u00a0 I’m grateful wherever I go, He is there.\u00a0 I’m encouraged to worship with others and know God is there.
\nChurch is so much more than a building.\u00a0 Church is the people who are seeking God.\u00a0 Who are persevering, who are enduring.\u00a0 Church is us.\u00a0 Wherever we go, whatever we do, whoever we are with, church is us!
\nGod is always there, no matter what.\u00a0 It’s up to us to remember that!\u00a0 It’s up to us to look for Him!
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”\u00a0 Romans 12:4-5 I love my church, beyond words.\u00a0 \u00a0I love my pastor. I love the campus pastors. I love… Continue reading Church Isn't a Building!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1536,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions\/1536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}