CHURCH IS HARD.

[powderman]

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT....
Church is hard.
Church is hard for the person walking through the doors, afraid of judgment.
Church is hard for the pastor’s family, under the microscope of an entire body.
Church is hard for the prodigal soul returning home, broken and battered by the world.
Church is hard for the girl who looks like she has it all together, but doesn’t.
Church is hard for the couple who fought the entire ride to service.
Church is hard for the single mom, surrounded by couples holding hands, and seemingly perfect families.
Church is hard for the widow and widower with no invitation to lunch after service.
Church is hard for the deacon with an estranged child.
Church is hard for the person singing worship songs, overwhelmed by the weight of the lyrics.
Church is hard for the man insecure in his role as a leader.
Church is hard for the wife who longs to be led by a righteous man.
Church is hard for the nursery volunteer who desperately longs for a baby to love.
Church is hard for the single woman and single man, praying God brings them a mate.
Church is hard for the teenage girl, wearing a scarlet letter, ashamed of her mistakes.
Church is hard for the sinners.
Church is hard for me.
It’s hard because on the outside it all looks shiny and perfect. Sunday best in behavior and dress.
However, underneath those layers, you find a body of imperfect people, carnal souls, selfish motives.
But, here is the beauty of church—
Church isn’t a building, mentality, or expectation.
Church is a body.
Church is a group of sinners, saved by grace, living in fellowship as saints.
Church is a body of believers bound as brothers and sisters by an eternal love.
Church is a holy ground where sinners stand as equals before the Throne of Grace.
Church is a refuge for broken hearts and a training ground for mighty warriors.
Church is a converging of confrontation and invitation. Where sin is confronted and hearts are invited to seek restoration.
Church is a lesson in faith and trust.
Church is a bearer of burdens and a giver of hope.
Church is a family. A family coming together, setting aside differences, forgetting past mistakes, rejoicing in the smallest of victories.
Church, the body, and the circle of sinners-turned-saints, is where He resides, and if we ask, He is faithful to come.
So even on the hard days at church—
The days when I am at odds with a friend, When I’ve fought with my husband because we’re late once again. When I’ve walked in bearing burdens heavier than my heart can handle, yet masking the pain with a smile on my face. When I’ve worn a scarlet letter, under the microscope. When I’ve longed for a baby to hold, or fought tears as the lyrics were sung. When I’ve walked back in, afraid and broken, after walking away.
I’ll remember, He has never failed to meet me there.
Church is a body, a family, a place to love God and love others through our struggles!
~Author unknown

[BUGEYE]

Good lesson Charlie.

[ironglows]

   Yes, sometimes it is hard, but so often it is a blessing, since it is our place/group of connection to the sublime! 
    ....All good Charlie..

[Lloyd Smale]

used to be hard but now its harder on me when i dont go

[Bob Riebe]

used to be hard but now its harder on me when i dont go

It never was for me, as it was either go to church or face the wrath of Mom, but for me church once I got older was simply going to the Lords house and saying thank you ; as I got older it is harder to get my lazy buttocks out of bed, plus churches moved miles out of town rather than pay to keep up buildings where people actually lived.

Some years back, seven or eight,  I was looking for a church that had an after Advent before Christmas service; I walked into a church in an area where many old churches stood and asked two dudes if this was church x , they laughed and said no, this is now a Mosque but the told where the church I was looking for was. 

[DDZ]

Yes church is hard because of some of the things listed, but also because of other things. My church is a small church in a small town.  During covid, our church closed. Our pastor left, because I think fear of covid and pressure from some members to open back up. Found out a lot about our former pastor because of covid. We are all a broken.  Even pastors. Our minster of music left also, and we had to find a replacement.   Now we are struggling to stay open and have a service.  A lot of people have not came back. I think because the fear of covid. With paying a interim pastor, paying for heating, electric, insurance etc. its going to be hard to keep the doors open, but I'm faithful that God will show us a way. 

[Bob Riebe]

I'm faithful that God will show us a way.

You possess what it seems your former church leader lacked.

[ironglows]

Yes church is hard because of some of the things listed, but also because of other things. My church is a small church in a small town.  During covid, our church closed. Our pastor left, because I think fear of covid and pressure from some members to open back up. Found out a lot about our former pastor because of covid. We are all a broken.  Even pastors. Our minster of music left also, and we had to find a replacement.   Now we are struggling to stay open and have a service.  A lot of people have not came back. I think because the fear of covid. With paying a interim pastor, paying for heating, electric, insurance etc. its going to be hard to keep the doors open, but I'm faithful that God will show us a way.

  Could be a blessing, DDZ!  Perhaps there was a need to change personnel, and perhaps it was a move of God.  Now is the time for the elders to seek out a competent pastor...after all there may be some good ones available, because their congregation refused to come to church during the Covid threat.
  I don't know your situation, but so much is resting on your elders, or in some cases, the deacons..their choices are critical, and they must keep the congregation well informed and offer good candidates for them to vote upon.
 
   We were shut down initially, for about a month.. then we elders got together with the pastor, and decided to open on a voluntary basis...... come if you wish.  Most came back within 2 weeks, but some decided to refrain.

  My grandson video records the message each week, and places it on our Facebook page.  That works well for those few who have not yet returned..and for anyone who wishes to tune in. 

[BUGEYE]

We still have not gone back to Church, but we can still give via the internet.
Some Sundays we watch our church on the web and other Sundays we watch an old friend who preaches at Twickenham C of C in Alabama.
This Sunday we'll be watching Ironglow's Grandson preach at IGs Church.  Looking forward to it.

[DDZ]

I'm faithful that God will show us a way.

You possess what it seems your former church leader lacked.

Thanks Bob. I'm doing what I can to keep our doors open.

[DDZ]

Yes church is hard because of some of the things listed, but also because of other things. My church is a small church in a small town.  During covid, our church closed. Our pastor left, because I think fear of covid and pressure from some members to open back up. Found out a lot about our former pastor because of covid. We are all a broken.  Even pastors. Our minster of music left also, and we had to find a replacement.   Now we are struggling to stay open and have a service.  A lot of people have not came back. I think because the fear of covid. With paying a interim pastor, paying for heating, electric, insurance etc. its going to be hard to keep the doors open, but I'm faithful that God will show us a way.

  Could be a blessing, DDZ!  Perhaps there was a need to change personnel, and perhaps it was a move of God.  Now is the time for the elders to seek out a competent pastor...after all there may be some good ones available, because their congregation refused to come to church during the Covid threat.
  I don't know your situation, but so much is resting on your elders, or in some cases, the deacons..their choices are critical, and they must keep the congregation well informed and offer good candidates for them to vote upon.
 
   We were shut down initially, for about a month.. then we elders got together with the pastor, and decided to open on a voluntary basis...... come if you wish.  Most came back within 2 weeks, but some decided to refrain.

  My grandson video records the message each week, and places it on our Facebook page.  That works well for those few who have not yet returned..and for anyone who wishes to tune in.

You know IG, I think it may be a blessing.  This pastor we have been getting now, I believe was God sent. He works as a paramedic, and is an ordained pastor.  I can see by his actions that he really loves and cares for people, and he has expressed interest of being a pastor and quitting his paramedic job.  I had to just come off session as an elder per EPC rules. I was on elder for the last six years, and just came off the 1st of Jan. The problem we needed two replacements to get 6 elders, and only one person has stepped forward to be an Elder.
I'm praying we will survive somehow. Right now we have been having 12 to 15 show up on Sundays. that includes the pastor and the piano player.  We used to average 40.  I think during the closure due to covid that many people just got comfortable staying at home. I know for a fact that some use covid as an excuse to not come, because I see them attending other events and talking about it on facebook, but somehow church is this dangerous place for them.  Our past pastor used to talk often about not having fear, and do not be afraid, which God commands us many times in the bible to not fear. When covid hit he was very fearful of it, and didn't want to open the doors back up.  We were having church in a parking lot, with everyone sitting in their cars, and him talking over an FM transmitter, and received on a car radio. Nothing close to being in the church and having fellowship with others.  I even called him out on his fear, and he flat out told me he does not fear covid, but everything he did showed otherwise. 
 As I said covid really opened my eyes to what kind of man our last pastor was. Without going into much detail he was mostly after the money, and for a small church we were paying him well. One thing he had going for him was he had talent for delivering a good sermon, but there is so much more to being a good pastor than being able to give a good message.  He also was a person that had to have things his way. Some disagreement with a few session members is what led him to leave.

[ironglows]

used to be hard but now its harder on me when i dont go

  Well said, Lloyd !

[powderman]

Our Church was cancelled because of icy roads this morning. CHARLIE. 

[ironglows]

  In our message yesterday, Pastor Ross, brought out and interesting stat !    Last year (2020) in NY State, 41,000 people succumbed to Covid.  Now that is a s ad picture..even if some of those deaths were from the flu..which mysteriously, didn't hit us this year.
  41,000  people dying..families grieving..a sad scene indeed.  ...And we were reminded of ithe Covid tragedy by fake news, several times a day.

  However, what the fake news does not report is the daily toll upon the most innocent among us..the little preborn boys and girls..
  Last year (2020), there were 105,000 killed before they had a chance.. over 2,000 per week !