Strengthening the churches

Strengthening the churches.

Early morning. Nearly an hour on foot. Up and down mountains. Across rivers.

Then several hours preaching and teaching the lessons the pastor had asked me to bring.

And the service kept going.

A wild boar can wander close. Dogs can come through like a pack. Babies can cry. Kids can make noise.

Church does not stop because life is happening around it.

That is something worth remembering in a culture where sometimes a whimpering baby is treated like a disruption that needs removed.

The church is a body, not a performance. Families belong together. Fellowship is rarely neat.

We taught. We prayed. We ate together. We encouraged one another. Then we walked home.

The pastor was strengthened. The church was strengthened. I was strengthened.

And maybe that is the point.

Do not let a short drive, some rain, inconvenience, or a little noise keep you from fellowshipping with believers this Sunday.

Some Christians cross mountains and rivers for it.

Maybe we should stop acting like twenty minutes in the car is suffering. We can even control the temperature on the way there.

We have an incredible privilege to gather with believers and worship God. Let’s be thankful for it, and actually use it.

Thank you for praying for us and the Tiale ministry.

Your feet to the Tiale people and the country of Vanuatu, Seth, Nicole & Selah Stokes.