15 Reasons Why I Stayed in Church by Brad Mcmullen

A few days ago a work colleague shared with me an article from Rachel Held Evans website.
Out of interested curiosity
I decided to take a look.




Whilst reading through numerous ‘blog posts’ I came across this comment posted by Brad Mcmullen.
I must confess I don’t know who Brad is!
Whilst I may not wholly agree with all the reasons, I thought that they were all very good and showed a great open heart.
So here are Brads: -

15 Reasons I Stayed in Church

1. Because leaving the church is apparently trendy, and I’m not trendy. I’m actually kind of a dork (just ask my wife).

2. Because the church is God’s design for spreading the good news to the world, and I want to be on board with God’s design.

3. Because the church is like Noah’s Ark: it’s stinky a lot of the time, but it’s the only boat we’ve got.

4. Because although blogging is way more cool, worship is way more important.

5. Because my gay friends inside the church need me.

6. Because staying gives my disciple-making efforts a feel of authenticity.

7. Because Facebook “friends” are no substitute for the real thing.

8. Because it can be as bad as everyone says, so if I don’t reform it, who will?

9. Because it’s not usually as bad as everyone says – not a racist, sexist, anti-intellectual country club, but a community of believers struggling to do their best for God.

10. Because I’m selfish and prideful, and no one helps me with that like the church.

11. Because so many others are leaving and in my mind I hear echoes of my mother’s bridge-jump question (if everyone else jumped off a bridge…).

12. Because I considered replicating my church’s food pantry, but I can’t see feeding 130 families every Monday afternoon in my basement

13. Because no one outside my church prays for me like Jean, or reads Scripture like Trae, or shows me how to follow Jesus like Mr. Pat.

14. Because it’s where I’m most likely to encounter the living God.

15. Because I promised I would… “According to the grace given to you, will you remain a faithful member of Christ’s holy church and serve as Christ’s representative in the world?” With God’s help I will.

Thank you Brad


They are certainly thought provoking
As Brad points out in number 3 – “Because the church is like Noah’s Ark: it’s stinky a lot of the time, but it’s the only boat we’ve got.”
And as most of my family and friends can testify
I am stinkier than most others.

Have you any thoughts?


What make you excited about church?

Going Back

I am not sure that going back to places you cherished as a child is a very good idea.
Sometimes it better to give them a wide berth and avoid altogether.
Time has a way of tarnishing the memories and making the reality of life seem frankly odd.
But recent circumstances have conspired against me in this.

Last week I attended the funeral of my best friend’s mother.
I had known her for the best part of forty years and throughout my teenage years we all went to the same church. My Friend and I
Sang in the choir
Went to Cub Scouts
Went to Youth Clubs
Prayer meetings.
Harvest festivals.
Church Bazaars.
Yes, you have guessed it everything that the church offered I was involved in.
These were happy times, days of enjoyment, friendship and acceptance.
You can even spot me as choir boy,



As I study that photo names come flooding back, (That is me in the 2nd row - far right), I can picture the larks we had, the adventures and the boredom of the Sunday evening sermon.
I hated that late evening service, the vicar took every chance to preach about the imminent rapture and warn the congregation that they needed to be ready.
Dark, cold, wet winter evenings
Chilly church
Boredom
It put the fear of something or other in me.

Sitting in the same old church last week with my wife, I sat and chatted with her taking her on a tour of my former years.
She was fascinated but as I reminisced I grew increasing aware that this was a bygone time that I had left far behind. Full of vivid pictures of long passed people who encouraged and mothered me.
Hugged me
Kissed me
Befriended me
Encouraged me
And disapproved of me when I put my large ‘foot in it’, which was often the case.

I don’t know about you but as I get older my mind gravitates back to the places and events of my childhood.
Inconspicuous events that had no real meaning suddenly spring into my mind for no reason triggered by an every day occurrence.
Sometimes I think that it is God’s way of showing me who I am and what I can learn from these experiences.
Other times I think it is just a life full of memories.
I can’t get away from these memories.
So it becomes a question of how I deal with them.
Embrace the ones that have changed me and discard those that would hurt me.
But most of all.
Put them all in a drawer marked,
“I am a new creation living in the finished work of Jesus and set free by his grace.”
Although these memories remain,
Christ in me is the hope of glory and he has made me His son and a co-heir to all my heavenly father’s riches.


And I am reminded today by,
Joyce Meyer,
“The past is like a magnet; it’s always trying to draw us back, but Jesus wants to draw us forward!”