Walking into a church that's not my own

Sometimes I want to walk into other churches.


Before you start thinking that I'm leaving my own church - let me explain myself. There are many days when I'm driving or walking around a town and I see a church, and I want to go in. I want to talk to the pastors, the elders, the congregants and ask them about their church. I want to hear what God is doing in their faith family (term coined by David Platt). I want to hear the amazing stories that fill their hallways and coffee areas - just as they do at my church.


For me, it is super exciting to see and hear how God is moving in my church. H ow much greater the excitement about the movement of God in another church. I know I can be narrow-minded many times and think that God is only in present in my church, my family, or among my friends. Oh, how wrong am I! How big is our God, and how present is He all over the world.


That's one reason I want to walk into other churches - as a healthy reminder of how infinite God is. He is not confined the the walls of White River Christian Church or Cornerstone University or my own heart. He is so great, in a sense of magnitude. The verses go on and on about the greatness of God: Isaiah 40:15-18; Psalm 89:6; Psalm 139; Job 36:26. (Check out this article if you want to see where I got these verses.)


I think division can come so quickly between believers when we forget that we all worship the same God. I am including myself in this mindset, too. There are so many times I forget that students at Calvin, Kuyper and other schools have a relationship with the God I call Abba, Father. There are other churches in world that are doing things right. I think a shift of thinking can occur when we remember these things. It will look differently for everyone. For me, it makes me want to walk into other churches or talk to strangers about their relationship with Christ (this is another post for another day).


I want to challenge you to think about these things, talk to God about them, wrestle with it. I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter.


So, if you see a random 19-year old girl walking through your church or talking to your pastor some weekday afternoon - it just might be me.