Something is not right and we know it.  We can feel it, we can sense it, but we are just not sure how to verbalize it.  The church and the people who make up the church in America are just not accomplishing what we could and should be accomplishing.

If what we know and believe about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is true, then this truth must challenge us and change things.  Our faith has got to be about more than just going through the religious motions.  It has to be about more than a casual reading of our bibles.  It has to be about more than attending church just because we think it satisfies our needs.  It has to be about more than the practice of sin avoidance.

Our faith has to be about passionate, whole-hearted, devoted, obedient and sacrificial love for God and the things of God.  Do you ever find yourself reading the scriptures and wondering why we just don’t seem to get it?  Do you ever read your bible and think: “I don’t do that!” or  “I should do that!”?

I don’t want to bash the church and I don’t believe that playing the blame game accomplishes very much productive, but we have got to start asking ourselves some of the tough questions and seeking God’s help to get answers to those questions.

The reality is:  Each one of us are a part and we all bear responsibility!  The church as most of us know it, is in big trouble.  A major part of the problem is that we who make up the church are suffering from an identity crises.  A crises that clearly indicates that we are not even sure about who or what we are supposed to be.

The real tragedy is that with every passing moment, we are missing out on the miraculous of all that God wants for us.  Think about this for just a moment:  How important are you?  What could God possibly want for you, if He would give His very one and only son, so that you can have the everlasting relationship?

It is possible for us to believe in God and not have a clue about who He is, what He is about and what He is like.  You can call yourself a christian, be very involved in church and do your best to avoid the “big” sins.  You can fight your evil desires in an effort to try to please God.  And you can fail, and when you fail, you can feel guilty and with that guilt, you can feel far away from God.

The churches teachings and our learnings are not incorrect, they are just incomplete!  Our view of God is not near big enough.  We have a very narrow, limited and small view of God.  This little view distracts us from the bigger and better picture that can lead us to a more fulfilling life.

I am a husband, father, son, friend and pastor.  Up until a couple of years ago, I was pretty satisfied with my relationship with God and totally loved my service in the church.  But then a crazy thing happened:  The Spirit started to challenge me in almost every area of my life.

God began to change me and my long-held views that I had carefully crafted through the years.  God’s Word began to convict, challenge, correct and change me!  Personal experiences began to shift my long-established paradigms and I began to realize that I, nor the church I pastored could stay the same and be pleasing to God at the same time.

This would ultimately lead to my walking away from the church that I thought I might pastor for the rest of my life.  This would lead to my stepping out of my comfort zone, but not before I encountered some of the most challenging, difficult and discouraging times of my life.

What I can tell you today, is that there is a lot that is wrong with the church and christians in America, but this does not change the beautiful truth that everything is right with God our Creator, Savior and Friend.

And because it is right with God, His amazing grace offers churches and christians a beautiful opportunity to confess sin, experience forgiveness and enjoy freedom, which allows us to live – really live, an exhilarating and exciting life – every moment of every day.

This is what Grace Place Community is all about!  It is about experiencing, sharing and growing in the amazing grace of our most loving God.  In the days and pages ahead, we hope to grow in this grace as God moves us out of our comfort zones.

This morning as I spent a little time with the Lord, I was reminded of how blessed and fortunate I have been to be able to spend some time ministering to and with some of the most amazing churches.  I am so thankful for the journey that God has allowed me to travel and for how that journey has allowed me to be shaped and grown by a precious handful of churches that have given God the glory and encouraged me to do the same.

Calvary Baptist Church in Williamston is where I met Jesus for the first time.  There were many precious men and women who spoke the love of Christ into my young and impressionable life.  Much of who and what I am today, I learned from this loving and serving group of Christians at this very impressionalble young age.

Tabernacle Baptist Church in Pelzer is where I learned about the real importance of people.  This is where God helped me to discover my pastor’s heart.  I still remember visiting and sitting on the front porches of many of the mill homes and sharing conversations about all that God has done and will do.  This was also the place where I discovered that being a big kid is okay and that our God is a big enough God to use it all in His way for His glory.

Rose Of Sharon in Durham is where I learned the value of team work.  God blessed me with a group of men, women, boys and girls that loved getting the job done.  This is also where I learned that church could and would be family, if you would let them.  I discovered here my love for learning and sharing the Word of God.

Shamrock in Bethune was the first church that I pastored and it was here that I learned that with our God small is big.  I learned how to really care for people and how to let them care for you.  I learned a lot while serving this community, but the most important thing I learned was how to listen to the Holy Spirit.  Long walks and out loud talks in the woods, the wisdom of the older generation and sweet times of personal worship grew me in ways that I would have never dreamed or imagined.

Hillcrest in Laurens is where I learned about friendship and discovered the real power of doing life and ministry together.  This is the place where God developed in me a love for the disadvantaged and socially challenged.  God moved me out of my comfort zone without me even knowing it, by putting a love and desire in my heart that still travels with me to this day.

Northwood in Greer is where God took many of the things that He had taught me in all of the different churches and allowed me to use them with my brothers and sisters in Christ to reach out and make a difference in different ways than the other churches around us.  It was here that I discovered the amazing truth that God has a unique plan for all of us and will use us for His glory, if we will get out of His way and follow His plan.  It was here that I had the opportunity to face up to and deal with the personal sin of ego, and it was here that God grew my faith, so that I might be able to take a step out of my comfort zone.  It was here that God helped me to find and discover the heart and passion that He had given me and it was here that gave me the opportunity to pursue that!

Grace Place Community/Ridgewood is where I find myself today.  The things that God is teaching me can only be described as incredible.  As of this very moment, one of the most important lessons that I have learned is that the free flow of the Spirit is an incredible and mighty force, that I don’t want to ever have to think about doing ministry without.  I am learning that God can take people who are diverse, bring them together and use them in incredible ways.  I am learning that when you see God working in these ways, then you just can’t keep your mouth shut about it – you have to share it!

These are just a few of the congregations that have impacted my life.  Wherever I go and whatever I do, a little of each of them go with me to help share the greatest message ever delivered:  “You are God’s creation, Jesus loves you and your life is going to be marvelous!”

Yesterday morning I got up and spent a little quiet time in fellowship with my Creator. After that I decided to head outside for a little exercise (walking and jogging with an emphasis on walking – life goes by too fast when I am jogging!)  I plugged in my earphones and hit shuffle and had a great 2.5 mile journey.

On my way back to the house M.C. Hammer came on with “You Can’t Touch This!”  As I walked in the house, my girls were having breakfast and I did my best Hammer Dance across the kitchen and began to sing:  You Can’t Touch This!”  It was fun, it felt good and they confirmed that they have one crazy white daddy!

Last night after Grace Place, I was heading home on my bike in the rain and I caught myself singing.  I realized that I had been singing all day long.  I had joined in with alomst every song that came on the radio and when there was no radio, I was singing whatever I had in my head and heart.  It hit me and I thought it was so cool – “I am actually singing with the radio again!”

This may not seem like a big deal to you, but sometimes we can allow life to become so stressful that it steals our song!  If you find yourself at that place, then just let me share a bit of encouragement – you do not have to live there forever.  Look to God, trust Him and He will lead you out of that place to a place where you can rediscover your song.

If you are not in that place and you are singing with the radio all the time, then take just a moment to be thankful!  Either way – remember that God is good and always has a plan – a plan to help you and me be our best for His glory as we learn to live in the freedom and power of His grace!