01/14/26 A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD

01/14/26 A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD
(I did a video introducing my property, where I serve the Lord, then I wrote this post.)

I enjoy walking around my property. It is my home, my getaway, my retreat, my launching pad (beachhead), my headquarters, my workplace (where I proclaim, teach, counsel, praise, worship, meditate, pray, study, train others). It is a place of personal encounter with God and a place of corporate encounter with God. I am thankful for such a place, in which I can do the work of God.

Every Christian home should afford this kind of atmosphere. But I see so much more potential for where I am. I hope your home is also a lighthouse in your community. And I hope that my little part of the world becomes a greater light in a darkened world. I hope folks come to find the answers to the spiritual questions they have.

Our meeting room does not have a typical "churchy" decor or architecture. It is more like a family room, set up for friends and fellow travelers. Some of the folks who have worshiped with us in our house, were so focused on the "unchurchly" setting that they would not focus on the presence of God. I have had people tell me that they were hoping I would get a real church.

Real church is not made of blocks or bricks, vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows, choirs and music programs, youth groups, senior groups, married groups, and single groups. Church is not padded pews and lofty spires, programs and full schedules.

There is nothing wrong with any of these if they are all pointing to and serving Jesus. But the Church is not these manifestations. The Church is the Body of Christ, and the Local Church is the local gathering of His people to worship, praise, serve, grow, give, yield, whether it is in a cathedral of a cleared space in the forest, whether it is a mega facility in the heart of a metropolis or a hut in the jungle.

I always wanted my church facility to be a place where people encountered God, grew in grace and knowledge, worshiped and praised God, gathered to fellowship and minister to other people. I have enjoyed great times in traditional buildings, which seated a few hundred people, and huddling together in an old school bus because we were stopped by the State from meeting in a building, and sitting on the ground and picnic benches and lawn chairs because we did not have a building to meet in, and meeting in homes, motel conference rooms, public library meeting rooms, store fronts, campgrounds because we had no home to call our own, borrowed buildings, rented but unused church buildings, city parks, trailers, borrowed basements, tents and a local bar annex. I was always grateful for the privilege to worship and serve God. But it is really nice to have what we have now. It is not the venue that matters; it is the encounter with God that matters.

I hope you are finding a loving, enlightening experience wherever you are gathering together with a Bible believing body of believers.

If you are a true seeker for truth and a life filled with the presence of God, and if you want a New Testament message and fellowship, and if you don't mind a really humble setting, you are welcome to contact me to see when we meet for worship, study, praise, and fellowship. We have in-person services along with online services, but we sometimes change our schedule, so please contact me before you come.