Why go to church?

[alpharaposa]

There was a story I read a while back that just about sums it up.

A fellow stopped going to church. He said he didn't need it, could worship on his own just fine. His friends and family all tried to get him to come back.

Finally, the pastor went to visit him. The fellow had a fire going in the fireplace. The pastor didn't say much, just went to the fire and used the tongs to pull out a single coal and place it on its own away from the rest.

The coal cooled and died.

The pastor returned it to the rest of the coals, where it brightened and caught fire once again.

The fellow thanked the pastor for his fiery sermon and promised to come to church again the next Sunday.

Who you spend time with affects who you become.

Comments

[stryck.livejournal.com]

"Clergy killer" churches are those churches where the power struggles and dysfunctions of the laity are so bad, that most ministers retire or lose their faith altogether after pastoring them, burned out. The first one, I was too young to really understand what was going on. The second one, I tried to get involved with some of the church program and managed to get simultaneously used and shut out.

[eric-hinkle.livejournal.com]

Ouch. I thought that was what it meant but hoped I was wrong. Sadly, I know of at least one preacher on my friend list who's stuck ministering for not just one but two of them a once.

I hope you father got out okay.