"The
moment I accepted Christ, I became part of his body. But I must continually
check to make sure I am a properly functioning part. And I must find
other members of the body whom I can ask to hold me accountable, and
with whom I can share both the joys and the frustrations of living in
the body. "...
Read
the rest of this ground-breaking article, "Is the Body of Christ
Handicapped?" by N. J. Lindquist
"For
over forty years, the church has been the center of my spiritual life.
My parents took me there when I was young, and since I became a teen,
I have gone by choice. All right, part of that was because I had to
walk past this boy's house, and if he saw me going by, he hurried to
get ready and come, too. But, for various reasons, I have attended chuch
nearly every Sunday for forty years.
"But
why do I say, 'attended church'? If asked, I would say that the church
is not something I can 'attend'. The church is the people who gather
together to worship God. The church is you and me. I know that, but
it’s never been important to me to differentiate. Now I find myself
talking about 'going to church' and wondering, what do I mean? The building?
The service on Sunday? I’m not sure. In some ways, the word 'church'
is nebulous to me—no distinct boundaries or meaning. Is that good
or bad? I wonder what Jesus meant when He used the word in the first
place. ...
Read
the rest of N. J. Lindquist's article "What Should We Do About
Those Gates of Hell?", the first in a series of four "21st
Century Pilgrim" articles.
N.
J.'s books:
To get
to know 30 Canadian authors who are Christian, check out N. J.'s newest
book, Hot
Apple Cider.
If you
are have pre-teens or teens, or if you're in youth ministry, N. J. has
written 8 books that will lead anyone from age 11 up to a deeper, more
meaningful faith. See
them here.
And if
you love mysteries, or if you have a friend who does, check out N. J.'s
adult mysteries here.
