Church & Truth

I went to some church yesterday to hear J.I. Packer.  Yeah I have no idea what church it was. Hillcrest something or something. It was an Anglican church, which was very interesting to me.

I'm kinda weird. hahaha..."kinda". No, I'm full-blown weird. Stained glass gives me the heebie jeebies like none other. I think it's because it reminds me of old time religion, which also gives me to heeber jeebers. I don't like being reminded of the churches I grew up in and visited when I was younger. Back then there so little heart in church. So many rules and lessons and stories, but so little heart. Anything that jogs my mind of old timey church makes my skin crawl.
 This was a very liturgical church, kinda similar to a Catholic church in many ways, except I really do believe they had good theology. OH! they had an organ! Doesn't that send chills down your spine?? Stained glass AND an organ!! Why on earth did the American church insist for so long that the organ was God's chosen instrument?  I mean really??? The organ has been culturally irrelevant for decades, if not centuries! Yet we clung to that old pipe demon like it was Jesus Himself. yuck. I don't like those things. (and I didn't like how there was no reason or explanation for why things were a certain way in church. "that's just the way it's always been done!")  
   anyway, there was kneeling and standing and corporate response frequently. It was fine, just different. I had to guard my heart from looking down on them or assuming that they believed a lesser Gospel than I simply because they're a little different and perhaps a little more home-schooly. These are my brothers and sisters. It was an interesting experience. I missed Matt, Bleeker and my Village family.
  
During the meet and greet portion (wow, haven't had to partake in one of those in a long time!) I met the girl in front of me, who was maybe my age. eh. I don't know. I'm terrible at judging ages. She wasn't in junior high, I know that much for certain. Anyway, I was talking to her, and she was a visitor from Believer's Bible Chapel just down the road. She asked where I go to church and I said "The Village" and she perked up "Oh my whole church is praying for Matt Chandler!" I thanked her for that, and we talked about JI Packer and John Piper.

I never ceased to be absolutely ASTONISHED at how deep his influence runs. It seems like everyone knows and adores Matt. I know how much God has used him in my life, but it's incredible to see that God has used him so much in other people's lives as well. Why Matt? My parent's pastor has cancer too, yet no one knows him or mentions him. They go to a larger church than mine! It's odd to me. But that little experience in church washed my heart in gratitude for everything God has done in me, and through Matt and through our church.

As I was talking to the girl, I looked ahead a few rows and there was a guy I know from The Village! How dang random is that???? There were maybe a hundred people in that church yesterday. The Village is huge, like 4000 people maybe? I only know a handful of people there, a minuscule percentage, yet there just so happened to one of the people I know at this little church. There was no point to that story, I just thought it was funny.

I enjoyed JI Packer. He's old. He's no Piper, in MY opinion. And my opinion is probably retarded. I was thinking about all the speakers I've gotten to hear. Who's left now? I've seen all my favorites...Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, Francis Chan, John Piper, JI Packer, Alister Begg, James McDonald, Brennan Manning.....who's left? I've seen them all. I'd be kinda proud about that, except I know that puts a responsibility on me. I've heard SO much truth, I KNOW so much truth. I know that I will be held accountable for what I've done and what I do with the truth that He has given to me. There's a weight to that. There's so much joy in the truth He's allowed me to hear and know, but there's a weight to it as well.

Yeah, really was pretty much a pointless post. I was just thinking through yesterday and decided to write to down. I didn't really get to share any heart vomit with you. But I guess that's okay.