Cheryl Schatz

This week has been very busy for me as I am working day and night on year end accounting for our ministry and by the end of the day I am very exhausted so this has kept me away from the blog.  Hopefully the work will be done this week.

Lin,

I think it will be exciting to meet each other in person in heaven.  Some of the regular posters here have become very special to me that I feel like I know you.  I will certainly want to get to know you for real in our final home.

tiro and Don,
Many thanks for all your input and kind thoughts.

Mike,
What a blessing to know that you have joined in our little community even if you don’t post very often.

I’ve come to the conclusion that our present model for ‘church’ has so many flaws and is so far from the example that we were given in the New Testament church; its no wonder this goes on.

I have thought lately that the church may end up going back to home churches as the present model of church has become so infiltrated with hierarchy and abuse.  Also the structure of the church as we know it does not allow for everyone to use their gifts and the church has become a training ground for pew sitters instead of participants.  This is not the way it should be.

Jael,
Thanks for popping in and sharing your thoughts!  I am glad to know that you too are one of the (usually) silent readers here.  I am amazed at the amount of people who have been spiritually abused and who have also put up a huge wall in their hearts because of it.  When we have the opportunity to care for one another and share our concern and love, we are given the special blessing of helping to tear down that wall that has been built up.  Jesus is the only one who is truly trustworthy, but he lives inside of us and we need to continue to grow to be like him and minister his love to the body.

I will look forward to that special hug later in 2009!