They Need You

July 30, 2022

One of my favorite lead characters in the books I’ve written is Ernie Bostwick, from Circus on the Square. Ernie loves God, but he’s been disappointed by people in the church. His solution is to worship at home by himself. Every Sunday at 11:00 you can find him on his back porch praying, singing, and reading his Bible.

Does that sound familiar?

Whether the cause was mean or quarrelsome church members, inconvenience, or Covid-19, many people in our towns have decided they can worship God just as well on Facebook Live or some other livestream service. They don’t darken the door of the church they used to attend anymore.

I can see some advantages! You can stay in your pajamas. Refreshments are available in the fridge at any time. Nobody shoves an offering plate under your nose. You can set the temperature for the room at whatever level you like.

Ernie found that the problem with staying home was that no one else was encouraged by his participation. Church was not just about him.

Friends regularly invited him back to church. For him, the deciding factor came in the form of a girl with a red snake tattoo.

At some point we realize that our own faith in God grows as we encourage and share with others. By giving, we receive. It’s amazing how that works!

Matthew 16:25, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”