Work In Church, Church In Work

 A new friend hit on that idea the other day. Upon asking what I was up to these days, I replied, "Work and church." His responce suprised me, "Work in church, church in work. We should combine those more." It is an interesting concept but one God has been opening up more for me lately. Making church and work the same. I find myself too often just going through my church life with no "work" put into it. I just walk along through my spiritual life and I don't really care what happens. This summer I've found myself having to put more work into it. I decided to focus my summer on the middle school students. It has taken "work" but I feel like it has been rewarding. I haven't been to very many high school events because I have been at all the middle school ones. I haven't seen my friends as much this summer. I have, however, created new friendships and gotten to know some amazing kids. This summer has been about following God's plan for my time and ministery rather than my own. I have to say it has been hard as some of my friendships have dimmed and are shallower then when I spend all my time in highschool ministry. I have seen some friendships deepen as I have to make an extra effort to hang onto them. It takes work to make a realationship. 

On the other side of the concept is church in work. I have always felt like I am terrible at sharing my faith at work. I am always the "church girl" because I don't drink, cuss, or work on sundays. I don't, however, spend a lot of time discussing my faith with my co-workers. Occasionally it will come up and I will say something at times. Last week at work was different. Somehow the subject of evolution came up and I decided that I would put my two cents in. My co-workers all leaned more evolution side while I ran the opposite way. We ended up discussing religion and Christianity for a while. For once I was able to speak and defend my faith. I didn't feel like I did an amazing job arguing for the faith because that is not my strong suit. I can't always answer the hard questions. What really surprised me was that God really spoke through me about His love and His grace. My co-workers did not like the ideas at all but I was still shocked that I said everything I wanted to. That rarely happens. One co-worker said something that baffles me: "So if I am a good person and I decide to reject God, I will go to hell, while a really bad person can turn around and accept God and His grace covers him? That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. He doesn't deserve that forgiveness and I don't want a part of a God that allows that loser into heaven." I asked him, "Isn't that so cool that  God just forgives you  no matter what you've done or where you've been?" and he just got mad and said, "No because even if I was that bad guy I wouldn't deserve it so I wouldn't want it." That aspect of God is what really makes me love Him all the more, so I cannot relate to believing like this guy does. God let this loser into heaven and this loser is amazed by that. The fact that God has interceded for me, someone who faked Christianity for so long and pretended to love Him her whole life, blows my mind.

Psalm 139:13-18

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.