Crutch vs Church

I’ve had a couple of interesting thoughts this week that came to conclusions after reading pages 86 through 91 in Don Miller’s book ‘A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.’

Earlier this week while typing the word church, I actually wrote ‘crutch.’
I’ve done this before.

Listening to a radio program a guest suggested that modern day, organized religion has been the source of oppression and depression as church leaders fail to empower people to become and overcome. Interesting.

Sharing and talking with a student friend this week we discussed televangelists and their silly ways; I thought out loud that it seemed to me that some pastors in churches have to find a way to keep their congregation weak so as to keep the revenue stream coming in. If people realized that they had the power of Christ on their own, then maybe they wouldn’t be so dependent upon the religious institutions.

Then I read Don’s book on how God is the writer of his life. You’ll need to read this excellent book to get the whole picture, but basically he is saying that God is writing our story and if we listen to him the ending will be far greater than anything we can imagine.

Don makes this statement: “As a kid, the only sense I got from God was guilt, something I dismissed as a hypersensitive conscience I got from being raised in a church with a controlling pastor.”

The point that Don makes is that the Voice we need to listen to isn’t slathered with guilt and condemnation, making us think we are worthless but rather a Voice that speaks softly (so we will listen) IE the Browns) a Voice that encourages us to do the right thing.

I like this description of God.