In the meantime

I recently read two fantastic books on church membership: I am a Church Membership  by Thom Rainer   and What is a Healthy Church Member  by Tabiti Anyabwile. Until I read these books, I really hadn't thought too deeply about the implications of church membership except that I knew it is was important and that "it is imperative that I be involved and serve where I am able to." However, after reading these books, I am more convinced than ever of a few things:  Church is a big deal.  Going to church is a big deal.  Being a church member is a big deal.  And if these things aren't a big deal to you, if you're a believer, they should be. With a whopping 79 pages,  I am a Church Member  by Thom Rainer is hardly more than a beefed-up pamphlet. However, it makes up for its size by providing a concise and practical discussion of what it means to be "a member of the Body of Christ", and more specifically, "a member of the local church...

 The need for a pianist at our church was immediate. It was also potentially for an indefinite period of time. I felt so incapable and inadequate for the job and I struggled to find a genuine desire to do it. However, because I had already been doing it on a rotating schedule, it was only natural that I should pick up more of the responsibility in helping fill the need.  And so, because there was a need and God had given me the ability to help fill the need, I accepted the task. That week, as I practiced, it was done primarily out of duty and service instead of joy and delight in the privilege to be serving God's people that coming Sunday morning. However, that Sunday morning, something happened: God did the unexpected. What exactly He did, I'm not sure, except that at some point during the time of singing, God did some major surgery on my heart's attitude. Despite my heart serving out of a sense of obligation to the Body of Christ gathered in this local body, God...