Ah RUTS!

GUEST B-LOGGER... Telly Hall

So if you know me, you know that I'm not a writer.  Even though I am a writing teacher, I leave the writing in the family to Mike.  But, this one thought was bugging me a while back, so I took the time to get it on paper.

Ruts- one night as the girls, Mike and I went hog hunting, I noticed as we drove through the pasture my dad had carved out roads with his Mule. These are roads he has been down many times before that lead to all the places he likes to go. We ended up turning down a new "road" and realized this was not someplace he had been very often before and we felt like we ought to turn around because we didn't know what was ahead of us.  

I've lived in the country almost all my life and love being able to walk or ride in the pasture. I've noticed one thing about the roads in the pasture, the longer we travel these roads, the deeper the ruts get. Everybody then follows the same roads and the ruts get even more pronounced.

I think the church today has gotten themselves into a similar rut.  We do the same service the same way each week.  Sure, we change the music and the preacher preaches a different topic, but if I timed it right I could stand, sit and open my bible with my eyes and ears closed.  I'm so tired of the normal, my heart cries out, change it up!  

Let God be the center of your church, not merely the outsider we hope won't sit by us.  We've forgotten that "The Church" is the people, not the building.  We've forgotten to look to God for the great plans and we've let our own agendas take control.  "The Church" has become a political and social organization, not one of mission.  

Why do I continue to do the same things the same ways?  Is this because I'm comfortable in it?  Is it because it's all I've ever known?  Is it because it's really just a lot easier? I'm tired of being comfortable. I'm tired of the known.  I'm tired of easy.

"The Church" is in a rut.  I'm ready to get off the beaten path and travel to that dark corner where I have to rely on God's headlights to get me through, not merely the roads we've always taken.