At church on Sunday, Doug preached a hum-dinger of a sermon. Most of the people, I spoke to, felt convicted about what he said. His lesson was about heaven and Jesus. More specifically the walls Disciples have built around their hearts within the past 3-5 years. A big focus of sermons and lessons recently have been discipling our hearts in the materialism that has taken over in our congregation.
I have a few friends who have gone out on mission teams to remote places within our great country and have said, that they've returned, because the church folded, dissolved, the leader couldn't keep being supported, etc. Proof that it's not just Denver, but all over.
The main scripture was Luke 16:19-31 Jesus' telling the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in his interaction with the Pharisees. Doug mildly joked about how he is soon to purchase some life insurance in light of death of an evangelist with in our movement. But he tied that in to the fact the Rich Man finally believed in evangelism when he was in the throws of Hell, and felt he had to protect his family. What made the lesson impacting for me is thinking about all the people I have met, talked to, and spent time with in the Kingdom. I may have made mention to this before, but being a teen leader now appears to be a burden rather than a privilege.
I believe it is, and I miss my friends like Roel, Frank, Dave, Kate, Darcy, Andrea, Kate, Heather, Vince, Chaz, TC, Laura, and I can keep going. The lesson sparked the friendship bonds in my heart, and I came to realize if I call these people friends, then I need to keep up to date with them and let them in on what is going on in my life. Then I realized, I haven't called my mother in awhile, to tell her all the great things going on, then I thought about the fact I haven't talked to my best man in a long time, then...
I've seen the walls I built in my heart, and I realize who much more I need to get in other people's lives and take time to share what is on my heart.
