THE IMMATURE CHRISTIAN

What are some signs? When you know the lead pastor is not delivering the sermon on Sunday, you skip church. When you're on vacation, you skip church. When you've been to church for a mid-week service, you skip church on Sunday morning. When you've gone to church Sunday morning and Sunday evening, you skip the next week.

I've even gone as far as thinking that since I was in the church office and had talked to the secretary and preacher during the week, that it gave me a free pass to skip church on Sunday.

By the way, I've done all the others, too, that I listed in the first paragraph.

I wish I could say I'd done them when I was young, but that wouldn't be right. And this is from a guy who claims that being in church has always felt right, has always felt good to him. I guess I must have not wanted to feel too good.

It was like I was parcelling or dosing my time at church. "Be careful; you don't want too much religion." I even turned down a date to a Sweetheart Dance in high school because the preacher's daughter asked me. Had her father be employed anywhere else, anywhere else, I would have accepted. But that's the way I was.

I changed. We almost never miss an opportunity to attend church when we are out of town. One memorable service was in Australia when we heard a Tongonese choir sing in their native language. We even have a quasi-regular church in another city that we often visit.

I find myself in church several days a week sometimes. I no longer keep count, but count it a blessing every time I'm there. I'm so glad I turned in my time card.