Let’s Get In Touch!
My sister is contemplating life and death these days. I visited her on Tuesday in the hospital — she has a highly resistant infection in her digestive system that the docs can’t seem to treat. They’ve told her this could kill her. Yikes!
So when I visited with her on Tuesday, we had some wonderful conversation. She has always been independent, a rebel, stubborn, and determined. These can be great traits or problem ones, depending on how they are used. My sister has never been a church-going person, so we talked for a little while about her relationship with the Lord.
Here’s the deal…she loves church as long as it’s not church-as-normal. In fact, not long ago, she attended Joel Osteen’s church in Huston, Texas and absolutely loved it! Believe me, it’s a far cry from what we grew up with in Woodstock, Minnesota…and I have a few thoughts of my own about Joel’s ministry (that are not pertinent to this discussion). She told me about the amazing music, the wonderful atmosphere, the realism she experienced, and a message that connected with her life. So here’s the deal — I have a spiritually hungry sister who rarely goes to church because the church doesn’t offer what connects with her.
Here’s the status of the church:
- We get so enmeshed in our own world of Christian community that we are quite out of touch with the world we’re called to reach.
- We tend to poo-poo atmosphere, presentation, current music, communication styles that actually communicate, and all the other stuff that we Christians pompously proclaim we don’t need.
- We’re too spiritual to need those kinds of things.
Well — it’s not about us! We have a bigger mission. These things that the world connects with is what the church needs to pursue, not for us, but for them.
Research has revealed that one of the main reasons people do not consider Christ is because the church is out of touch.
SO–let’s get in touch and let others really see how amazing Jesus really is!

