For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16 NRSV Bible)

There is a story of elderly lady who was watching as a pair of golfers sliced their drives deep into the rough. The golfers went in search of their errant golf balls. The grass was high, the trees were thick, and tempers flared as they looked in vain through the underbrush. The elderly lady observed all this from the front porch of her house. After the search had lasted nearly half an hour, she finally called out to them, "I don't want to bother you men," she said, "but will it be cheating if I tell you where the golf balls are?"

As we look around us, we see people searching for lost values, for real meaning in life, and for hope. We must not keep silent. Fulfilling the Great Commission means sharing Jesus Christ with those around. It means speaking up and guiding them to forgiveness and salvation.
There are too many churches with impeccable credentials for orthodox theology whose outreach is almost nil. They are sound, but they are sound asleep. It is far too easy for the Church to become a sort of religious clique where Christians retreat from the world.

The church on the Day of Pentecost understood that its primary mission was to reach out to the world. The unity that they experienced and the prayers that they offered were only to help them more ably fulfill the task that Christ had given them to make disciples of all persons. They existed not for their own benefit, but for the benefit of a lost world.

Dear God, may I not loose sight of helping others to know you and your love. In Jesus name, Amen. Ron Newhouse

I try to check this website everyday ( it doesn't always happen, but I try). It is amazing how often the posts speak to me. This one in particular, for example. I have felt that through our journey to have a family, I have been pulled in many directions. Towards church and God, towards family, towards friends, towards Dean and also pulled inward to myself. I tend to shy away from that which I do not know. I haven't been a regular church-goer my whole life. My parents didn't take us, I didn't go in college but a few times, I did go for a while after college, but didn't really get into it. I of course gravitate toward friends and family for love and support. And I can't thank them all enough for all the support they've shown. I am still afraid of the unknown and church is definitely the unknown for me. I have been meaning to talk to Dean about this, but he is in the same boat...unknown=scary! I just need to keep telling myself that just because I don't go to church on Sunday doesn't mean I don't believe in a higher being watching out for us. I truly believe that there is a place beyond this world where I will see friends and family when we're gone. So I am going to continue my beliefs and continue to pray to the only God I know. Whether he/she answers or even listens is out of my control. But I can continue anyway. And continue I will....