Our newspaper

So tonight I was looking through our local newspaper. You see this is not your typical small town paper, with news about the latest family reunions, basketball games and home recipes. We have that paper too...it's called the Pella Chronicle. No, the Town Crier, is a paper all its own...it is 100% advertisements!

Yep...that's it...all ads, every week!

Four, sometimes five, sometimes six pages of local advertising!

At first I was a bit taken aback by this paper.

Everyone mentioned it.

"Oh, you should look in the Crier."

                 or

"Hmm...looking for some dance lessons for the girls, have you checked the Crier?"

                or

"Oh man, can't wait til Pella Days when the stores list their great deals in the Crier."

I just wasn't that keen on it at first. But then, and I don't know when it happened,  I became hooked on the Crier. I love it when I come home and see it sitting on my steps. All wrapped in it's plastic wrap to stay dry! My heart literally skips a beat when I see it there!  I look forward for getting the kids to bed and settling in next to Doug and just looking through every single ad in there!

Wood cutting? There's an ad for that.

Babysitting services? There's an ad for that.

New furniture? You can find it there.

Basketball clinic? Yep, got that too (www.shoot-it.com) (Love ya honey!)

Just ad after ad after ad...anything you could ever want...it's there, just call em up, email em or show up in the store!

Ok, so here we go, (even though I LOVE shopping),  there has to be a theological connection here somewhere right? 

Well, this is how my brain works, so hang with me...

Tonight as I saw the ads sitting on the table it sortof hit me.

Isn't that sometimes what we do as Christians, as churches?

Have depression? We have a group for that!

Child with special needs? Newly formed group...meeting on Wed. nights.

Not married? Wanting to find other singles? Meet at the bowling alley...Friday night.

Women's ministry? Turn left and enter room 101.

Struggling with the way your parents treated you growing up?  Tuesday at 5:00.

Moms? Tuesdays at 11. Childcare provided in the basement!

We have an ad for everyone don't we?

Now, don't get me wrong...don't get all in a huff...it is just where my mind is going....

Doesn't the Bible tell us we were a new creation in Christ once we are born again?  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Aren't we all together as believers? One in Him?   (Galatians 3:28)

So, why do we insist on separating ourselves?

Why do we insist on looking for the "ad" that fits us?

Why do we think that we have to find others who have the same needs as us instead of just looking at everyone as in need...in need of our Savior?

Why not find out where we meet...in the middle...with CHRIST as the Center?

Just thinkin...

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Galatians 3:28

So today my sisters...let's STEP UP...let's move out of the comfortable "ad" that fits us...

let's meet each other with the focus on CHRIST! 

And for the sake of salvation, if there is someone I encounter, who doesn't know my Jesus...Oh deear Lord, help me introduce her to You instead of staying within my own little Christian group!