I wanna be in the light

So this weekend was one of my favorite weekends I've had thus far in my 20 years on this earth (yeah, 20! Wow..still feels weird to say it..) Anyway, we had a fun girls (and Sarah's dad) day at the orchard and then carved Hawk pumpkins! The next day we saw Hawk and it was a total blast! (I don't know why I'm telling this...those of you that read this already know all this.) ANYWAY!! To my main point...

Saturday afternoon we went to a church down the road from the orchard and pumpkin farm to actually buy pumpkins. They were way cheaper there than at the actual pumpkin farm so we thought, heck why not! Who can pass up $2 pumpkins? Anyway...We picked out our pumpkins and were on our way. When we were leaving the church parking lot, we saw one of the coolest signs I've ever seen in my life. This sign was at the end of the drive out of the church before you went back onto the "main" road:

How great of a testimony is that! I know so many people (and sometimes I even get stuck in this rut) that just go to church for a social gathering. They dress up in their nice clothes and go to impress everyone else there with their "faith" and what they've done the previous week for the Lord. This isn't how church is supposed to be at all, however! Some people need to be clued in on this fact, because apparently they haven't heard! Church is supposed to be the place where we can worship our Jesus and be spiritually energized and recharged from being out in the "secular world" for the week. It's even supposed to be the place we bring those who are interested in the joy and hope that we have and to help them get this relationship with Christ that we have! We are spiritually fed and encouraged at church by those who believe the same way we do. Then, when the service is over, we all go our separate ways. This is when the true meaning of being a Christian begins. We are supposed to go out and spread the word of God to all the nations! We are supposed to love those who are hard to love and share what he's done for us with our friends and loved ones. Church isn't a place that's supposed to make us feel better about how Christian we are. It's a place that trains us and equips us with the tools we need to share the most important fact ever with the unbelieving world..that Jesus had come to save and that he is ready and waiting to accept anyone willing to have a relationship with him into his Eternal Kingdom!!! Church is the place where we get our training, kind of like boot camp in the army. We get all the tools and information we need. When we leave, that is like going into the battle. We battle against sin and temptation and we share with those what God has done with us. If only more people knew this and felt this way, more people may be drawn to church and not be scared off by those who call themselves "Christians" but don't live it by their lifestyle.