I just started reading "Stop dating the Church" by Joshua Harris and last night when I was reading I came across this paragraph:

"The church community is where we learn to love God and others; where we are strengthened and transformed by the truth from the word; where we are taught to pray, to worship, and to serve; where we can be most certain that we are investigating our time and abilities for eternity; where we can grow in our roles as friends, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. The church is the earths single best place--God's especially designed place-- to start over, to grow and to change for the glory of God. "


Now, I'm not to far into the book, I'm more of still in the beginning, but this paragraph has hooked me in. Since I'm away at college I don't have the opportunity of really going to and church that I am literally a member of, and i remain a member at my church here at home. Okay...nothing wrong with that. But I haven't taken the chance to look for a church that I can be involved in while I am at school. This book is going to be stressing the idea of not just being a member of the church but actually being involved; putting my time, and my effort into it (in other words not just showing up on Sundays and leaving it at that). When i read this paragraph i began to think about even before I went away...and how I wasn't as involved with my home church as I could have been. Harris points out in the book that today the church struggles with membership and commitment from its members because of things within the church that may scare us away like lack or moral integrity, arrogance, and greed. But how will those things change if no one takes the brave step of committing in the first place. I can tell this is going to be a good book. I'm also looking forward to going back to school and trying to find a church that I might be able to become involved in while I am there. Like Harris said, the church is a God designed place to not only grow, but also to change for the Glory of God. I don't see why it wouldn't be worth investing my time in it. Ill probably be writing some more later on this...