"Family Everywhere"
September 18, 2019 | By Chuck
Family is so important. I love spending time with my family. In fact, we set aside nights that we call “family night”, so we can spend time watching a movie or playing games together. As I write this on Wednesday September 18, 2019 I am in Neosho, Missouri where I have been since last weekend preaching a gospel meeting for the Hottel Springs Church of Christ. When I’m away from home I always miss my wife and kids and our family nights. Although I have been away from my family since last Saturday, I’ve come to realize that I have been with family all week.
This is my third visit to Neosho and to preach for the Hottel Springs congregation. I always stay in the home of Lawrence and Vicki Sanders, long-time friends of Kristy and mine, and they and the rest of the congregation treat me like family. I’m convinced that they treat me like family because we are family. In the Lord’s church we are brothers and sisters in Christ, family. Some try to distinguish between their actual blood family and their church family. In my opinion, it’s really difficult to do that because in both cases we are family by blood. It’s because of the powerful and redeeming blood of Jesus that we are family in Christ.
One of the most beautiful and encouraging truths of being a Christian is that we have family everywhere. I love to preach and I love to meet brothers and sisters from other places. I’m just not a big fan of being away from my family. So, it was very encouraging and helpful this week for me as I’ve been away from my family only to be surrounded by more family. “And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother”(Mt.12:49-50).