Choosing To Belong by Pastor Brent Lokker

When I was in 8th grade, I wanted to be accepted by the guys on the basketball team.  During lunch period one day early in the school year, I sat down at the table where they were eating and collectively, as one, they got up and left the moment I sat down.  Now that hurt!  Of course, I found other friends to hang out with over the course of the year, but that one stung for a while.  But do you know what’s even worse?  The very next year I was part of a group who did the very same thing in rejecting a boy named Ernie, someone we suddenly thought we were too cool to hang out with.   I’m happy to say that through the miracle of Facebook, I was able to get in touch with Ernie as an adult and ask for his forgiveness, which he readily gave to me, and we caught up on each other’s lives. We all have a deep, deep need to belong, but it’s no wonder with experiences such as these that we’ve all encountered in one way or another we’re a bit gun-shy when it comes to opening up ourselves to others in our relationships.  Will we be accepted or will this be another painful experience to endure? God is the Father of all (Ephesians 3:14-15) and it’s His dream for us as His children to love one another deeply as a family.  He’s not going to change His dream! He first loves and accepts us completely and then gives us the courage to learn how to live that way with each other.  He’s going to help us do this! Let’s face it, genuine love and commitment is risky because it involves opening up our hearts to one another. Yet over time, I have come to the conclusion that the reward of living wholeheartedly with others is totally worth the risk! Living connected to each other in meaningful relationships requires intentionality and commitment.  This is why choosing to belong to a church family is so significant.  It causes us to stick it out with others in a way we wouldn’t have otherwise. Should our Blazing Fire family be the one you want to connect with in order to learn to love others well, please read this description of our Blazing Fire Family Connectionand let us know. http://blazingfire.org/blazing-fire-family-connection (note: this is a new description—different from the Covenant of Belonging we wrote a few months back) If, upon reading the description you choose to embark on this relational adventure with us as part of our family, please let us know by responding to info@blazingfire.org.  Pastor Suzanne is the one who will see your response and pass it along to the elder team. On Saturday, June 13th, the next group of about 25 people will be recognized for their desire to belong to our Blazing Fire family.  Don’t worry—if you’ve wanted to respond, but haven’t done so yet, you haven’t missed the boat!  We will have future Saturday nights when others will do the same.  In other words, there’s a place for you to belong in our family if that’s your desire.  With God’s help, let’s be known for loving each other well!