“No man is at home in this world, whether he chooses heaven or not.” _Jonathan Edwards
My dear amazing Michigan Church of God Family,
Having spent most of my life in South Carolina meant that there were always, within easy driving distance, wonderful beaches, lakes, nature reserves, and beautiful mountains just a few hours away.
And not only that, there were also countless other amazing places and events available.
To make things even better, there were only a few days in the year when the weather was prohibitive in enjoying those beautiful places and exciting events.
So, to be honest, as a pastor, it was a mystery and grief to me how easily God’s people could put God’s house on the back burner for so many weekends.
It seemed to me that the mindset was that if there was nothing else to do (and there was almost always something else to do) then people would grudgingly choose to attend church.
Now, run the clock up to January 2018. That January Sonja and I packed up and moved from South Carolina to Bismarck North Dakota arriving on January 11 with a windy -23 day to welcome us.
That day was a chilling introduction to another way to live. I experienced snow every month of the year while living there (including June, July, and August). Living in the Dakotas and Montana meant that there were only a few months (even weeks) in which people could get outdoors and enjoy God’s wonderful creation.
While living there I observed that the pastor’s didn’t make such a big deal out of their members missing church during those few weeks available to them. They understood, and I came to understand it as well.
All those pastors asked of their members was to, (a) when you are home for the weekend, be at church, and (b) when you’re away, remember that life goes on at the church while you’re gone. The bills still must be paid, the needs still need prayer, and the shut-ins and those keeping the home fires burning still needed an encouraging call from time to time.
In other words: Be there when you’re home and send support when you’re not.
Beautiful Michigan is a lot like that as well.
I get it.
The winters are long and harsh here. Michigan Church of God, you’ll get no grief from me if you try to pack in a lot of living in a short season. All I ask is: Be there when you’re home and send support when you’re not.
Blessings and safe travels,
David L. Kemp
Administrative Bishop
The ONE THING 