I didn’t know God talked like that

There was a time in my life when the only time I saw a frying pan or a rolling pin in media or on TV was when a wife was using it as something to smack her husband over the head - you know, back when people used to kid around like that with domestic violence and stuff.

Thankfully, I'd grown up using those items fairly regularly and watching others do so as well for non-domestic violence things like frying bacon and eggs or rolling out dough for biscuits or cinnamon rolls.  I had a much fuller and realistic picture about their presence and usage.

Over time, things that are commonly used and understood will come and go.  Phone booths, newspapers, landlines, rabbit ear antennas, a floor switch to dim or brighten your car's headlights, and a lot of other little things have changed their presence in our lexicon.

Even the way we use some things have changed.  For example, we used to rush to always answer the phone when it rang, especially our landline phones.  You didn't want to miss out on a call in case it was important.  And even if it was sales, we stayed on the line trying to politely get out of the call.

Now of days, people often leave their mobile phone on silence all the time and don't answer calls or even set up their voicemail box.  And on top of that, if someone tries to FaceTime us, we are possibly mortified and can't believe someone would try to do that.

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I think I used to see church, prayer, and other believers kind of like people saw frying pans and rolling pins for a time.  Not through the lens of domestic abuse, obviously; though at times and in some situations they could have a little of that flavor.  

I saw those things through the lens of how they were taught, seen, and presented to me by people who learned about them the same way from the people who came before them. And sometimes, those things were very different from how I see them today.

And, fair enough, like playing the game "telephone" or "gossip", something gets lost in translation and very well meaning people with the best of intentions pass along what they truly feel is the best and right thing to do, say, or think.

I used to see church as something you "go to", prayer as way of getting something from God, and other believers as...well, that is harder.  They were a mixed bag.  Sometimes they could be encouragers, sometimes competition, sometimes the enemy, sometimes the crowd you were a part of, and so on.

Now of days, I see "the church" as people who have God living in them and as fellow travelers, regardless of whether or not I meet them in a building once a week or not.  Prayer is ongoing, normal communication with The Creator and not a formal petition shaped in scriptural legalize and lots of repetition.

All those things are a normal part of life and not "separate and apart".  They are a part of a way of life, not an item on a schedule to be checked off, contributed to, and publicly maintained so that everyone can see me doing them and feel good about me and my spiritual condition.

The more I understand "church" as the people where God's Spirit is at work, I see them as the primary pathway or avenue through which many of God's good things come to me.  Just a short read through Romans 12, Ephesians 4, or 1 Corinthians 12-13 shows me something very different from pop culture versions of "church" and "the Christian life".

These people are or can be the way God sends me encouragement and insight. They are the way God meets a lot of my needs. They are where and how I learn about how God deals with me with more grace and mercy than I can imagine. They are where I can show God's love and mercy.  

They are, more often than not, God's answers to my prayers.  

Don't get me wrong, God answers my prayers very directly to me. He answers very regularly, at different times than you or I might imagine, and through different ways that are often very personal. 

I've discovered that at times in the past, I've expected answers from God in only one way and missed answers that came differently.  Now my senses are opened to a wider set of options.

And one of the important ways he answers is through his people. And at times, that can be "in church" services, but more often than not, for me, it's not.

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"Church relationships" can be great, but the way that a lot of people experience them is in surface level, very guarded, and opaque dynamics - sharing and opening up only when necessary and if there is some danger or problem.

I know, I know - "you get out of church what you put into church".  I've heard that and even said that.  And for many, life works out where that can be true and is true, but not for everyone.  For some, church is just an extension of any other kind of group they've been part of - high school, college, work, etc.

And it seems from scripture and all those "one another" passages sprinkled through the New Testament, that it's more than that - that it is family and everyone is included, not just those who are bought into and are "all in" to the vision of a local church.

The crazy uncle, the quiet niece, the struggling addict, and the talkative mom who likes to cook all have a place at the table next to the college professor, the military veteran, the attorney, and star quarterback from the local high school.  

And they don't just have a place, but they are all very precious treasures to God in which he actively lives.  And they are his hands of serving and his voice of comfort and encouragement.  They are the way he makes us laugh and cry.  They are the evidence of the Spirit moving like the wind in the trees.

You can't put new wine into old wineskins without expecting those old skins to burst and spill out all that wine.  You can't shove God's people only into the form of a Sunday morning church and expect God to make us dance, but only if he does in through our planned choreography of "church services".

God is still at work.  God is still speaking.  God is still listening.

And a lot of that interaction with him is in and through his people.

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Some years ago, I made a fresh pitcher of a new, brightly colored and highly flavorful kool-aid style drink for my kids.  As I was getting ready to pour some into glasses, the pitcher slipped from my hands, smashed on the floor, and the contents went everywhere, high and low, side to side.

Even after I thought I'd cleaned it all up, I'd still find more of it, maybe days or weeks later and much farther from the point of impact that I imagined possible.  It was on the ceiling, behind the refrigerator, inside the oven, down the air vent, on the kitchen cabinets - you name a surface, it was there.

And God is like that.  He is in more places than just "in church".  His people are in more places than just "in church".  You pass them everyday.  And they pass you.  They are everywhere.  He is everywhere.

Look around and listen.  Watch God converse with you through people you might not have dreamed of and in ways you might not have assumed.  Including you.