I remember more about the circumstances under which I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig than I do about the book itself. It was during Peace Corps training in coastal Ecuador, under a tin roof and mosquito net.
I think about Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and I see that tin roof.
I wrote down a quote that stuck with me, though. “But if you’re a sloppy thinker six days a week and you really try to be sharp on the seventh, then maybe the next six days aren’t going to be so sloppy as the preceding six.”
He wasn’t talking about church. He was talking about motorcycle maintenance, breaking his bike down and cleaning it once a week (if my fuzzy memory is right). But I applied it to going to church.
I wasn’t going to church at the time. The reasons aren’t important now,. But I knew God expected more of me than I was offering Him in my life. So the quote stuck with me.
We don’t go to church because we are perfect. We go to church because we aren’t. We go to church to get encouragement to go out into a corrupted world and live lives that glorify God. We go to church to praise God and worship Him and remind ourselves why we are called to be different. We go to church to remind ourselves of Jesus’ sacrifice, to remember it “until He comes”.
We go to church because it is hard, even impossible, to be the church alone.
If we are tempted to skip church services because of sin in our lives, it isn’t because God doesn’t want to see us there. It’s because we don’t want to face our need for change.
Ironically, it is when we most need God that we are most inclined to avoid Him.
But we must let the teaching and the worship we encounter there touch our minds and hearts. Sitting in a pew isn’t worship. We worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). If we aren’t worshipping in spirit, and taking God’s will and word to heart, we might as well be sitting in front of the TV.
I encourage you to really try to “be a sharp thinker” when you attend worship services this week. Try to make it the day that will positively affect the rest of your week.
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (NASB)
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Hello, friend! I think that you are pretty amazing at blogging…and baking (and blending the two!!)…and being inspirational. So I did something a little wacky and nominated you for the Very Inspirational Blogger Award. No worries if you’ve been given this honor before…but if not, visit my blog and you’ll get the whole scoop!
http://lukewarmwaters.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/time-for-cake-very-inspirational-blogger-award/
Have a lovely day!
Emmie
Thank you, and I’m very flattered.
Due to real-life committments (mostly the three very short people who live at my house) I do not have enough time to do all the blogging and writing I would like. Because of that, I made the decision when I started this blog that I wouldn’t do blogger awards that required a lot of posting and linking.
I do appreciate you thinking of me, though!
Don’t worry about the posting and linking. Just enjoy it…and maybe an extra special loaf of bread
Excellent post. Isn’t it funny how God meets us where we are to speak directly to our hearts. Thankful that He blessed you in the reading of this book.
Exactly. One more example of His infinite…I call it flexibility. He can work through any situation, anything, even if the original intent was not Godly.
This is a FABULOUS POST! “We go to church because it is hard, even impossible, to be the church alone.” Love. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you!