a gift

In Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book Life Together (if you haven't read it, you MUST) he states that Christian Community, in all of its forms, is a GIFT.

A Christian home: a gift.
A Christian College community: a gift
your bible study: a gift
Christian friends: a gift
The Church: a gift

In 2 short weeks, I will be headed to Vancouver, Washington to intern at Crossway Church through a program called Jubilee Fellows. Over the last semester, 12 of us students from Calvin College have been learning about the gift that is The Church. We've discussed many aspects of the church, and I am excited to continue learning more, but one aspect we focused on the most:

Jesus Christ: the HEAD of the Church.
US: The BODY of Christ, the BRIDE of Christ

For many in my generation today, the church has become irrelevant, unimpressive, outdated, and constraining. Many people today find themselves asking (whether aloud or in their head):
Does the church even matter?

In short: YES.
In long: YES. The Church is the BODY OF CHRIST, His LOVE, His PEOPLE. It is an embodiment of the community of the Trinity, a mirror of true fellowship found within the Trinity.

That's the short of it. For now. There is a lot more in my brain, but for tonight, that is enough.
This is where I leave you for now, and I hope you will continue riding along with me on this summer's journey to and through Vancouver, WA. I'll be asking the big questions, chewing on them, living in them.

I hope this is a place to write about God's love: His church, His people.