Meeting at the Lifepoint

Hmmm...long hair, scruffy face, black leather, earrings, tattoos, jeans? Doesn't look much like a church member to me. And he rode up on a noisy motorcycle too? I don't think he'll fit in very well in our church. We really don't need that kind of image here. I heard he used to be a preacher too...he must have really done something bad to end up looking like he does now.

These are the kind of reactions I expected, and have never once received since coming to Lifepoint Church. Why did I expect such shallow attitudes? Because there once was a time when I probably would have said many of the similar things, and because my experience in traditional churches left me with the preconceived idea that it probably would be this way.

Here's what is one the greatest encouragements about being a member of a church like Lifepoint. They know that when our lives intersect in life, we all look different, and Lifepoint welcomes that diversity. On any given Sunday, you will meet people in neck-ties, people in shorts, people in t-shirts, people in slacks and knit shirts, and of course people in biker gear. You will meet teenagers, moms, dads, grandparents. There are salesmen, consultants, nurses, teachers, truckers, and business owners. Latin-American, African-American, Asian, Irish...a kaleidoscope of color and ethnicity.

Even more than what you will find on the outside of the people at Lifepoint, you will find what they bring with them on their hearts. The people at our church struggle with addiction, broken marriages, financial crisis, anger, depression, loneliness, insecurity, rebelious children, rejection, unemployment, physical illness and all of the trials of the world.

So, how does a former Southern Baptist pastor who fell from the ministry and now looks like a biker fit in at Lifepoint? Beautifully! Why? Because among all of that diversity of life and culture that he found at Lifepoint, he found the welcoming arms of Christ. I looked and there, standing in the middle of this very different, and very unfamiliar kind of church, I found the presence of the Holy Spirit. All of the lives of these very different looking, acting, and living people converge right where God wants us to be...at the Cross!

Thank You Lord, for leading me here! Thank you Lifepoint for letting me stay!