what do i think about the church?

my good friend anonymous asked that in a comment, so i thought i would begin to form a response. i am guilty of being a church basher, and for that i am eternally regretful. i have put down the Bride in many settings and i know that i will have to answer for that one day. God has gotten ahold of me about this matter a lot over the past few months, and i wish that i could take back my statements. but i can't. all i can do is respond obediently to my changing heart.

i believe the church is the beautiful bride that Christ is so very proud of. that is what we are.

but we don't always act beautifully, and i think that is where so many frustrations come from. if we are really a body, a living organism, we must recognize that organisms naturally react when something unnatural is going on... when there is a problem. in a human body there is fever, aches, nausea, etc. when there is something wrong. i believe that the same applies within the church. we moan and groan the most when something unnatural is going on. whether it is church politics, a lack of discipleship, complacency, or greed, there are problems within the Body and we know it. so we react to the unnatural things happening within our Body. but often our (my) reactions are incredibly immature and rooted in our (my) flesh. i must stop complaining and start loving... Loving God and loving people. when there is a problem, the problem isn't the church, it's the flesh. He is the key. and as long as i think that i am the key, we will continue to have a problem.