I just attended my first class at CCI and it was a marvelous experience!  The class is about St. Augustine, and by studying about him, we will gain a greater understanding of the history of Christianity during his time.  I think that studying the roots of Christianity, and how it has changed over the years, will bring a better understanding of many current church issues.  For me, personally, unification of the Church Body is my main desire as a Christian.  Just as unity within a town or a family is essential for success in setting and obtaining goals, I feel that unity of churches is of primary importance.  In fact, I feel that when the churches within a community unite in purpose, despite their differences in beliefs, modes of operation, etc., they pave the way for cooperation between official town bodies, whose members are obviously often members of local churches.  

 I wish everyone could take advantage of courses like these which help explain certain things about aspects of Christianity that are confusing or even seem contradictory to folks who observe things within churches that seem not exactly Christ like.  But education, although a valuable tool, cannot take the place of good, old common sense, united with a determination to remain faithful to Christ and HIS teaching and example above all other teaching or practice.  It pains and even shocks me when I hear of behaviors in churches where folks are made to feel unwelcome because they are outsiders, or the governing body is warring with the anointed leader of a church, to the point of causing rifts and even outright strife within the church body. Or perhaps a particularly dynamic and "on fire" church is attracting many people, and are therefore accused of recruiting and stealing other church's parishioners.  I live, basically, in two different communities (although my heart is rooted in Wagener) and I see the same things in churches in both parts of the state, so it is far more than a local issue.  

I had a very powerful and strange experience last September that I will share for the first time publicly.  I had really meditated in prayer that morning about God's will and just fellowshipped with the Lord without receiving any specific "word" or revelation.  A little while afterwards I was going about my normal morning routine and had just finished brushing my teeth when a vision came upon me, in a flash. 

That sounds weird and it is.  I usually get thoughts or words when in prayer, and often verse numbers, but this was like a sudden movie inserted into my mind's eye without any prompting from me - just out of nowhere while looking in the mirror.  The scene was a succession of church signs.  (As my husband and I travel to Wagener from Mount Pleasant, we pass a number of churches and I'm always aware of their signs and read them.  It was as if each sign on the way were flashing in this vision.)  But each time I saw a sign, an Angel appeared.  

Before I elaborate, let me impress that this was not a cherub, not a sweet-faced woman with pretty hair, or the typical angel pictures we see.  This was, undoubtedly, a warrior of God Almighty, and the accompanying feeling of seeing the angel was - not fear, but awe or a drawing back to watch from a safe distance because this was a powerful being that you didn't want to be too familiar with or take for granted.  So I sort of "watched" this angel and with each sign, he was making a big, black strike, like a bar of black paint covering something up.  This happened quickly, and there would be a brick sign, and the angel doing that, then a white, painted sign, with the angel doing that, etc.  After several signs I got braver and I guess I sort of mentally put on the telephoto lens so that I could see what he was blacking out.  

 It was the denomination.  Each sign would have all the words except the denomination, which was like a black stripe.  So it would say First (Black stripe) Church.  St. Andrews (Black Stripe) Church.  Now, it's taken a long time to tell this strange story (do I dare to really post it?!) but the "vision" or whatever was very rapid.  It was a very strange feeling and of course I asked myself if I had conjured that up on my own, and I asked God if He had sent it, and if He had why in the bathroom mirror and not when I had been deep in prayer?!  I don't claim to know what it means or where it truly came from, but from that time on, I have had a deep desire in my heart to encourage unity of purpose in all aspects, despite conflicting beliefs or feelings.  

Taking the class made me realize why many churches have problems with one another, and issues within themselves.  They don't understand that this teaching and belief originated because of this council that met hundreds of years ago, or that this doctrine was born out of the powerful writing of this particular Christian leader at whatever time....

But my common sense makes me realize that, if any town has dozens of churches within a small radius, and there are any hungry people or homeless people or other civic issues that are not being addressed and even conquered, then, to quote my Daddy, "sumthin' ain't right!"   

I've been reading Acts this month, and fractions and discord are certainly nothing new to the church body.  But we must, MUST, overcome temptations that so often come from the enemy, himself, to allow discord, differences of opinions and methods, etc. to stop us from bringing people to Jesus, and taking care of our communities in every way possible.  How can we dare to declare the good news of Christ, with its message of unconditional love and forgiveness, when we are practicing the very things Christ, Himself, warned us against?  We must never forget Christ's instructions of the most important things we must do, no matter what.  To love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds, and to love our neighbors as ourselves!