One too many.

There's a TV commercial out there which starts with two girls, drinking and extremely drunk. One is so drunk she tries to take another drink from a beer bottle and smashes out her two front teeth. She finds this extremely funny.

Pan over to man a woman, sitting and the base of the stairs talking. Each is also drinking but both seem to be under control and just enjoying each others company. One gets up to leave, car keys in hand, and stumbles a bit.

The tag line: "You know when you've had way too many to drive. But do you know when you've had one too many?"

Great thought.

Now picture a mega-church. There's thousands in stadium seating and a couple worshipping or sitting listening to the sermon. Then fade to a smaller church of about two hundred. Same scene, just much smaller.

The tag line: "You know when your church is too large for meaningful connections on Sunday morning. But do you know when it's just a little too big?"

Fact is, the kind of relationships we need to grow into mature followers of Jesus can't be met in most Sunday morning services. If the church is small enough, then it's possible. However once you've reached a certain size, it's too easy to go unnoticed.

We need the kind of purposeful, intimate relationships you just can't get in a large gathering.

Respecting Authority

Yes, I know. Long time without a post. Well I'm claiming that God's grace extends to blogs. We'll go with that and move on.

I went to the Ohio State Fair this Sat. The Highway Patrol were directing people in the parking lot. One lady decided not to follow the flow and tried to park closer. She was immediately called on it and received a harsh reprimand to follow directions and park where she was told.

Seems a bit over the top doesn't it? After all, it's just parking.

No, he wasn't just correcting the parking. He was re-enforcing his authority. She hadn't just tried to park somewhere else, she has disobeyed an authority of the law. She had shown by her actions that she did not respect the authority the Patrolman had. That's what really needed the correction.

How many times do we not follow God in the little things? Jesus is our authority and it is our place to obey his commands. Those things might seem small, but it's the heart behind it which He will correct.