Home should be something that we think of positively like the prodigal son in Luke 15, but it isn’t always the case. Not all of us have always had a happy home, but that is where the church should come in. Heaven is ultimately the home where there is neverending joy and peace, but our church home should foreshadow what Heaven will be like. We want everyone who comes to Blue Ridge to feel at home in the best way possible.
Friends are truly a beautiful part of life. In the Bible we read of David and Jonathan who were the closest of friends, Jesus said we could be his friends if we do what he commands, Proverbs says there is even a friend that sticks closer than a brother. As Christian friends we should be closer to one another than even some of our physical family members. We share a faith and a hope that the world doesn’t have and that brings us closer together.
Family is another of those words that should bring good feelings and good memories and I hope it does for you, but I know it doesn’t for everyone. Some families fuss and fight and mistreat each other. In some cases physical family causes pain and sorrow, and when that is the case a church family can make up for what was missing. We are supposed to be God’s Family and if he is our father we should act like him, love like him, talk like him, try to think like him, and treat others like he does. If you have a good physical family we can add a spiritual family to it, if you didn’t or don’t have a good relationship with physical relatives we can be the family you don’t have.
You can’t have too many good friends, family members, and homes. We want to be part of your life so we can bless you.