Wednesday, September 24, 2008

My response to the St Louis today comments on MSC

I am long time member of Morning Star. I can tell you from my own personal experience the staff here is the real deal!! Texting was not meant to be a gimmick. Do you or someone you know have a cell phone, text with it, email or use other current technology. Most of us do. Most certainly those who have responded to this article on line do. I see nothing wrong with keeping up with the times. Like the paper said, those who do not have cell phones can still submit written questions. Morning Star is not the same kind of church I grew up in but the values are the same. Our Pastors do not claim to know the answer to every question but they do their best to find the answer and the first place they typically go to is the Bible. They do not claim to be better than anyone else. In fact it is pretty much the opposite. They let us know that we (including themselves) are not perfect people. We share the same struggles, losses, troubles and sins as those who may have different beliefs or no beliefs at all. The beautiful thing is we find comfort in our faith and in Jesus Christ. We find comfort in our church family. That does not mean we have no friends outside of our church or the Christian religion. I can tell you first hand Morning Star is more than just about church, gimmicks and being preached to. The sermons are relevant to what we go through everyday. You could be Christian, Jewish, Muslim or an atheist and walk away from almost every sermon with something that touched your life. We lost my sister last week and the congregation rallied around our family. Phone calls, flowers, cards, meals and yes even emails and texts were sent. They are still coming. I wish I could explain to you the support we have been given. The chairs were filled at her memorial. Filled with all kinds of beliefs, races and ages. No one was judged. We strive to accept everyone for who they are and where they are. I was able to be a big part of coordinating the service so I can tell you what was said was sincere and from the heart. That does not happen just anywhere but it does happen at our church and I am certain many other churches too. The Bible, whether you believe what it says or not, still talks about treating one another as we would like to be treated. It is still the best guide for morals and how to lead a good life. Maybe the world would not be in such a chaotic state if more people would just live like there were consequences to their actions whether they believe in God or not.