Like so many of us, I’ve always wanted to be part of something really significant.  I’d like to think that I did not live my life being "my own selfish pig."  There are so many problems in the world, and so many wrongs that should be righted. I’d like to be part of the solution.  So where does one begin? Where can I make my life count?    Answer:  The Church - The local church

Sometimes, we who are Christ followers miss the forest for the trees. Our greatest opportunity for a life that counts is right in front of us. I can’t speak for other local church families, but I can speak for mine.

I am blessed to be part of a church where literally thousands of people all over the world receive real, true help and hope every week. In Haiti, poor people are fed and their souls are revived by God. In the South, homes and lives are rebuilt by CACC teams in the wake of Katrina.  In Harrisburg city, homeless people are fed and clothed. People with mental disabilities receive a helping hand month in and month out through my church family. The elderly receive love and an opportunity to worship their God. Prisoners are visited and given the hope of a better way of life. Every month, thousands of lives are touched in my own community and beyond - through my church.   Significance.

I belong to a church with an externally focused campus. Last evening, I sat and watched dozens of little girls and moms and dads converge upon the campus to begin softball season.  It was quite a sight to watch these young ball players take hold of a bat, stand in front of the screen, and get their precious picture taken.  Meanwhile, dozens of other children played soccer in Adventure Park on campus. Day in and day out, a parade of people from our community drive onto our campus, our community center, and they leave slightly changed.  Next week they will even vote in a church.    Significance.

The number of these folks is ever increasing.  Soon 1500 or so people will gather on our campus and build a playground that will benefit thousands of lives for generations to come.  Some of the "least of these" will receive help and hope. Further back on campus, local softball associations will join together to care for the new Adventure Park field.  Significance.

Each week, our staff receives notes from CACC attendees. These testimonies tell us of marriages healed, addictions conquered, wisdom and life-changing truth dispensed. Men become better husbands, women become better wives.  Children are taught truth and wisdom about life.  Teens learn that there is only One real superhero - Jesus. These notes arrive weekly without fail. Significance.

Some folks think church is irrelevant.  Others think church is a place designed to take care of their personal consumer wants.  But many churches and church members get it.  They understand that the local church is the hope of the world and that they are there to serve, to learn, to grow.  They want to make a difference in the world. They want to be part of the solution.   Significance.

I have found what I was looking for.  I have found a place, a people, where hundreds of significant, life-changing events happen every week, fifty-two weeks a year. 

What about you?  Are you looking to make a difference in the world?  Are you ready to stop being "your own selfish pig?"  If so, I know a place you can go.  There’s one at 1775 Lambs Gap Road in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and there are dozens of others throughout the community.

If you’re in a church and not making a difference, stop simply being a consumer and start serving. Stop sitting in the stands, and get on the field. If you don’t have a church home, find one and get to work. You won’t regret it.  You might just come to the end of your time on earth someday and say to yourself, "You made a difference in the world. Well done!"   Significance.

Sharing the Journey,
Pastor Don