GRITS

One of my favorite stories is of a "northerner" who visits some café in Louisiana. He sees grits in a prominent place on the menu and asks the waitress, "What is a grit?" In a slow southern drawl, with a heavy dose of twang, she retorted, "Grit??? They're grits!! They don't come by themselves." I love it. Maybe it's because I think I've met that server somewhere in Shreveport, Louisiana.

I heard a famous "Christian" comedian lamenting over meet and greet in churches. "Don't want to shake someone's sweaty hand that I don't know." Lots of jabs and laughs followed. After listening for awhile, it seemed to me that he would be happy if he never had to be anywhere but on stage or in his basement home theater. Not sure how much he'll like heaven if he's so opposed to being around people different than himself.

To quote the southern advisor, "Grits don't come by themselves." And neither do Christians. The idea of being a Christian but "not the church-going type" isn't compatible with the NT. Yeah, I know "church is not a building" (Don't write me on that one. I've heard the argument.) But Christianity isn't a solo endeavor either. Check it out. When the Spirit came, He motivated the first believers to devote themselves to meeting in the temple and in homes (Acts 2:40-47). Whether you prefer a house church or a church of thousands with small groups, get in one and be part of the solution.