What is Church, anyway?

Is it the building, or is it the people?

Sometimes, it can seem cold and desolate…

… like the frozen peaks of a mighty mountain range. Sadly, little can survive there.

What about finding church in nature?

Can all that quite beauty and solitude become a church, of sorts? Meditating in peace, while trying to safely navigate this lost and fallen world?

Can Church be found in a book, but not in a heart?

What about where 2 or more are gathered?

Do I fit into the Church, or is the Church supposed to reside within Me?

Google says that the Bible mentions the word Church about 120 different times. 

Somebody on Google also says that there are estimated to be between eight and 16 million actual church buildings in the world.

Another person says that there are 37 million churches throughout the world.

Oh yeah, and I also read that there are more than 45,000 Christian denominations in the world.  I think I found all this information in under 5 minutes on the great World Wide Web.  What started out as my morning quiet time in the word, turned into 2 days of trail walks, another day pondering my own church experiences, and then finally, the above mentioned 5 minutes of “Google is your friend”!

Honestly, at this point, I was feeling like a deer caught in someone’s proverbial headlights!  I know we all believe that google is our friend, but let me tell ya, not only is it your friend, but EVERYBODY’S friend!  Electronic Overshare Overload is what I will consider reality!  Jokes aside, the web can be a great resource, within reason.  Too much of a good thing can be not so good for us. Well, at least that’s how that old saying goes, anyways.

I am realizing that I am not interested in what the WWW thinks, nor am I certain as to where I stand with my own beliefs, regarding this subject. 

However, here is the awesome truth about faith…  I do believe in WHO God is and what He says to me!  If I am to believe that the Bible is 100% truth, it goes to show that I will find the honest answers to my questions within this very book, right?  Within this one book are my answers, written down simply and clearly, assuming I am truly seeking the HONEST answer. 

With this truth upon my heart, I am embarking on a journey of knowledge, that I may see with clarity a Godly understanding of Church, His purpose, and how I fit into the body of Christ (His Church).

You know I will not go all the way to some clarity, without returning with some really great stories for you all.  Keep a weathered eye out for me, and I will see you on the (metaphorical) flip side…