Church by the Pool

My wife works at a church called, Church by the Glades. In a play on words, she has since referred to the rare instances of "staying home from church" as going to the Church by the Pool. It's odd for us (attending church regularly) to think that the majority of those around us spend their weekends by the pool, reading the paper, fishing, golfing, and taking their kids to little league soccer and baseball. It's antithetical to think that those who don't go to church every Sunday morning might actually get more "rest" than those who do.

I've recently visited this mythical Church by the Pool, and I must admit, along with my wife, that it is quite restful. We had 99 Jams playing throughout (they play Contemporary Gospel every Sunday until 2 pm), we studied the book of Amos together, we opened and closed in prayer, and if we had chosen - we could have had our choice of preachers to watch online (Mark Driscoll, Tony Evans, Rick Mckinley, Craig Groeschel). A local church, Flamingo Road Church, actually streams their entire service live to their "internet campus."

Now to some, this whole line of thought is downright blasphemous, and I must clarify that the Church by the Pool is not a place to seek permanent membership, but rather a place to simply visit when one sees the need for the occasion. Our former pastor, David Hughes, referred to those permanent members as "Lone Ranger Christians."

Some people need to attend church more than others; let me explain. For some, Sunday morning church is the only time that they open their Bible. For some, Sunday morning church is the only time they pray to God. For some, Sunday morning church is the only time they listen to God. For some, Sunday morning church is the only time they meet with other Christians. Sad, but true.

For some, visiting the Church by the Pool would be forsaking all of those spiritual elements that they were only receiving once a week in the first place - not a good combination at all. Not so for my wife and I. We are solid in our faith. Our relationship with God is tight. We have daily fellowship with other Christians, we are daily in His Word, and also in Prayer.

I would warn you to be sure that the Church by the Pool doesn't entice you into lackadaisical permanent membership. That said, let me encourage you, if you can handle it, to pop in and visit the Church by the Pool every now and then. You could even bring a friend.