DIY RELIGION

I have been reading/listening to a book called "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible." At the beginning of the book, as he explains his plan for the year, he uses a phrase that caught my attention. He said that a friend told him he was creating a "Do It Yourself Religion" because he didn't want to be swayed by anyone because he wanted the Bible to be his primary directive.

I thought about that a lot and especially in light of our church plant. I don't believe that Christianity is meant to be a Do-It-Yourself Religion. I do, however, believe that discipleship must be DIY or it will DIE. We cannot simply rely on others to always tell us what to think and what to believe. Eventually we must take the initiative to discover the life God is offering for ourselves. You know the saying, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.” No it's not in the Bible, but we believe it to be true.

If we simply give you the teachings of Jesus, then they help you today, but if we can teach you to find them on your own and share them with your kids, then we have helped you for a lifetime. This is why we emphasize personal involvement in our ministry. This is the reason for the blogs and the take-home materials. This is part of the reason for only meeting twice a month for corporate teaching environments. If you can't do it at home or aren't doing it at home, then we are not succeeding in our mission. Can you do it on your own? Can you pass it along?

My son is 1 year old and starting to feed himself. My daughter is almost 7 and does feed herself, with a little guidance on content. My wife is..., and she doesn't need guidance and can completely feed herself and our son. My Mother is..., and she feeds herself and also feeds her mother. My grandmother is 87 and cannot feed herself anymore.

Something is not right when a 30-somethings cannot feed themselves. Somethings not right when 7 year olds cannot feed themselves. Something is very normal when a 6 month old cannot feed himself. Same is true spiritually. Many of us have been Christ-followers for years and are still relying on someone else to feed us. The most common phrase I hear from people changing churches is, "I'm just not being fed." So they go to where they can get fed, but are they really benefiting from the change? If you are coming to The Springs to "get fed" then you will be disappointed. If you are coming to The Springs to learn to eat, then you will be pleasantly surprised. Come to the table and feast with us!