Do you

remember the song we learned in Sunday School, "The

church is not a building, the church is not a steeple,

the church is not a resting place, the church is the

people"? There is a lot of wisdom in that song..

Earlier

this summer I got on the Internet and found some

reasonable tickets to Europe and two weeks ago, the four

of us flew to Frankfurt, rented a car and drove to nine

countries in 12 days. We would camp two days and get a

hotel the third day. It was truly a great trip. Since in

central Europe the countries are small, you can travel

several hundred miles and cover four or five countries.

My father

had been an Army chaplain and in my childhood and teen

years, we followed him all around the world and lived in

some truly wonderful places. I had graduated from high

school in Frankfurt, Germany one year after the Berlin

Wall was erected. My family had always valued education

and travel so we took a world tour beginning from

Frankfurt. Since we were already overseas, it was

affordable.

Then the

summer I graduated from high school, my best friend,

Calvin Garner and his mother and father chaplain Calvin

and Maxine Garner and their daughter Daphney, drove and

camped through Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland Belgium,

France and Luxembourg. It was a graduation summer to

remember.

Staying in

"camping grounds" in Europe with my family this

summer, and hearing the many languages spoken was quite

an experience. I can speak conversational German, and my

daughter Nikki has had two years of high school French,

and my wife Dee understands and speaks some German.

Between Dee and my fluently broken German, and Nikki's

high school French, and a lot of pointing and gesturing,

we would laugh and muddle through most situations. I must

admit, we did leave a few confused Europeans scratching

their heads at what they thought we had just said.

It was

during this trip that I realized an amazing truth. Even

though we speak different languages, dress differently,

drive different cars, have different governments, even

different religions, we are all the same in many ways.

We are the

same in wanting a better life for our families. We are

the same in wanting them to get a good and safe

education. We are the same in wanting to live in as nice

a house as possible and drive a nice car. We are the same

in wanting the best health care possible. We are the same

in wanting the basic freedoms that we all possess in this

country.

Most of

all, we all need the basic gospel message over and over

and over, that we are loved, forgiven for our sins, and

are somebody special because of Jesus of Nazereth and

that through Him and Him alone can we have eternal life.

Praise The Lord!

People who

believe and "walk the walk" as "followers

of the God of and his Son Jesus are all a part of the

"church." The church is the people! It doesn't

matter what language one speaks or the color of one's

skin. We all "believers" are in the

"Family of God," the "body of Christ"

called the church.

We in the

churches here on the south side of Atlanta, whether big

or little, are a part of something bigger, the worldwide

church. The God-man Jesus is the foundation, the

spiritual cornerstone, and the Holy Spirit is the

"spiritual power" keeping the church on the

move. Press on!

[The Rev.

Dr. Knox Herndon is the pastor of "His House

Community Church" (SBC) and a substitute school

teacher in the Fayette County school system, and a former

Army chaplain. The church is currently meeting in the

American Legion Log Cabin across from the fountain on the

Square in Fayetteville. Prayer line 770-719-2365; e-mail [email protected] .

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