Dividing Photos, Dividing Life

July 5th, marks our 6month move-in anniversary here at our new house in Sacramento.  So far  we’ve experienced:

• what single-family home ownership is like
• the hot Sacramento weather which is still not at its peak yet
• the sweet relief of air conditioning  (never had an AC system before)
• what life in a new church plant is like

Of course throughout all these adjustments we’ve taken as many pictures as we can.  Typically when I take photos I categorize them through events which are broken up into two main categories which are “church activities” and the other being, “all the rest.”  Of course there are dozens of other sub groupings but those two are the topmost general categories.  Lately I’ve tried to categorize the photos we’ve taken and realized that those categories are getting harder to follow.

Life so far here in Sacramento has taught us that divisions between church life and “all the rest” are quickly being blurred.  What I mean by that is we’ve spent more time with our local church family in the last 6 months, then we have ever spent with our previous churches in all the years God has saved us. 

Life used to be broken up into such divisions but lately those divisions are quickly evaporating.  Even in my everyday language those divisions are changed from “hanging out with people at church” to just “hanging out.”  It used to be “going to the church for …” to just “going for …”

Before you think I’ve abandoned the world and joined a cult then you’ve missed the point. My point is not that church relationships take precedence.  Relationships continue to exist outside the church context but the social categories between those that are in or out of the church context are quickly disappearing.  Relationships with people no longer have parenthetical comments such as he’s a friend (from church) or a friend (from the neighborhood). 

In a very real way its what the apostle Paul meant when he said, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1cor 10:31)”  Notice how he had categories there too, drinking and eating.  But in the end those categories are erased in the context of how they are done which are towards and for the glory of God.  I pray that here in Sacramento as we develop more relationships, that verse continues to be our aim.