I am a self-described Heinz 57 Christian. I guess that could mean I am a mutt, especially on the heels of being a foster parent these last few weeks to a darling boxer mix. However, it has come to mean much more than that to me. The bottom line is, although I have very specific personal convictions, I am more ecumenical than I ever thought I would be.

Over the course of my life, I was raised a Methodist, went to the Catholic church for ten years, was an Episcopalian for sixteen, and now attend a Baptist church which I love. Each serve Him, and have a few different beliefs, but the main doctrine of salvation is by Grace and Jesus’s mighty Work on the Cross. How we celebrate varies so much even within the denominations, I couldn’t begin to describe the differences. When the main Truth is there, it is so much more about choosing Him than choosing a church. Beth Moore says something that has stuck with me. “If you’re looking for the perfect church, look no more. For, the moment you walk through the door, it won’t be perfect anymore.” That is the honest truth. Not one church is perfect because none of us are perfect. It edifies Christ so much more when we choose to celebrate our similarities than argue over minute differences. One day, we’ll know. But for now, I’d like to just agree that Christ is the Son of God, and we all fall short and need a Savior. Serving Him means a life of sacrifice and joy that nothing can come close to measuring up to. Grace is without a doubt the greatest gift of my life. When someone asks me if I have been saved, I often say, “Every single day.” This irritates some, and worries others. I do have a point in my life where I made a profession of faith, walked the aisle and was baptized, (both sprinkled and immersed.) However, I feel like it is a greater truth to profess that He saves me from myself and the wiles of evil every single day that I live and breathe, and ultimately, from the pit of hell.

I love Christ. I love His Church. I don’t think that means you have to be a certain denomination, but just belong to (and participate fully in) a church that believes the tenets of the Bible. How we worship Him and the variety of ways that we do must glorify Him all the more. Amen?
The song at the top of the post is a contemporary hymn called “One Bread One Body.” The words say:
One bread, one body
one Lord of all,
one cup of blessing which we bless.
And we, though many,
throughout the earth,
we are one body in this one Lord.
Gentile or Jew
servant or free
woman or man, no more.

I long for the Day when we are One in Him.

Malcolm baptising me–January 2007