I'm a mutt.

I love animals and have adopted many over the years.  One thing has always remained constant.  All of my pets have come from the pound!  Call me a shoe snob, or a blue jean elitist and I’ll stand ready to plead my guilt, but when it comes to animals I just love the mutts.  Over the last couple of weeks I’ve learned that the same is true of my faith.  I grew up in a United Methodist Church and loved everything about my church family.  As a young adult with a black foster child I found that a christian non-denominational church suited our worship needs best as a family.  Once married and with children of our own we have run the gamut - Methodist, Baptist, Non-denominational, and now Presbyterian.  I suppose you could say we are mutts ourselves and in some strange way I am perfectly fine with that!  I don’t believe in a denomination.  

I believe in the Judeo-Christian God. I believe the Bible to be the Word of God. I believe that Jesus is the way and there is no other, not because I am closed-minded but in order to believe that Jesus, the Son of God died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave the 3rd day, I have to believe what he says....which is that "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me--"John 14:6.  I believe God calls us to share his message and his great love and that he has blessed us beyond measure.  I love to praise and worship God and I do so in fellowship with other believers in a church body.  I pray for unity and peace within that body of believers.  I go where I believe God calls and leads me to be and will follow that calling always.  I don’t need a label to know that I am a child of God.  Denominations are many and all man made.  God uses these denominations as an avenue to him however there is only ONE truth.  Spiritual/denominational elitism is a scary thing - ALL are to come before our Lord with a humble heart on bended knee.  Remember we are all sinners, broken and unworthy.  Love your church, but above ALL else...

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
Mark 12:29-31