For the Love of God

My Take

DiVoran Lites

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When we moved to Florida in 1965, we went looking for a church in the denomination (religious belief system) we were used to. We found two, but one of them had air conditioning, so we chose that one. We were in for a lot of good surprises because we began to listen and learn. We went to church several times a week and left our children in the nursery. As the years flew by, they graduated into evening classes of their own. 

We kept going because our preacher and his dear wife were so close to God and their family that we wanted what they had. Also, the people in that church were wise, gentle and kind. The first thing they taught was that God loves us. Did you know that? I didn’t. But once we knew, our lives began to change for the better.

The most important thing we learned was that it was good to study the Bible for ourselves and pray alone every day.

While Bill chose to listen to Bible audiobooks on the way to work, I chose to do morning devotions while our two young children watched Captain Kangaroo.  Someday, I’d like to share the routine I have fallen into and what it does for me. 

Being at church is a tremendous help, but it can’t fill all our needs for fellowship with the Lord Jesus. All Christians know that Jesus died on a cross to atone for our sin. That is one thing all Christian churches teach, and there are many other things they agree upon.  

You see, sometimes we believe so strongly that we are in the only church that knows everything about God and the Bible that we think we might suffer if we went anywhere else.  

How do we choose churches to attend out of all the Christian churches within our reach? Most of the time, we stick to the denominations we grew up in. If our parents went to church or sent us to church, we learned what they had been taught, and our children stayed in the denomination or gave up church altogether. 

  But sometimes we may change churches for one reason or another; a move or a marriage can trigger that, and so can the fussing that might get into a church. Sometimes we get hurt and don’t want to go there anymore. 

As important as belonging to a group of Christians is, going to church is not enough. Love, peace, and joy come through the Holy Spirit straight to our hearts. Holy churches, large and small, are almost everywhere, and as Christians, we want to be involved in them and support the wonderful things they do.   

If you need to know where to go to church, ask your Father, who is in heaven and who is in you for yourself. While you’re at it, tell him thank- you for his love. 

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

Tags: Faith