Yes, I love the church, but not because it has formed a snug cocoon around me, insulating me from the world. Just the opposite is true. It's where I've encountered my fears. It's where my faith has grown larger; pushing me over edges I didn't want to get near. It's forced me to try things that scared me to death...
...our desire to stay in control forces us to pay the highest price imaginable - letting our relationship with God gradually grow cold. Before long, we become mechanical and lose all sense of passion in serving the Lord. We can go through the motions, but our lives become hollow and our faith degenerates into mere surface religion.
