BIG CHURCH

I drove past a church building the other day and nearly broke my neck tryin’ to take it all in.  The thing was huge.  I mean...monstrous.  Every part of it looked like it was trying to out do the other parts. 

From what I could tell, the entryway doubled as a roller rink; or possibly a helicopter school landing site.  The windows were so huge; if attendance ever dropped off, they could install poles with speakers on them and kick-start a new drive-in theater trend. With the correct lighting, the steeple was high enough for Governors in Russia to see IT.  The driveway was so looong and sooo wiiide.  I only wished they would’ve gone for the full effect and just manned up and covered the thing in gold.

About the moment I had thought I’d seen all there was to see of this gargantuan edifice, I noticed that there was sitting directly next to it ANOTHER HUGE church building.  I mean...HUGE.

They weren’t a few yards away from each other, either.  They were literally NEXT to each other.  Had it not ruined the big time look they were both goin’ for, they coulda thrown some string between the two buildings and talked to each other through soup cans.  They coulda shared that golden driveway. 

They were different denominations, but I’m pretty sure it was the same builder.  And clearly the second building was the builder’s second try.  And he had gotten good.

The first building was just a sampler plate; a test site.  It was the one with all the poor people in it who really couldn’t afford the “BIG” stuff.  That second building, THAT was the one.  Whatever they were preaching inside there was the place you wanted to be. They had it goin’ on.

As I sat there taking in the biggest example of steeple envy the world has ever seen, I couldn’t help but hope that after all the planning, and spending, and painting, and shinning it had taken to construct those two humble houses of prayer, I could only hope that after all of that hard work and sacrifice that...

...God could finally see them.

As together we stand and sing.

BP