There's nothing like a cozy stove fire in the mountains of Idaho on a chilly January day. Each year I cut and split about eight cords of pine for days like that. The wood shed part of our barn is stacked pretty high—about twelve feet. One day, I climbed to the top to rearrange some of the logs. On the way down I lost my grip and fell backward onto the concrete floor below. Obviously, things worked out all right because I'm here writing this article. But the experience is one I return to when I think about the importance of Church in my life right now.
I'm being pretty specific because some people say that Church might have been useful in the past but now there's more emphasis on individual spirituality than on traditional church formality. So in answer to the question, "Does Church still matter?" I know folks who would say, "Well, perhaps not quite the way it used to." In fact, some who are pretty "religious" are really not so sure anymore that Church is necessary for their salvation.
In a certain sense, I can appreciate their feelings. And yet, this could be a little like wondering whether a child can grow up if he or she never gets to play in a soccer game. Never gets to develop youthful friendships, or experience victories and defeats, and learn an occasional lesson the hard way. Of course such a young person can still grow up. But there is a price when a child is deprived of too many of the ways that make growing up special.
