Go Beyond

About mid-morning today, I set off on another of my Texas backroads adventures — aimlessly wandering off the beaten path with no specific destination in mind. After a couple of hours of windshield time and stopping to take pics of old houses, I turned north on Highway 71 and headed toward the tiny community of Altair.

I make it a point to drive the speed limit or slower whenever I wander down backroads so that I don’t miss anything. As I approached the intersection of County Road 111, I looked to the left and noticed an abandoned building with its doors wide open. It kind of looked like a church building or community center. I had to find out. So, I turned around to check things out.

The first thing that caught my attention was a cornerstone that indicated this now-abandoned building had once been a house of worship — South Point Baptist Church, organized in 1883. Wow! I wondered how many generations of folks had worshiped at this spot since the organization of the church.

Inside, the building was filled with jumbles of junk — odds and ends no longer of any use. A few remaining seats on the left made it easy to visualize what this place must have looked like at one time. I noticed all sorts of stuff among the debris, including old Sunday School quarterlies. One quarterly, dated 2010, led me to conclude that this place was abandoned only a few years ago.

I lingered for a long time, looking at and absorbing everything around me. I closed my eyes for a minute and allowed my mind to imagine this place filled with the faithful. I wondered about all of the sermons and weddings and funerals preached from the now-quiet pulpit. How many weary and parched souls had found refreshment here? Who had left this place with greater resolve to live out their faith at home and in their community?

As I waked toward the door to leave, I turned around for one last look. This old building, I thought to myself, will not last much longer. The years have clearly taken their toll on this place. As I looked back I noticed a brown envelope among the debris. It was an offering envelope complete with the name of the giver and the amount of their gift. I wondered how those funds might have been used to advance God’s purposes.

Once outside, I reflected on the scene before me. This place is a stark reminder that we only have a season in which to serve God’s purposes. In reality, the only thing of lasting value to come out of South Point Baptist Church was what the folks who worshiped here invested in the kingdom of God. Churches come and go over time, but the kingdom of God remains. It is the only constant.

South Point Baptist Church must have been a very nice place in its season. But, its season is now past. What the folks here invested in the kingdom of God, however, will never be corrupted by the moth or rust that is slowly reclaiming the old structure. Every kindness shown to others, every need met in the name of Jesus, every soul delivered from the domain of darkness, every parched heart refreshed — these are the lasting treasures forever safeguarded in heaven’s storehouse.

I drove away from South Point Baptist Church with a renewed awareness of the fact that I only have a season. That’s it! And that’s why it’s important to invest wisely in God’s purposes and the advancement of His kingdom. I can do that by being the primary faith trainer of my children, by being the hands and feet of Jesus in a hurting world, and by inviting all people to experience true fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The clock is ticking. I am determined to make the most of my season while there is yet time.