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Portland, Oregon
No, this is not a mall in Germany. I thought we all needed a break. Don't get me wrong, we'll get back to Germany, but for now let's take a journey through the Lloyd Center in Portland, Oregon.
I had a couple hours to kill while Janice shopped. Like most men, I don't care for shopping, but I do like to take pictures and fortunately I had my iPhone with me. Even though my battery was running low I managed to snap pics that speak to our human condition.
The Lloyd Center has been around since 1960, beginning as an open air mall and through the years morphing to its present state. Like most malls, the Lloyd Center is anchored by major department stores and lined with a variety of specialty shops. It even has an ice skating rink, but where are the people in this pic?
Malls exist for people. The church exists for people. We all know the children's saying, "Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the door and see all the people." Yet today we open the door and see only a hand full of people.
"We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming." Hebrews 10:25 God's Word to the Nations
A disturbing trend that I've noticed in Christian communities today is not that people have stopped worshiping completely, but that they choose to worship less frequently. This bothers me as I believe the day of the Lord's return is near, a fact the Christian community always confesses.
Worship is about grace. It is about Jesus Christ coming to us and dwelling with us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Worship is about gathering around the Word of God that speaks to our everyday lives. Worship is about community, knowing that we are not alone in this struggle of life.
Don't listen to the satanic lies that say Christian community is irrelevant. Instead, let your worship of Jesus Christ be the focus of all life's activities.
Join the conversation at Praying With the Eyes on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/groups/173881749421231/
I had a couple hours to kill while Janice shopped. Like most men, I don't care for shopping, but I do like to take pictures and fortunately I had my iPhone with me. Even though my battery was running low I managed to snap pics that speak to our human condition.
The Lloyd Center has been around since 1960, beginning as an open air mall and through the years morphing to its present state. Like most malls, the Lloyd Center is anchored by major department stores and lined with a variety of specialty shops. It even has an ice skating rink, but where are the people in this pic?
Malls exist for people. The church exists for people. We all know the children's saying, "Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the door and see all the people." Yet today we open the door and see only a hand full of people.
"We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming." Hebrews 10:25 God's Word to the Nations
A disturbing trend that I've noticed in Christian communities today is not that people have stopped worshiping completely, but that they choose to worship less frequently. This bothers me as I believe the day of the Lord's return is near, a fact the Christian community always confesses.
Worship is about grace. It is about Jesus Christ coming to us and dwelling with us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Worship is about gathering around the Word of God that speaks to our everyday lives. Worship is about community, knowing that we are not alone in this struggle of life.
Don't listen to the satanic lies that say Christian community is irrelevant. Instead, let your worship of Jesus Christ be the focus of all life's activities.
Join the conversation at Praying With the Eyes on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/groups/173881749421231/
(Click on picture to enlarge.)
Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner. ARR.
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