A man being strong-armed out of his church sanctuary; one church parishioner’s husband aiming the barrel of a rifle at his head; his rundown church that exuded with more mechanical, structural and emotional problems than there were solutions, and manpower, to solve them.
This was the church that Gary Schlenz was called by God to pastor and uproot his family for? Yet as Gary focused his efforts on repairing the church and becoming acquainted with the members, he discovered a church body hungry for God and His Word, but hurt by dissention, unmet expectations and hopelessness.
His new book, I Came to Church and I Got Beat Up, comprises a collection of stories recalling the journey Gary, his family and the church body took to restore their church home and the individuals within it.
Characterized after known terms in boxing, the stories resemble the ultimate battle between the devil and God’s children for the protection of their souls. Instead of throwing in the towel, God wants Christians to stay in the ring, fight the good fight and, most of all, keep Him in their corner.
Each story balances wit and spiritual insight as little by little, the small church is renovated thanks to the astonishing, but timely, offers of reduced or no-cost service from the surrounding community. To Gary, it was the faithfulness of God bringing forth needed miracles to demonstrate His provision and love to not just the church, but to those outside the church lobby.
The main understanding to gain from I Came to Church and I Got Beat Up is that God can do a lot with a little, and that Christians should stay in the ring of life until God sounds the bell of victory in Jesus. All the fighting will be worth Heaven’s eternal reward.
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