My life is surrounded by the church.

That’s not a bad thing, but I realized a while back, that my life had no influence outside of the church. I work in a “religious” environment, and all of my extra time is spent in church or para-church involvements (even my recreation is usually with a bunch of guys from church).

So I decided I needed to get involved in my community. If I really want to influence my neighbors, I need to do stuff with them.

I recognize that will become easier this fall when my daughter starts at the local public school, but I wanted to start on my own.

I joined a citizens advisory board in our town.

I realized my need for this type of involvement when one of the meetings started.

Before the meeting began, I was taking some notes regarding things I wanted to talk about. The city adminstrator walked in and suggested that we start the meeting. Instictively, I dropped my pen and prepared to be led in a short prayer.

I realized right away, that I needed to be there.