Permanent Fixture in the Lord's House

By Dan Betzer
Guest Writer

CBN.com -- I believe that I can count the number of times that I have not been in church on a Sunday on the fingers of my hands and toes of my feet. That is over a spread of 65 years.

My parents believed in never missing church. We would make the 30 mile drive, often over snow-covered northern Iowa gravel roads, in our '32 Chevy. The Betzers would be in church on Sunday; you could count on it. I have followed that practice all my life; yes, even during vacations. When I had to miss church recently due to severe illness, I felt like a fish out of water.

You may ask, "Well, wasn't it a reprieve?" No, I missed it terribly. I do not go to church because I have to go but rather because I want to go. I love the singing, the great choir, and the orchestra. I miss the imparting of God's Word. I love the fellowship with the people. We laugh together and sometimes we weep. We have built orphanages, schools, and churches around the world together.

This week, 65 of our young people flew to Johannesburg, South Africa, where they will work in villages that would scare most people half to death. Most of the people that they will help are HIV positive.

The church folks I associate with are positive, loving, kind, hard-working, and innovative people. I think that they are the salt of the earth. But then, that is what Jesus commanded us to be. So, my friend, I am glad to be feeling better because, like David of old, I was glad when they said unto me, "Let us go into the House of the Lord!"