Dean Willimon asked if we had ever wondered why the pews in churches are bolted down. I had never thought about that before. They're bolted down because you need to hang on because of what happens in church. You shouldn't leave church the same person who came in. Hang on, because what you hear will change the story of your life.
Life is about the stories of people.
Yes, of course, we need the Word of God but face the obvious fact, that Word is filled with the stories of people and the greatest story of the Bible is that God put skin on. The coming of Jesus Christ is God putting skin on to save you. When you go to church, you can expect Him to change the story of your life. The story of your life should not be the same as the stuff of your life. Too often we resign ourselves to whatever happens to us.