Ronnie Norman

Several months ago, McKnight Road invited Ronnie Norman to speak to our congregation. Ronnie is the Senior Minister at First Colony Church of Christ in Sugarland, Texas. I was completely amazed by Ronnie’s message and by his dynamic speaking style. I felt encouraged by him, and challenged in my walk as a member at McKnight Road and as a Christian.

In recent days, God has gently reminded me of Ronnie’s words. In his lesson, Ronnie made reference to the sign that sits in front of our building. He stated that he noticed it when he first saw our building. He said that we had “a lot of nerve” placing the sign out front for all of Ladue to see! I’ll admit, I was a little taken back, and unsure what he was talking about. It wasn’t like we had “bloody sacrifices offered here every Sunday” written on the sign. I continued to listen intently, seeking clarification. Finally, Ronnie got to the point. The sign in front of our building says, “McKnight Road CHURCH OF CHRIST.” Still, I was somewhat confused. As Ronnie continued his lesson, he told us that to claim to be a church of Christ was a bold statement, and should not be taken lightly. He explained that if we are willing to place a sign in front of our building that identifies us as Christ’s Church, then we need to be willing to act in such a way that Christ would act, and/or support.

Lately, I have noticed a lot of “issues” within the "brotherhood" that I can’t say are consistent with who we (as a church) claim to be. While I recognize that we are all human, and sin, as members of Christ’s church, we are called to be different from the rest of the world. We are called to live up to the standard that we have accepted, and advertised to the rest of the world, WE ARE THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. When we fail to live up to that standard (which we will), we are called to turn away from our sin and depend on God's grace, mercy, forgiveness and guidance. We are called to be like Jesus.

I often wonder how we ("the brotherhood") are viewed by visitors and those who are seeking Jesus. When visitors walk into our buildings for worship, benevolence help, or counseling, are they embraced with the love of Christ? Do they see us as a united group with a common purpose? Do we welcome the “obvious” sinners into our family and embrace them like Jesus would?

I would say that in some cases the answer is, “No.” In many cases, there are too many power and control issues and too many superiority complexes to be able to see past our own wants, needs, and intentions.

I love McKnight Road with all of my heart and I believe in our eldership, their focus, and their determination (and patience), as we (just like all congregations) struggle through hard issues sometimes. I love worshipping with the family, being part of ministries, and experiencing my journey of faith with most of the people at McKnight. I just think from time to time we all (INCLUDING ME) need to be reminded that claiming to be part of “CHRIST’S CHURCH” is a very strong commitment, and should not be taken lightly.

Thanks to Ronnie Norman again. You have challenged me a great deal and have helped me to progress in my journey.