Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.  But anyone who does not love does not know God,  for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8 (NLT)

This week I have the privilege of kicking off a series of messages for Sunday mornings.  It is called #Together!

I was born in this church.  My dad's assistant Jane Bishop, who is now in heaven, had a dream that my mom and dad would have a baby that would be a great blessing.  (Talk about pressure being put on a baby) My mom Jackie, prayed about it and God opened her mind to the possibility of me.  My dad joked that he always wanted 10,000 kids so he was already sold on the idea.  When my mom was in labor with me I refused a quick easy child birth, so my dad drove my mom up to the church property and drove fast on the bumpy dirt road so they could go back to the hospital.   It worked - and I was born. Emily Boyce, Pastor Linda’s mother, was watching my big sister Elise and my big brother Roman. And my parents named me after her, Rebecca Emily White.

When I was a baby, all of the church meetings were in our home. When people held hands in a circle, I crawled into the middle because I could feel the prayers. When the church had a board meeting at our house, I thought the Board of Directors would enjoy passing around my guinea pig and my brother’s turtle so they wouldn't get bored. 

When I was in Junior High, I was BORN AGAIN in the church.  I went to SPU and one of my professors came to preach at our church. I was blessed to marry my sweetheart, Ben McCary, who also was born in the church and I met him in the nursery.  When I was in kindergarten I would help with the babies. I helped teach Sunday school with my mom.  I was blessed with a scholarship to Princeton Seminary where I was able to get my Masters of Divinity while attending a conservative Baptist inner-city African-American church. 

All of this is to say is that I, like every other child who grows up in a church has a deep desire for unity, teamwork, and an authentic love of Christ.  It hurts kids when adults suffer a divisive spirit.  When egos take over in the church kids are discouraged in their faith and want out. 

Come this week and hear how the Bible shows us that God designed the church to run smoothly through the love of Jesus Christ.