Hillbilly Tribe

This morning I spent some time reading Numbers 32 and I believe God placed a new thought in my heart concerning these scriptures. The timing of this text is shortly before the Children of Israel were to enter the promise land. The people had waited 40 years to see this day come. The thing that always confused me was how the tribes of Reuben and Gad chose not to enter the new land God was giving them. The answer really is simple as they were country people, Hillbillies you might say. These guys liked to farm and hunt. They had lots of cattle and weapons. I have no way of proving it, but I bet their worship pastor sounded like Blake Shelton. The irony of the situation is these two tribes were considered the Southern Tribes. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not a country music fan. Not judging anyone who likes it, just not my thing. If I were in a torture camp my punishment would certainly involve 24/7 sappy country songs.

Each of the 12 tribes were very different. They had their own styles, their own way of doing things. Judah was the creative bunch that wore skinny jeans and scarfs, then you had the hillbilly tribes of Reuben and Gad, the tribe of Benjamin lived in a very small area and packed all their people into tight quarters. Benjamin would likely have been most comfortable in a New York type setting. Though all the tribes were unique, they all had one thing in common… they loved God and their focus was Him. They may have had different styles and maybe even slightly different thoughts on the Torah, but they all worshiped God and were about building His kingdom. The church today is really no different. So often we get stuck on denomination and minor details that really do not make a difference in whether or not people make it to heaven or not.

One thing I know is that every church is different and every person has a particular church that will meet his or her needs. Some pastors are great in the city, others are great in small towns where the pace of life is a bit slower. God knows where each pastor needs to be and the type of tribe he will attract.

The one thing I love about my city is the beautiful palette of people who live here. I have always had a heart for missions and living in an area where people visit and move from all over the world is a dream come true. I recently tweeted about how a 20-year win for the church would be to resemble the United Nations (not operate like it – ha). I believe God has a tribe of people for Lake Hills Church. I also believe God has a specific tribe for each and every one of you. Find your tribe and be ok with it. God designed that tribe for you. Just remember we are all in this together…even if you belong to the hillbilly tribe 🙂