Gym

I love the gym that's close to our house. During the colder months, when I'm too wimpy to run and bike outside so much, I work out at the gym. It's a city rec center, and it's not that 'pretty' of a facility. The stuff is a little beat up, most of the weight machines show some wear, the cardio machines have seen better days. The ventilation isn't very good, the locker rooms could use a makeover, and there are often kids hanging out not-quite-destroying things.

But there's an amazing cross-section of society that comes in to work out. I've seen white people, African-Americans, Asians, Spanish speakers. I've seen older folks trying to maintain their health, younger people who are super-fit, people in their 30s and 40s who obviously used to be athletes and are trying to get back in shape. There are retired professionals and retired service workers, people who hold advanced degrees and people who are out on parole, some who are there all the time and some who show up once in a while. The thing, though, is that most people are friendly. Sure, we won't all be friends, but there's a lot more camaraderie, or at least friendly interaction, than there is at most gyms I've been in. And no one is there to show off, or to compete. We're all there for the same reason, at least to some extent.

Why can't church be like that?