Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Since 2007

Tag: Christian Church

  • An attitude of worship

    An attitude of worship

    I really don’t like the music at church. Really really. But at some point I have to choose to remember it’s not about me.

  • The real value of Christmas

    Christ was not born on Dec. 25. But we celebrate his birth now anyway, and it is a blessing to the world.

  • Holding up my hand: A story from my next book, A Place to Start

    A story my forthcoming book, of how I came to find my faith.

  • A cappella

    Yesterday’s post about Sacred Harp singing made me want to share again a couple posts from the archive about my experiences singing in harmony. I loved to do it and I miss it. A long time ago my wife and I visited a little Church of Christ in a plain building that stood on an empty…

  • A milestone in a 175-year-old church’s history

    A few years ago I wrote frequently on this blog about North Liberty Christian Church and its journey after being forced to sell its building, on land they’d occupied since 1839. At last, this congregation’s new building is complete. It was a long time coming. The backstory: in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the…

  • The real value of Christmas

    I first posted this in 2010 and again last year. May this Christmas Day truly bless you and those you love. Even though I’m a Christian, I don’t celebrate the birth of Christ at this time of year. The home in which I was raised followed no particular faith. My parents acknowledged the God the…

  • The old songs

    On this Good Friday, I’d like to repost a story from a few years ago. I’m now a member of the little church in this story, and we will observe this Good Friday just as described here. I went to an evening church service last Friday, Good Friday. I’d never done that before. My Christian…

  • The real value of Christmas

    This Christmas memory was originally posted in 2010. Even though I’m a Christian, I don’t celebrate the birth of Christ at this time of year. The home in which I was raised followed no particular faith. My parents acknowledged the God the Bible described, but their devotion went no further. For us, Christmas was a…

  • Scenes from a pitch-in

    We call them pitch-ins here in Indiana. I guess people in most of the rest of the country call them potlucks. When people from out of state visit our church and we announce a pitch-in, the “hunh?” look on their faces always turns to an “Oh!” look when we say, “That’s what we call a…

  • The urban mission

    For Easter in 1914, a photographer made this panoramic image of the congregation at West Park Christian Church in Indianapolis. On Sunday, armed with my new iPhone that automatically takes panoramic shots, I tried to reproduce the scene. (Click either photo to see it larger.) Much has changed at West Park Christian Church in 98…

  • Holding up my hand

    Following up on Monday’s post about my search for a new church, I want to reprint this post, which explains how I learned not to look to the church, but to God himself, for my faith. It’s long, but I think worth the time. On my first day of Kindergarten, my mother walked with me…

  • Searching for fellowship

    It’s been four months since my sons and I left North Liberty Christian Church to find a new place to be a part of the Christian family. I haven’t been enjoying the process. I’m introverted, and meeting lots of new people drains me. I have to admit, a couple Sundays when my sons were with…