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One word springs into mind when I think of the believers in the local churches: joyful. The believers simply expressed what I've always wanted in life--a joyful life without pretense. My parents were such people living the normal, yet extraordinary, Christian life. Growing up in such a Christian family, I had experiences that a typical boy would have. Nevertheless, with the maturity in human age came the increased desire for reality. I no longer wanted to live a life without spiritual reality. Just by watching my parents year after year, I realized that they had something more. My parents had something my friends' parents didn't have. I wanted to have what they have--an inward reality of joy expressed through normal, everyday life.
My parents are not the only ones that lived such an attractive life of joy. I vividly remember my first meeting with the brothers and sisters in the church in Irvine. The believers reminded me of my parents. They were extraordinary, yet so normal. The brothers and sisters that meet with the local churches come from different backgrounds and hold different jobs but they all have the same joyful expression. I soon found out that all they have is Christ. They all lead normal lives that express Christ. I began going to more and more meetings in search of the way to obtain the same reality. Through the encouragement and loving care, I have been able to enter into more of the reality that they have. The more time I spend with the brothers and sisters, the more I am encouraged to love Christ as my inward joy. After my contact with the Christians in the local churches, I realize that I may also live a life of joy by enjoying Christ as everything to me.
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