For thousands of years God's people had little choice concerning the style of worship they would engage in. For the most part they had two choices, attend the only place in town that worships the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or seek after pagan gods. When the early church became established, after the day of Pentecost, there were three choices the synagogue, pagan temples, or the only church in town that worships Jesus Christ.

Since then a multitude of churches have erupted and with them different worship styles, liturgies, traditions, and emphasis. Each of these churches developed their own rituals. Some adopted a rigid format and others a more spontaneous style of worship. Whichever style a church adopts you can be sure they will follow the same pattern week after week. The problem with all of this diversity is that we must decide which church to attend. By choosing, we limit our options and loose out on what is going on down the street. Our only other choice is to jump from church to church for the rest of our lives. However, we would never learn commitment and we would be of very little use to the churches in our communities.

How do we stand in the face of such suffering?
The earth shook, the waves crashed down, and the nation of Japan was left with a great wound. Thousands have died; even more are without food and water, and the threat of radiation looms overhead. Of the many questions surrounding these events, the one that is heard above the rest is "Why? If there is a God, why does He allow this to happen? Why this suffering?"