What is the church? Is the church a building? Is it the place where believers gather to worship? Or is the church the people--the believers who follow Christ?

The founder of the "home church" movement in England, Canon Ernest Southcott, said:

"The holiest moment of the church service is the moment when God's people--strengthened by preaching and sacrament--go out of the church door into the world to be the church. We don't go to church; we are the church."

How we understand and perceive the church is quite important in determining how we live out our faith. For the purpose of this study, we will look at the idea of "the church" in the context of "the Christian church," which is a New Testament concept.

• Read: What is the Church?

More About the Church
• What Does the Bible Say About Church Attendance?
• Why Don't You Go to Church?
• How to Choose a Church?

_{Image: © Bill Fairchild}

This week's post is a Thanksgiving prayer called I Thank Thee. This Christian poem was written by Jane Crewdson (1860) as a prayer of thankfulness to God for all things in life, both the good and the bad, the bitter and the sweet.

Image: © Davide Guglielmo
I Thank Thee

O Thou whose bounty fills my cup,
With every blessing meet!
I give Thee thanks for every drop—
The bitter and the sweet.

I praise Thee for the desert road,
And for the riverside;
For all Thy goodness hath bestowed,
And all Thy grace denied.
Read more ... I Thank Thee by Jane Crewdson (1860).

Do you have an original Christian prayer that would encourage or benefit a fellow believer? Perhaps you've written a unique poem you'd like to share with others. We are looking for Christian prayers and poems to encourage our readers in their communication with God. To submit your original prayer or poem, please fill out this Prayer / Poem Submission Form.

More Thanksgiving Prayers:

• Thanksgiving Day Prayers & Poems
• Pause and Give Thanks - Poem

Need a few outstanding gift ideas this holiday season? From now through Christmas, I'll be offering suggestions of items I think would make great gifts for the important people on your Christmas list.

For those (like my husband) who love to collect Christmas music, consider one of these Christmas albums for Christians. Topping my list this Christmas 2009 is Glory in the Highest, Chris Tomlin's first holiday CD and one I hope to find wrapped up in my stocking. As a big fan of Chris Tomlin's passionate, devoted worship style, I know I will treasure this collection. It includes a few traditional Christmas favorites as well as original contemporary music recorded live with Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, Ed Cash and Audrey Assad.

• Top Christmas Music for Christians
• Top New Christmas Albums of 2008 by Christian Artists
• Top 10 Traditional Christian Christmas Songs

_{Image Courtesy of Pricegrabber}

A series of terrible tragedies could have left Mama Kel devastated and angry with God. Instead, her strong faith and trust in God helped her to see that tests and trials have a purpose in life. She now looks back with thankfulness for everything she endured.

Mama Kel's true story is one of our many uniquely featured testimonies from you, the members and visitors of this site. Each story reveals a life transformed by Christian faith. If your relationship with God has made a significant difference in your life, we would like to hear about it. Submit your testimony by filling out this Submission Form. To receive weekly messages of hope and encouragement from real-life stories of changed lives, sign up for eTestimonies.

• Read: Mama Kel's Trials
• Show & Tell: Your Salvation Story