In my small town in South Dakota there were three Lutheran churches. There was an ALC (American Lutheran Church, an LCA (Lutheran Church in America) and a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. There may even have been a small Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Church. The LCA Church built a beautiful elaborate new church. I heard a critic say, “A really big church for building Christians.” It was intended as a criticism for what the speaker saw as needless excess by a powerful church group. As I have thought about it since, I have reflected that Jesus told his followers “Go make disciples of all nations teaching them…” What does it mean to “make” disciples? What is our responsibility to others to “make disciples”. Teaching, Serving, Helping, Healing, Peacemaking all leap to mind. Our words and our example surely must be part of that. If a building and facilities can be used to help make disciples, a little excess can hardly be faulted. If the excess is a matter of pride and arrogance, that seems far less noble. Why we do what we do and how we use things for the betterment of God’s work to reconcile the world to God should be the real measure. I suspect that the person who was critical of the large LCA church may have had their own issues with jealousy, pride and arrogance. Can we learn how to support others in their attempt to do good rather than impugn their motives? Others may be just as sincere as we are and often just as limited in vision as we often are. Let’s find the good and praise it. Not because every motive is perfect, but by praising the good we focus on what we hope for not on what we negate. “Find the good and praise it.”