I love my heritage. I love the Church of Christ - it's all I've ever known. I can count back 5 generations of my family who have worshipped within its walls, and I take great comfort in having raised my daughters in it. There is a peace and comfort I feel when I identify myself with that group of believers.

One thing I particularly loved and, quite honestly, miss about growing up in that fellowship was calling everyone "brother ____" or "sister ____". It was like a secret identification code; if you called someone brother or sister, it defined a relationship with that person. As soon as you were baptized, that person - no matter that they were your grandparents' ages - were your new brother and sister in Christ. No first names, no Mr. or Mrs., but "brother Spence" or "Sister Maxwell." It was formal but at the same time, intimate. It spoke to those among us as having a bond that no earthly relationship could surpass.

Now, in our more casual times, we're all comfortable with calling the minister Ray, or the elder Bob, but is it the same? Have we lost something with this familiarity that our ancestors in the church knew we needed? Is our family - our brotherhood - as dear to us as when we called each other by these titles? I, for one, wish we could get that part of our heritage back... we need all the closeness we can get.