Changing Church Part II

“First, I want to ask all of those with children in nurseries and children’s church to go get them. We won’t mind if they make a little noise. And if the last child leaves, please let the teachers know they can come in as well.”

At first parents just looked at each other. Was he serious? One by one the boldest (or most curious) got up to retrieve their kids. Anne looked up. The first major step had been taken. She looked over her shoulder to see how the deacons were reacting. One was reassuring his wife on her way to get their kids. “Apparently this was planned,” he seemed to tell her. “No, no one told him.”

Once everyone was settled back in the sanctuary, the pastor made another request. “Any of you youth,” he gestured at a row of middle and high school students near the back, “go ahead and sit with your families, if they’re here.”

Then he began in earnest. His congregation watched in rapt attention, waiting for what strange thing would be requested next. Anne smiled at the useless bulletin in her lap. The worship leader had given up on signaling that it was his turn. He sat back in his chair to watch.

To God be all glory.

See index for first and additional chapters.

Transparency

I am currently blogging on the best night of the year in which to do anything. Parties are the best when on this night. You can read a book in record time. Some years, sleep is just a luxury indulged this night.

For those of you in Arizona, you experience neither the benefit of the extra hour of sleep (or activity) once a year nor the inconvenience of changing your clocks twice a year and losing an hour of sleep in the spring. I envy you.

Make the most of the life you have, I say. So I'm blogging on the night Daylight Savings Time has gifted with an extra hour. I do have more to say. First, let me recognize that I have two friends who captitalized on the opportunity of the occasion and hosted a party tonight, which was wonderful. (We set a pumpkin on fire in the darkness, and watched it burn! I hope that's legal.)

A lot of different friends (and strangers, too, I suspect) read my blog. Ok, not a lot. But whoever you are, you are a varied audience. Since being the person with whom I think each of you would agree is impossible as I cannot maintain a blog to impress each of you, I am left with the rather honest position of simply being myself.

Tonight at the party, the hostess's father was talking about his daughter. With different friends, she would mold herself slightly to what suited them, what interests they had. When the father met the husband-to-be, he noted that his daughter was completely herself. The future husband was (and is) unmatchably unique. She was left with no choice but to respond as herself. Maybe we all do a little chameleon act.

I struggle with transparency like that. Real life has different circles of friends just as varied as my readers. There's no point in running around offending everyone. What is the point, though, if you run around pretending the person you are doesn't exist? that the opinions, interests, even convictions you have are not there?

Blogging, then, is therapy. Either I don't write at all because I'm afraid some one or all of you will be offended or disagree; or I write the truth, and let any of you who are willing deal with the result.

On the other hand, there is something to be said for changing your opinions and behaviors because to do so is better for others. So if I usually speak too quietly, rather than merely posting that I'm a quiet person, I can seek to raise my voice to be sure my friends can hear me. At first the effort might seem like pretending to be a loud person. Eventually the practice will have paid off, and I will have grown.

Which reminds me, I posted about learning to be a smiling person once. A tactic I use is to celebrate my birthday whenever I see it appear on the clock (which occurs for everyone, even leap-day babies, twice a day). I would like to inform you that I have a record, set this week, of seeing my birthday four times in a row. Also it occurred to me that I might as well celebrate Christmas, too, when I see the time 12:25. Sing a Christmas Carol or recite Luke 2:11 or something. And smile.

To God be all glory.

Life in a Shoe

While I'm reminiscing, I'll talk about the number of children I've wanted to have. When I was in junior high, the oldest of six children, and jealous of attention, I thought single-child families were perfect. Then I matured, and thought maybe up to four kids would be tolerable, handle-able. My fear was that I wouldn't be able to give enough love and attention and time to each child if there were more - and leave time for me. Now? I finally see my parents' philosophy, to let God be in control. However many or few He allows, for them He will provide. So now my name list is up to about 15 names, and I tell people that's the upper limit... until I decide on another name I like.

Kim, of Life in a Shoe blog, discusses her own difficulties with having a large family.

Q: What is your biggest challenge?
A: Keeping up with the hearts of each of our children...

This is something that is so vital whether we have 1 child or 20, and an area where I think my husband excels, but I need a lot of work. As a mother, I find myself preoccupied keeping up with runny noses, meals and laundry.

So being a selfless mom is hard however many children you have, just like controlling spending is a discipline whether you make a modest income or have happily married a millionaire.

To God be all glory.

Changing Church

I finally succumbed to the temptation of a series. Yep, this is a series. The cool thing? The series is a story. The end is not yet written. Feel free to post comments, quesions, feedback. Check back for the next chapters. This will also serve as the index page.


Pastor Will slowly walked up the steps to his usual place at the podium. Here, at the beginning of the service, he was supposed to give an opening prayer. The youthful man scanned the congregation, settled for a moment on a slight, smiling woman near the front, then turned and began to walk back down the stairs. Everyone stared their worry. Was Pastor Will feeling ok?

He began to talk. He took the steps slowly, making eye contact with as many pew-warming Christians as possible. And whenever he met an especially skeptical gaze, he looked back at Anne, the woman near the front. “Don’t worry,” he said. “This feels much more appropriate for the talk I need to have with you all.” His hands shook.

Arriving at the center of the sanctuary, he sat on the edge of the stage. People gave each other curious looks. Some deacons sat on the edges of their seats. In case he continued this disturbing behavior, they were ready to pull him out. But what would they do then? None of them wanted to preach.

Will eyed his deacons, praying they would not interfere. “In case you hadn’t noticed, today’s service is going to be a bit different.” He flashed the smile that made him a pleasant visitor even to the darkest of hospital rooms, the smile that had won Anne’s heart before they were even friends. “I want to share with you what God has been teaching me as I have studied the Word the past several months.” Anne bowed her head, hands spread out before her a bit. She was rigid.

To God be all glory.

Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII Part VIII Part IX Part X Part XI Part XII Part XIII Part XIV Part XV Part XVI Part XVII Part XVIII Part XIX Part XX Part XXI Part XXII Part XXIII

The Other Option

When I was a senior in high school I was faced with the terribly inconvenient task of answering everyone's question - and there was only one: "What are you going to do after high school?" Of course they meant, "Which college will you attend, and what will be your major?"

Thing was, I couldn't decide. I got a good SAT score which earned me college advertisements from all over. Every college spends so much money to beg you to pay you a thousand times more money for the privilege of sitting under their tutelage for four valuable years. Valuable to them if you enroll. Valuable to you if you hadn't. What major? Wow, there's a question. Interior design because I like reading Better Homes and Gardens? Law because I enjoy debate? Teaching? History? English? Etymology? Do they have majors in etymology?

One day I realized all those interests were part of being a wife and a mom. Cleaning, decorating, organizing, budgeting, baking, teaching, and supporting a husband: all describe the activities of a homeschooling mother, for sure. Revelation #2? Colleges don't offer a mommy major. Those interests and skills can be answered by real life practice and lots of library reading.

On the internet, Ladies Against Feminism, Crystal's Biblical Womanhood Blog, Vision Forum's taped resources, and many others have the conservative Christian arguments against women going to college. Should she leave home, leave her father's care? Is college a good learning environment? Will she use a degree (enough to recuperate the cost of tuition)? Are there better ways for a young woman to prepare for a life of biblical womanhood? Are there any colleges where she would learn real in a real Christian worldview? However, today I found an article linked from LAF that so clearly expresses many of the ideas that helped me decide, in the end, to forego college. It's a guest article on Sarah Harris' Fearlessly Feminine blog.

There are sacrifices foregoing college. I wanted to add, though, that in following God's direction for my life, I am more satisfied than if I had followed the easy path, doing what was conventional and expected. He is trustworthy, able to take care of all my doubts, all the objections that arise. Life doing the unexpected is like freefall. Not knowing my future is hard. Knowing Who holds it is worth it.

To God be all glory.

"Conquer" Your Fears

There is no fear in love;

but perfect love casteth out fear:

because fear hath torment.

He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

~ 1 John 4:18

This morning on the radio Dennis Prager's great key to happiness was to conquer your fears.

His is a common concept, advised, I believe, by psychologists and put forward by movies. For example, I thought of my recent exposure to Batman, via the latest movie, Batman Begins. In this story, the hero is advised to "breathe in his fears", to identify the thing which frightens him most and to embrace it. If you are afraid of the dark, surround yourself with darkness until you are no longer afraid. Since Bruce Wayne's fear was of bats, he was to stand upright while they swarmed about him.

My problem with this is that I believe the treatment is backwards. Rather than "conquering your fears," you should recognize He who is greater than all of them. Perfect love, not perfect strength, casts out fear. Perhaps Princess Diaries defined courage more properly: "Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear." Therefore, my approach to the subject of fear is first, to remember the portrait of God in Matthew 6. Second, I have decided to never do anything whose only motivation is fear. Never refuse to do anything because I am afraid.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field,

which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven,

shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

~ Matthew 6:30

To God be all glory.

Prepare to Vote

In view of the fact that elections are upcoming, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and remind all my readers who are of age to vote. And think about voting. Think critically. Read the following posts for help in good decision making. They won't tell you exactly which issues should receive your positive vote, nor which candidates. These posts will make you think - or laugh.

Matt Chancey, conservative, not-quite libertarian lawyer.

Gretchen Acheson, curly-gurl, blogger, newlywed, former employee of some government official.

Me, blogger, thinker, so on...

To God be all glory.

Fall Break

In our part of the world, all the schools are on Fall Break. Except for us, that is. Being homeschooled, one can pick where one schedules vacations, and we prefer Thanksgiving to Halloween. Go figure. So my younger siblings are in school. None of their friends are.

All week long I've come home to a house full of kids. I look around and try to sort the visitors from the family. Who is staying the night? Who has to go home? When do you go home? Do you live here now? Oh, right. You always live here. The current tally of visitors for the week is 9, and one of them is coming twice.

The thought of these sleepovers and friendly impromptu parties is ironic. All of them seem to be booked at my house.

We do have good excuses. For one, the skies dumped over seven inches of snow on our yard (and the adjoining park) last night. Thus we are a popular destination for the adventurous sledders, snow-boarders, snow-ball-fighters, snow fort builders, and as my future-Marine brother maturely said, "snow shelters."

I tried to upload a picture (as a filler, because this post seems pointless). Blogger is really slow right now, plus my camera's batteries died, and all that. Oh well. Maybe later.

To God be all glory.

The Bible Makes Studies Obsolete

In a recent study, Beth Israel Medical Center of Boston found that one or two alcoholic drinks daily can significantly help lower the risk of heart attack in men. The reason doctors do not recommend this preventative measure is that the risks of abusing alcohol are too great. As a personal preference in my ten months being of legal drinking age, I haven't had any drinks. So I'm not necessarily telling everyone to run out and drink every day.

The point I want to make is that, once again, the Bible had it right long before we did. Paul instructed Timothy to take a little wine. Throughout the Bible we see the consumption of alcohol. It is never forbidden, though to attend some protestant churches and to study the history of the United States one would think so. What is discouraged and often forbidden is getting drunk, being given to wine or to much wine. Don't let anything control you but God, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do.

Sound familiar? Isn't that what the doctors said? Why did they have to do the study? The Bible is practical. The information God's Word provides is not only for spiritual, religious activity. In fact there is no separation. God is sovereign over all of life, and what we eat and drink has to do with our spiritual health.

Pamela recently blogged about the spirituality of dieting. I have a friend who asks, "Isn't gluttony one of the seven deadly sins? Do you know how often the Bible addresses gluttony? When is the last time you heard a sermon against over-eating?" Yet studies and books are constantly getting media attention for advancing the latest diet or bemoaning the newest statistics on obesity. I want to wave my hand. Hey! Over here! Didn't the Bible already tell us how to handle this?

To what other questions and problems did God already provide the answers?

To God be all glory.

Creativity

Michael Card wrote a book, Scribbling in the Sand, which teaches on creativity. The whole emphasis is that creativity is not some isolationist occurrence, but that ideas and art thrive in community. My experience has justified his thesis.

Tonight, for example, my brother mentioned how many students were in our youth pastor's office. "There should be a record for how many people you can get in a youth pastor's office, just like the Guinness Book of World Records and buses or phone booths."

"Yeah!" I added eloquently. Our youth group is rather small, however. So I started brainstorming on how to get enough people to make our record impressive. "Make it an outreach night! All the kids could tell their friends they're trying to set a record, and invite them to help."

You heard the idea here. If you want to use the brilliance, if I do say so myself, of this product of community, I'm officially sharing it. Oh, and my brother is committed to letting our youth pastor know. I don't think he reads my blog! Any great ideas you have, especially tagged to a "two-heads are better than one" story, would be welcome comments!

To God be all glory.