i seeeee you!
I'm around... sorta. When I'm not sideways, or upside down... that is. And I'm checking in on the comments.
Things are a little wacko around here, but I hope to post an update soon.
Keep up the discussions!!!!
Love yas!!!!
July 31, 2006
July 26, 2006
the church question...
From this post where the whole topic of attending modern-day churches versus home church and the validity of the current model of "church" as it pertains to our ideal of it today.
If that made any sense. If it didn't, just get over it. You know what I'm trying to say....
I'd like to explore the topic a little more in depth. Some commenters mention encounters with hypocrits and I've had that experience myself...and I'm sure most all of us have. Others have fallen away from church attendance for other reasons, others are sporatic attenders, while a few others are faithful, regular church-goers.
I've been all of these at different points in my life. We've been hurt deeply and very personally by people in churches more than once... and not just "my" family-- hubby & kids...but when I was a child... I can remember a short time when we didn't go to the only church I'd ever known...the only church I ever belonged to up until a few years after I was married! Why? Because we weren't welcome. It was nasty, ugly and so petty. The usual. Some people wanted to do one thing, something that wasn't appropriate. My father objected, his being a deacon and all... so the feathers proceeded to fly and the stink proceeded to smell up the place. It was just easier to remove himself (and us, of course) than to continue going and being these people's excuse to act awful and ruin the services. :( anyhow.... we're no strangers to this kind of thing.
But.... the thing about this is... "the church", however we define that (which is something I need to study on!) is not about the congregation, it's not about the people. Is that shocking to you? Well, it's not. Or at least it's not supposed to be! It's supposed to be about worshipping Jesus Christ (and not just by singing repetitive "worship songs") and the uplifting of fellow Christians. Reaching the lost? Well, that's something too, but I believe it's merely a "side effect" of a truly effective church.
Now, I don't have scripture to back any of this up... if there even IS any to clearly show these things. I seriously doubt there is. Not that will *clearly show* ... and not that would ever satisfy some people, but I do believe by example that there is proof. And while we're just on what my thoughts about the modern church are... I don't "believe in" Sunday school, either.
I know it's there, LOL, it happens. All over, all the time. And it's emphasized SO much that you're made to feel like you are some kind of backslidden scum if you don't bring your children and yourself to Sunday school every week. I really despise that. The only thing my children ever got from Sunday school was... as toddlers: a sugar rush and Ch33to stained hands so they couldn't sit still in church (and I never used the nursery... maybe that was the idea there... hype them up so moms HAVE to take them to nursery?!?! I dunno...gah!) and as teens and preteens?: how it feels to be snubbed and a crash course in how to be smart-mouthed or snobbish.
Um...and this was from the pride and joy of the church.... not from the "bus kids". So the very reason for ever creating Sunday school in the first place... to teach unchurched children the basics about Christ and the Bible so they could understand the sermons, is beyond "undone"... their problematic lives are made worse because "those church kids" behave as bad or worse than they themselves do... so why do they need to know Jesus anyway?
*sigh and cry*
So... there you have a little insight into the things behind why I feel the way I do. I think the N3w T3stament churches were just what was needed. They were gatherings of fellow believers, of those who wanted to hear more about Jesus, of believers who needed encouragement, comfort and uplifting to get through the horrible times they were facing... Roman persecution, being hunted for merely being a follower of Jesus...
....just try to imagine that. Soldiers are hunting you, to kill you, in the most horrible ways... just because you believe in Jesus Christ!
And here we sit in our comfortable little pews with our airconditioned sanctuaries and prerecorded feel-good music, soft carpet and prayer benches to cushion our knees were we to ever, y'know, feel like bending them before The Almighty.. but it's much nicer to just sit on our self-righteous behinds in the squishy pews and bow our heads while we're thinking about how ugly Sister Shoeshow's shoes are, or just admiring your own... or about how you want to be sure you show Brother Suitentie your new Huumer with the built-in cooler for when you go to the football games....
We have NO worries. No real worries. We don't fear for our lives because we drove over to the church house Sunday morning. We don't have to sacrifice anything for Jesus anymore. Seldom. Not here in America, at least. I know in other countries, this is not true. Don't think I'm making a blanket statement. I just mean here, probably right in your neightborhood, right in your town... this is the situation.
I guess the jist of this particular post is that perhaps today the church as we know it, is more of a handicap. What do you think? It's like a crutch for many people. You go, you sit through the service without participating at all, you leave and then when you see Brother Butterman, you can say, "Hello there Brother! I saw you in church Sunday! Wasn't that a great sermon? You take care! See you next Sunday." and go on your way feeling completely satisfied that you're okay. You're just fine. Because you go to church after all.
Too many of us, and I include myself here at different times in my life, use this crutch. Just like I mentioned in that other post... there sits at least, at the veeeery least, two women I know are or very recently were living in adultery and as far as I know, have never repented of it... they sit in church, sit through sermons speaking directly to their situation and they're totally oblivious to it. We are oblivios to our condition.... if it is ever even touched on in a sermon....which is lots of times very unlikely.
*sigh* This stuff just makes me feel soooo discouraged.
I really would like some discussion on this. Just on how you feel the church, not necessarily "people"... the body of Christ, but the modern day church... the way that it functions today... how do you feel it is affecting society and believers today? Do you think it's functioning positively or negatively? In general... And if you're more positive about it because you are currently in a great church, share what it is that is so good about your church. What makes it work well. Also, if you disagree about anything here, please discuss that too.
I am really desperately looking for a dialog on this while I try to study for where I stand. As it is now? I just feel like I'm flapping in the breeze. I know how I believe about the faults of the modern church in general... and so... if I find that attendence is commanded then... what do I do? How can I sit in a church where I don't feel Jesus Christ is being done proper service?
*siiiigh*
Let's talk....
April 10, 2006
not dead, but scratchin' my head...
Lordy.
My sis came up this morning. She brought me this CD that has the song she wants to march down the "aisle" to.
People, I've never heard of this guy before. He looks like a throw back from the 60's, the name is James, but not B0nd. and his compilation of 'melodies' (I quit listening after listening to the one she indicated to me) is titled B@ck to Bedl@m.
Yeah. This song she wanted, she told me as she tried to mimick the sing-sing-songinness to me, goes, "You're beautiful, you're beautiful, you're beautiful"... yadda, yadda, ad nauseum.
What she omitted, or maybe she didn't even realize, was the other wonderful words in the song...the ones about seeing this Beautiful One on the subway you were with another man but he won't lose any sleep because he has some kind of plan (which is never mentioned again, which irritates the heck outta me. Then he goes on to say that nothing matters because I'm never gonna have you. That's not even mentioning the nasty word in the middle of the song that I'm wondering if Sis even ever noticed or forgot or WHAT?!?!
*sigh* See why she worries me so much?!?! I mean, first she wanted B8B Se@g@r's "We Gots Tuhnight, Baybay". And what the heck is THAT song about?? I know your plans don't include me
Still here we are, both of us lonely....We've got tonight, who needs tomorrow
We've got tonight babe, why don't you stay... What the HECK kinda wedding song is THAT?!?!??!?
Heaven help me, that poor girl just don't have much goin' on upstairs all the time and it seems to be less and less the closer we get to this thing and the more little things I hear back from The Lump the more I don't be liking him and the more I worry about her.
Oh, I think once she gets sick of his pain in the butt, stick in the mud, set in his old-haint ways, she'll tell him off and he'll either change his tune, or she'll set him out with the garbage. She's just that-a way. But til then? Can we LIVE with the situation?!?! I mean, we gotta try to keep our noses out of it, even when we wanna rip his sorry head off and scream in her face!!! GAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
I've been fighting with computer today. Trying to get last-minute decoration/keepsake/etc. stuff done for the wedding. Things have not been going very well.
Headaches are still lurking around, but they're not quite as killer as they had been. Maybe the T-m@x is finally beginnning to work and the @xert is definitely working on keeping the accute pain at bay without making me all draggy and spacey. PTL!
Gotta do a big sign to cover one of those big ol' yellow ones...y'know the kind that lights up w/the black flashing arrow on top? Well that thing. I have a roll of white card stock I've had for ages, so I'm going to put it to good use. But that means I got a lotta coloring to do!!! Ha!
Maybe I'll try to pick up some giant markers at the dollar store after I see the chiro today.
Oh, Dia...the Benny Drill worked okay for Tuck, but it seemed to take a LONG time to work and didn't work very um...well, throroughly. I just gave less than the lower dose, with was half-teaspoon. I was told I could give him up to a whole teaspoon, so I guess that's what we'll do and not wait til we're getting ready to head out, but give it to him when we first started getting dressed or something.
Oh, and we gave it to him in eggs, so he never knew it was yucky meds at all. He thought it was a real treat and was waiting all expectantly for another "dose" of eggs the next morning! HA!
Okay...I gotta git!
Love yas!!!
March 01, 2006
proof positive...
...that I'm coming to grips with the fact that my sister is marrying this guy.
Or that I'm just resigned to it. Sheesh. Who knows?
All I know is this is the invite jiggy they wanted to post at work. Worked my butt off on it. I will kill the person who tears it down.
Oh yes, I will!
*nods*
October 27, 2005
now hear this!
Miss Zoot HAD HER BABY!!!!
In case you didn't know, Miss Zoot is a sweet lady who designs these awesome templates for people's blogs for free! She's set up my Movable Type TWICE since I first asked her about doing a design for me. That was an amazing blessing for me because even though I bought a stinkin' book just to learn all about Movable Type, I still couldn't have set this up by myself. No. Way!
Anyhow...it may be a lot longer before Zootsie gets to my design, but obviously, she has something much better to concentrate on!!
If you see this, Zoot-hon, congratulations and welcome to li'l NikkiZ!!!!!