Singing In The Rain
I woke up this morning and I was ready to go. Then I looked outside. Rain, Thunder, Lightning. I am still going on vacation, I was just so excited about everything that we would be doing OUTSIDE!!! I can't wait to see mommy and daddy though and play cards and do stuff with them so no matter what I am going to keep a good attitude about the weather. Has anyone seen or heard from Deb? I know that she is in Colorado I just figured she would keep up with her blog and everything. I hope she is doing ok.
REVELATION:
Deedeetdadeetdeetdee!! I woke up this morning and Chris and I started talking about his family. His mom and dad put so much time and effort into absolutely everything that they do. They used to be like this in their church. For one reason or another when Chris was in the army they quit going. No explanation, nothing. They haven't gone back since. When Chris and I talked about it I told him what my dad always says. Churches use people. They work you and volunteer you to death until satan uses a situation to frustrait you and you quit going to church completely because for one reason or another you are just burnt out. My dad as a pastor is not a very conventional person. He broke away from denominational churches before his kids were born and started one of his own. We don't have offering plates, we don't have hymnals, and no pews. Every sunday people have time to stand up and share something of celebration or a prayer request. People can interrupt at any point in the singing to share what is on their heart. And dad doesn't mind input from us durring his sermon either (if we need something repeated). I used to hate this about my dad's church. I consistently went to other churches that had the bigger stage, and the sound equipment, and the darkened room for the singing and all of the right things to make you "feel" something. It wasn't until last summer that I started to realize after going back to my dad's church that those things mean nothing. They are a man made way of making an audience get goosebumps and "feel" as though they have now had a real encounter with God. The truth is we can't rely on our "feelings" satan uses our feelings to trick us. I don't know where I am going. I guess I am just frustraited with how my dad was always right. Churches can take advantage of people. They make you feel as though the church is your job. The more that we make churches about buildings and sound systems and lighting effects the less that is becomes about the real "church" and about God and the more it becomes about ourselves and our "feelings." I run into people that have walked away from conventional modern day churches and they talk about the wonderful community that they are experiencing and I realize. I was raised in a church that broke away. I remember home churches. I was raised experiencing true community. Where my best friends were the people that I went to church with and what is ironic is those are my closest friends even today. I was raised with it, experienced it and ran from it because I thought what everyone else had was better somehow. Now I look around me and so many others are seeking what I had all along. So many people experience what Chris' parents did. The church used them to death and then when they thought they were valued and that their opinion meant something they were in for a nasty surprise. Nothing. They said what they thought, they voiced their opinion and need and NOTHING. Everything that they had done, all the hours and weekends at the church nothing. Wasted. So they left and no body seemed to care. The disease of some churches to use people to death and make them feel valued then to turn around and show them that they are not. This is what can turn people off to church and Christianity. The truth is satan has gotten a lot of people to leave the church and hack it out on their own. As a Christian we need our fellow believers. Our church our community, we need each other. Paul said not to forsake the gathering of the saints. Why? Because we need to encourage each other, pray for each other, to love each other and to teach each other. I don't even know where I was going with this. I just needed to get it out. Chris seems to think that Christians are ok not going to church. That they don't need anyone else to support them in what they believe. I can't seem to convince him that I am not saying they need to go join the local denominational church, but one Christian standing alone can be taken out easily by the prince of darkness, but a Christian in a community of support is much harder to attack... Hope I didn't piss anyone off by what I said....
Prayer Requests: My friends Linda and Cliff Ott have just lost their business and need a lot of prayer so it you all could be praying for them I would appreciate it.
REVELATION:
Deedeetdadeetdeetdee!! I woke up this morning and Chris and I started talking about his family. His mom and dad put so much time and effort into absolutely everything that they do. They used to be like this in their church. For one reason or another when Chris was in the army they quit going. No explanation, nothing. They haven't gone back since. When Chris and I talked about it I told him what my dad always says. Churches use people. They work you and volunteer you to death until satan uses a situation to frustrait you and you quit going to church completely because for one reason or another you are just burnt out. My dad as a pastor is not a very conventional person. He broke away from denominational churches before his kids were born and started one of his own. We don't have offering plates, we don't have hymnals, and no pews. Every sunday people have time to stand up and share something of celebration or a prayer request. People can interrupt at any point in the singing to share what is on their heart. And dad doesn't mind input from us durring his sermon either (if we need something repeated). I used to hate this about my dad's church. I consistently went to other churches that had the bigger stage, and the sound equipment, and the darkened room for the singing and all of the right things to make you "feel" something. It wasn't until last summer that I started to realize after going back to my dad's church that those things mean nothing. They are a man made way of making an audience get goosebumps and "feel" as though they have now had a real encounter with God. The truth is we can't rely on our "feelings" satan uses our feelings to trick us. I don't know where I am going. I guess I am just frustraited with how my dad was always right. Churches can take advantage of people. They make you feel as though the church is your job. The more that we make churches about buildings and sound systems and lighting effects the less that is becomes about the real "church" and about God and the more it becomes about ourselves and our "feelings." I run into people that have walked away from conventional modern day churches and they talk about the wonderful community that they are experiencing and I realize. I was raised in a church that broke away. I remember home churches. I was raised experiencing true community. Where my best friends were the people that I went to church with and what is ironic is those are my closest friends even today. I was raised with it, experienced it and ran from it because I thought what everyone else had was better somehow. Now I look around me and so many others are seeking what I had all along. So many people experience what Chris' parents did. The church used them to death and then when they thought they were valued and that their opinion meant something they were in for a nasty surprise. Nothing. They said what they thought, they voiced their opinion and need and NOTHING. Everything that they had done, all the hours and weekends at the church nothing. Wasted. So they left and no body seemed to care. The disease of some churches to use people to death and make them feel valued then to turn around and show them that they are not. This is what can turn people off to church and Christianity. The truth is satan has gotten a lot of people to leave the church and hack it out on their own. As a Christian we need our fellow believers. Our church our community, we need each other. Paul said not to forsake the gathering of the saints. Why? Because we need to encourage each other, pray for each other, to love each other and to teach each other. I don't even know where I was going with this. I just needed to get it out. Chris seems to think that Christians are ok not going to church. That they don't need anyone else to support them in what they believe. I can't seem to convince him that I am not saying they need to go join the local denominational church, but one Christian standing alone can be taken out easily by the prince of darkness, but a Christian in a community of support is much harder to attack... Hope I didn't piss anyone off by what I said....
Prayer Requests: My friends Linda and Cliff Ott have just lost their business and need a lot of prayer so it you all could be praying for them I would appreciate it.
posted by Melody @ 7:01 AM
1 Comments:
At 10:01 AM,
Danielle said…
Amen, sister.
In response to the idea that a Christian doesn't need to go to church to survive: While "church attendance" is not necessary for salvation or even spiritual growth, I think you are right on the money is saying that we are too easily deceived by the enemy when we choose to go it alone. Also, the use of spiritual gifts is meant to happen in community. Scripture is meant to be read in community. Um, prayer & communion...community activities (All of these happen in private, too, of course). The Lord has proven my need to be with the church many times over the last year. And key biblical metaphors for the church are oriented toward community/relationships (a body, the bride). Even God is community, i.e. the Trinity. When one part of the body tries to "go it alone" not only does that body part suffer (maybe not in visible ways for a long while), but the entire body suffers (in ways that only God may truly know). In our American/Western culture we have individualized and privatized our faith to a point that does not reflect the biblical ideal, in my humble opinion. It's just not natural. And that's what the problem is with the churches you sought out over the church of your upbringing... it's not natural.
Wow, I didn't know I had all that in me. Maybe just a little food for thought for your husband, with all love and respect.
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