Category: Thoughts

Church is not a feel good place

This is something that I have touched on in the past before.   But it seems that I’m seeing, reading, and hearing of people falling into the idea that church should be a “feel good place” – they would never admit to it, they would probably not even be really aware of it.  Church should be a place of growth in God, and more times than not it seems God will use other people to cause that growth in us, that can be through a number of different ways.  Sometimes it’s simply someone who is very irritating to you, other times it’s a leader who just doesn’t quit say things very nicely.  Other times it’s God putting us in leadership and then being burnt by the leadership team.

When we commit to be in leadership, to make a church our home, or anytime we say Yes to something, we must make our yes be yes – even when disagreements, annoyances, and simple fleshly crap comes up.  This doesn’t mean we become door mats to the people around us – absolutely not.  Our no must be no as well, but we must communicate fully, and if God is giving people different visions, it’s ok – we have free will, exercise it, but do it in grace remember we are all human, even the Church leaders.

Collosians 3:12-15 [nlt]

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

GOD IS THE FEEL GOOD PLACE – Not the Church, the Church is simply the medium God uses to bring us to him, and many times it doesn’t feel good, and many times it does.  Christ is the head of the Church, not any human – remember that, and we have full access to him.  When we love him and truly love others as we do ourselves and him, then we begin to feel Good – even if it tortures us to look at people as God does.

Thoughts for 2009-02-21

  • is just tired. #
  • is enjoying the amazing view out out my office window, the sunrise reflecting off the buildings – awesome. #
  • likes working with people from the NW, the South, SE, Mid-West, the rest of the nation – well they don’t know their manners. #
  • is heading home 🙂 #
  • is in a project mood. #
  • just reinstalled and reconfigured my media center, 1 project down. #
  • is waiting for 70 updates to install on my Media Center – ugh. #

Thoughts for 2009-02-19

  • is awake, kind of, well maybe not. #
  • is at my desk – people sure can be strange when they don’t follow directions. #
  • now sits in front of a window with a view of the Fremont bridge (in PDX not SEA) and the pearl district. #
  • never likes it when my lunch has no meat 🙁 but I love my wife for making it anyway! #
  • totally forgot it was Wednesday – woot! #
  • is almost ready to go home, I think…. #

A good kind of daily torture…

I have been doing a lot of reading lately, I’m reading my second Don Miller book – “Searching for God knows what” – and a lot of things on the Internet in the same thread as the social justice movement in and out of the church, and those kinds of things.

So now when I ride the train each day I am moved to look at people the way God does – and it humbles me, and tortures me daily.  I’m tortured by the fact that when you think about how God must love the people around you, and you hear, and see how other people treat them, all you can do is begin to imagine how God feels for us.  His love is torturing me, everyday.  I’m okay with this.

I’ve been praying for God to give me his eyes for those around me, and now I see it everyday – and it’s my heart that sees people more clearly each day.  Now I want the words, praying is great, but an encounter with God is better.