I absolutely LOVE IT that this actually happened.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/30/harvard.arrest.beers/index.html
I love the "real people" aspect of it and of course the "let's get together and talk about our feelings" thing :)
7.31.2009
7.30.2009
Adventures of the Church Search, Part 2
Well, we visited #2 (The Big One), and we were all kinds of unimpressed. It didn't feel quite as big as I thought it would, but they did have red carpet, which is obviously a major strike against the whole place. Also, there were no windows in the sanctuary. The whole world could have been blowing away outside (it IS Oklahoma after all), and we would have just been sitting there unaware, happily singing praise songs followed diplomatically by hymns.
Lest I sound shallow, I will say that carpet color would not make or break a church for me. Neither would the fact that no one invited us to lunch or the fact that the deacon at the back only shook Luke's hand and not mine. The dealbreaker in this case was the man standing behind us. He oohed and ahhed over a brand new visitor, introducing his friends to the man and asking a million questions about his family and career. He failed to even greet us. Either we have super familiar faces, or the church isn't too personable. That mixed with the overly simplistic message of "go reach people" again convinced us that in spite of the church's $20k/month budget, their resources will probably not fulfill our needs.
Lest I sound shallow, I will say that carpet color would not make or break a church for me. Neither would the fact that no one invited us to lunch or the fact that the deacon at the back only shook Luke's hand and not mine. The dealbreaker in this case was the man standing behind us. He oohed and ahhed over a brand new visitor, introducing his friends to the man and asking a million questions about his family and career. He failed to even greet us. Either we have super familiar faces, or the church isn't too personable. That mixed with the overly simplistic message of "go reach people" again convinced us that in spite of the church's $20k/month budget, their resources will probably not fulfill our needs.
7.23.2009
I'll Take the Scenic Route
That was definitely the way things were in Dallas this weekend when we were trying to find our way around. Jiggles McGee (as we have named my little blue GPS dot) was kind of a lazy leader, taking way too many breaks from motion. That, combined with the curvy roads, led to many times when we accidentally took "the scenic route" to our destination. This was a euphemism that helped us not get so stressed and upset when it took too long and too many 4-point-turns to get where we were going.
I've also recently decided that God has taken me on the "scenic route" career-wise in the last few years. I definitely don't understand why I went through a 2.5-year grad school program that I will never EVER be able to describe the intensity of to anyone who didn't live through it. I don't understand why I got this crazy job in tobacco prevention when I don't even LIKE tobacco prevention. I don't understand a lot of things, and I've always been able to explain to myself what the "greater plan" might be. This time...not so much. However, the other day on the way to work, I think God helped me a little with some perspectives.
If I hadn't stayed in OK for grad school, I wouldn't have started dating Luke. At that point, I absolutely WOULD NOT have gotten into a long-distance relationship. If I hadn't been in grad school and had the crazy schedule I did, I would have probably listened to the friends who criticized my relationship with Luke. Without the crazy schedule to blame my friendship failings on, I would have blamed them all on the relationship. If I hadn't been in grad school, I wouldn't have been learning all the theories about relationships to help me not freak out so much when my parents got a divorce. I wouldn't have seen all the worse-than-my-life examples that helped me not to feel sorry for myself. If I hadn't been in grad school, I might have lamented over the lack of money to fund my wedding, but as it was, we were just poor college kids planning a wedding. I look back with pride and wonder that we pulled it off!
I think most importantly, if I hadn't gone through grad school, seen my parents get divorced, and personally get married all within a two-year span, I wouldn't have reached a point of utter exhaustion and discouragement. God knows I need "utter exhaustion and discouragement" to actually give up on anything. Otherwise, I'm a big fan of putting myself through difficulty. Builds character, you know :) If I hadn't reached that point, I wouldn't have started thinking about other career options instead of my 12-year-old dream career. If I hadn't been married to Luke who suggested teaching, I might never have considered it. Now, I do believe it is TOO EARLY to determine that this new career is absolutely the most wonderful dream job in the whole wide world, but I am convinced that it is a VERY strong possibility ;)
The closer I get to starting the job, the more and more excited I get. I find myself feeling teary-eyed when thinking about sending kids to competitive events. I got so excited about receiving curriculum that the whole room must have felt my exuberance. I have plans and feel on top of things when the rest of the room seems to feel stressed and apprehensive. I can't explain how RIGHT it feels to be in this place. I can't wait to get started!!!!!!
I've also recently decided that God has taken me on the "scenic route" career-wise in the last few years. I definitely don't understand why I went through a 2.5-year grad school program that I will never EVER be able to describe the intensity of to anyone who didn't live through it. I don't understand why I got this crazy job in tobacco prevention when I don't even LIKE tobacco prevention. I don't understand a lot of things, and I've always been able to explain to myself what the "greater plan" might be. This time...not so much. However, the other day on the way to work, I think God helped me a little with some perspectives.
If I hadn't stayed in OK for grad school, I wouldn't have started dating Luke. At that point, I absolutely WOULD NOT have gotten into a long-distance relationship. If I hadn't been in grad school and had the crazy schedule I did, I would have probably listened to the friends who criticized my relationship with Luke. Without the crazy schedule to blame my friendship failings on, I would have blamed them all on the relationship. If I hadn't been in grad school, I wouldn't have been learning all the theories about relationships to help me not freak out so much when my parents got a divorce. I wouldn't have seen all the worse-than-my-life examples that helped me not to feel sorry for myself. If I hadn't been in grad school, I might have lamented over the lack of money to fund my wedding, but as it was, we were just poor college kids planning a wedding. I look back with pride and wonder that we pulled it off!
I think most importantly, if I hadn't gone through grad school, seen my parents get divorced, and personally get married all within a two-year span, I wouldn't have reached a point of utter exhaustion and discouragement. God knows I need "utter exhaustion and discouragement" to actually give up on anything. Otherwise, I'm a big fan of putting myself through difficulty. Builds character, you know :) If I hadn't reached that point, I wouldn't have started thinking about other career options instead of my 12-year-old dream career. If I hadn't been married to Luke who suggested teaching, I might never have considered it. Now, I do believe it is TOO EARLY to determine that this new career is absolutely the most wonderful dream job in the whole wide world, but I am convinced that it is a VERY strong possibility ;)
The closer I get to starting the job, the more and more excited I get. I find myself feeling teary-eyed when thinking about sending kids to competitive events. I got so excited about receiving curriculum that the whole room must have felt my exuberance. I have plans and feel on top of things when the rest of the room seems to feel stressed and apprehensive. I can't explain how RIGHT it feels to be in this place. I can't wait to get started!!!!!!
7.13.2009
Adventures of the Church Search
So we live in a new town now. Which means we have to find a new church. The only other time I've ever done this is when I went to college. I tried a giant church, a medium-sized church, a cowboy church...I tried avoiding a new church by just going to the one back at home on weekends, and I finally found one when I went with a friend. Amazing how just knowing ONE person can make such a difference.
So now we are looking, and being the unrealistically organized people we are, we have made a list and perused websites to establish potential pros and cons for each. We are really concerned about this--it's a big thing in our lives. There are three we are going to try:
1. The one that's just like ours at home.
2. The big one everyone recommended.
3. The small one that looks friendly on the website.
So far, #1 was super friendly, even though they have church at 9:30 and Sunday school at 11, and we awkwardly came in for Sunday school instead of the service (who DOES that, right?). Turns out one of my good (although a bit long-lost) friend's mom greeted us and introduced us to half the congregation. It was a good time. The sanctuary made us feel like we were in the middle of the country instead of where we really were--in the middle of the city. We even got two lunch offers. If all other factors are equal, we will have to determine the church by how many lunch offers we receive while there. ;)
I've always heard it's important not to try to find a "perfect" church because after all, churches are made up of saved sinners, and we all make mistakes. Totally agreed, but I think there are certain important factors for each person, and those factors need to be met in order for a church to be a good fit. My factors:
1. A healthy church. Clear communication lines, strong leadership, a sense that people in the church actually LIKE each other and the community in which they live.
2. Potential friends. People my age who are seeking the same lifestyle I am seeking, people Luke and I can relate to and hang out with outside of church.
3. A focus on outreach. I think it's important for a church to look beyond its walls to provide emotional and physical support to the community. Taking care of our own spiritual needs is important, but I have to be part of a place that is looking outward to feel like I'm part of something worthwhile.
So who knows what #2 and #3 will hold for us? I just hope that in spite of all my organization, God has pointed us toward a place He will work in us and help us see what role we can play in His big plan at this time and place in our lives.
So now we are looking, and being the unrealistically organized people we are, we have made a list and perused websites to establish potential pros and cons for each. We are really concerned about this--it's a big thing in our lives. There are three we are going to try:
1. The one that's just like ours at home.
2. The big one everyone recommended.
3. The small one that looks friendly on the website.
So far, #1 was super friendly, even though they have church at 9:30 and Sunday school at 11, and we awkwardly came in for Sunday school instead of the service (who DOES that, right?). Turns out one of my good (although a bit long-lost) friend's mom greeted us and introduced us to half the congregation. It was a good time. The sanctuary made us feel like we were in the middle of the country instead of where we really were--in the middle of the city. We even got two lunch offers. If all other factors are equal, we will have to determine the church by how many lunch offers we receive while there. ;)
I've always heard it's important not to try to find a "perfect" church because after all, churches are made up of saved sinners, and we all make mistakes. Totally agreed, but I think there are certain important factors for each person, and those factors need to be met in order for a church to be a good fit. My factors:
1. A healthy church. Clear communication lines, strong leadership, a sense that people in the church actually LIKE each other and the community in which they live.
2. Potential friends. People my age who are seeking the same lifestyle I am seeking, people Luke and I can relate to and hang out with outside of church.
3. A focus on outreach. I think it's important for a church to look beyond its walls to provide emotional and physical support to the community. Taking care of our own spiritual needs is important, but I have to be part of a place that is looking outward to feel like I'm part of something worthwhile.
So who knows what #2 and #3 will hold for us? I just hope that in spite of all my organization, God has pointed us toward a place He will work in us and help us see what role we can play in His big plan at this time and place in our lives.
4.21.2009
A Short Rant
So the Today Show had a segment this morning about how Miss California likely lost the Miss USA pageant because of her "politically incorrect" answer to a question. Without necessarily bringing in the actual content of the questions, I would like to discuss the thoughts this ordeal raised for me.
Why is it that liberals expect and require tolerance from conservatives, but they don't seem to require themselves to afford conservatives the same respect? It's ok for the blogger/judge to call Miss CA a bad name on national TV, but if a conservative bashed his values, he would be up in arms about how intolerant the conservative was. What about HIS intolerance of Miss CA's values?
I don't think "agree to disagree" or "everybody come to the middle" will solve the issues at hand, but but the principle of "two wrongs don't make a right" is still true. I don't think it's wrong to hold your beliefs sacred and stand for them no matter what. When you truly believe in the basis of your values, then you don't have to be disrespectful of those who believe differently. When your values are formed around the Truths of the Bible, as provided by the God who created the world and keeps it in order every day, then there is no shame in keeping those values.
It's not intolerant to believe what is right and true and to stand by it.
Why is it that liberals expect and require tolerance from conservatives, but they don't seem to require themselves to afford conservatives the same respect? It's ok for the blogger/judge to call Miss CA a bad name on national TV, but if a conservative bashed his values, he would be up in arms about how intolerant the conservative was. What about HIS intolerance of Miss CA's values?
I don't think "agree to disagree" or "everybody come to the middle" will solve the issues at hand, but but the principle of "two wrongs don't make a right" is still true. I don't think it's wrong to hold your beliefs sacred and stand for them no matter what. When you truly believe in the basis of your values, then you don't have to be disrespectful of those who believe differently. When your values are formed around the Truths of the Bible, as provided by the God who created the world and keeps it in order every day, then there is no shame in keeping those values.
It's not intolerant to believe what is right and true and to stand by it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
