The day trip with my friend was very good. It had been so long since we've really had the opportunity to visit. We talked and shared A LOT! The light hearted, ridiculous chit-chat as described in the previous post (if you took time to read it) was not present. There were too many heavy subjects about which to be discussed...family illness, problems of grandchildren, dysfunction of the society in which we find ourselves living, changes, changes, and more changes.
All in all, it was a time of purging ourselves of the things that burden many, many women.
☼
One of the subjects of discussion was the changes we are beginning to see in the structure of established "churches". Everything I read, everything I hear, seems to carry a thread of this subject. (I guess it's just the fact that I'm CHOOSING to read about the subject.)
☼
Have you ever started pulling on a loose thread in a garment and find that you have suddenly taken the whole thing apart? This is how I feel about our denominational churches. They are beginning to unravel. I believe that all Christians are in a re-structuring process, sewed together by the Great Seamstress of Christ Himself...sewed together with a thread of unity that can never be unraveled.
☼
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send?And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" -- Isaiah 6:8
"Church worship on Sunday is not the goal of our life here on earth. As important as church worship and personal praise are, they are only part of our goal. We are here to glorify God with both our lips and our lives, with our hearts and our hands. With the world around us caught up in Satan's traps, God wants us to hear his call to us in our church and private worship and respond by saying,"Here am I. Use me!" Then he wants us to enter the world redemptively, making a difference in our "public worship" of ministry."(Phil Ware..VOTD)
☼
It's exciting to me to see where God is leading his people and waiting for him to reveal his plan. Well....He's probably already in the process of revealing...if we were just wise enough to see it!
Have a good day!
12 comments:
God put us on earth for the purpose of Glorifying him . He wants us to be willing to do his work like Isaiah,"Lord here am I send Me"
I believe the Churches now are worrying to much about being politically correct & not preaching the word.
Glad You had a nice visit & I'll keep your secret
I knew there was something about you! You were a school teacher!!!
Hard work, but perhaps one of the most honorable professions of all!
I know this may be hard to believe, but I (at 37 years old) do a little crocheting. And it was my 20-something step-daughter that taught me.
Nothing peeves me more than to get 'off' track, then have to unravel a certain portion to get it back right. I don't know what your talking about with the corporate body, but there is a time to tear down and a time to build. Maybe we got off track for a time and He needs bring our Babel mentality down a few notches?
Just a thought???
I am glad you had a good visit with your friend. I love when I have the chance to talk to my girl friends. Since the little ones have come, its been a lot less frequent and I look forward to spending time with my friends. Sometimes its the heavier subjects that are even more fun to discuss, I think.
I am glad you found "The Other Side" too. I changed the address... I am can be very uncommitted. Plus I decided that being two people was tiresome. I'll just keep both of my blogs nice and try not to say anything I'd regret later.
You're right... we can't just go to Church on Sundays and think we've done enough... Although, I attend Church every Sunday to learn and to show God my commitment to Him...We also have to serve others. I believe that we will be judged on how we treat others and how we used our resources (like money and time) to bless others. ummmm.... I need to look for more opportunities to help others. This a good reminder.
icjesusnu:
Just food for thought: When we are welcomed into Heaven, do you believe we will be welcomed as Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterian...etc, etc? No...all Christians will be welcomed only as children of God.
Is it not feasible that God could be tearing down the barriers of denomination right now, in our life time? Is it not feasible that in our life time we could experience an Acts 2 "church"?
(44) All the believers were together and had everything in common.(NIV)
Just food for thought...
Is it not feasible that in our life time we could experience an Acts 2 "church"?
(44) All the believers were together and had everything in common.(NIV)
Answer to above If all the congregations get together , the Baptist will bring the casseroles
I am soooo through with organized religion and going to "church". Instead I live my life the way I interpret the bible as saying I should.
Thanks for the comments, everyone. I certainly haven't given up on the 'establishment' but I do recognize the need for changes. What change this will entail, I don't have a clue. But when I see young couples dropping out because there is 'nothing offered for them' it breaks my heart. What is most heart-breaking is the dropping out and NOT SEARCHING for what they DO want! They're like driftwood afloat in stagnant water.
And, most certainly, Dear Tam...the presence of the Babel mentality!!
These are just my observations in My Hometown.
We were all ONE church dating back to the reformation and Acts 2, for that matter. The kids just couldn't get along. So one fight led to another and everyone picked up their toys and went home. And then they started playing with only siblings that liked the same toys they did. And the cycle keeps repeating itself. As a Baptist, been there, done that and bought the t-shirt.
Last Turkey Day my family had a squabble. We didn't spend Christmas together. Then Mother's Day rolled around and we were back together. My Granny was beaming from ear to ear.
When two churches split, it's like my family thing. My aunt and my momma just couldn't see eye to eye. Then something like VBS brings churches back into the same 'holiday celebration', per say. And our Father beams from ear to ear.
Now hear my reformation heart...that is why I'm passionate about ties to my catholic roots. They are my brothers and sisters that I deeply desire to have "Christmas" with???
In a nutshell...I'm not a Baptacathopentimeth, etc. I'm a christian who happens to use the gifts God gave me at a Baptist church.
This is why I love you dear sister, Tam!!
I'm just ready for the pendulum to swing again...maybe that's a selfish attitude. More so, I'm ready for God to do whatever... for us, with us, to us; whatever is in his plans. Love ya!
(hurry FWF, hurry!!)
You know what I mean, right Miss J?
I don't want to have every Sunday meal with the proverbial 'them', but a ministry here and there wouldn't hurt a thing.
We can be so childish...
When (not if) He moves it's gonna be bigger than denominationalism! PTL
I do, I do....know what you mean!
Thanks for all your input! Like I commented on your blog...you have an awesome opportunity to spread the message. You're doing a pretty good job of it "right now"!!
Post a Comment