Well here I am on a Monday afternoon watching the storm outside and trying to ignore the constant drip of water into the bowl in the room. There is a crack in the ceiling and the large amounts of rain have made close acquaintances with both the crack and the warmth of our room. This irritating noise got me thinking about my own personal life, and where I am spiritually. Do I sound like the annoying drip, drip, drip to God.
Lately I have been utterly haunted by the idea of sin. It is a weird haunting. The type that is almost paralyzing in fear. This is both good and bad. I am glad that sin scares me. In that sense it is comforting. But the paralyzation of my soul is truly bothersome. It is as though I cannot get the gumption or will power to stop my sin. Over the last few months I have come to realize just how sinful I am. I believe it was Martin Luther who said that everything we do is sinful, so you might as well sin boldly. That is a paraphrase of course. Sadly, that has become my attitude. I am the epitome of the "i can't help it" attitude.
The good news for myself is this: God can help it. Maybe I should start reading what I write and listening to my thoughts. When will I learn to actually trust God to get me through any situation. Hopefully soon. Or maybe it is a life long pursuit.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
How We Do Church
I have been writing a paper about the Emerging Church for one of my classes. It has been a really fun paper to write, which is odd. I am not sure if I am enjoying it because I get to criticize a movement I don't like and get graded/rewarded for it, or if I just like the research and value. But that is neither here nor there.
There are some really good questions the movement bring up that are worth thinking about. How do we evangelize to the communities around us? How do we treat Scripture? How should tradition be employed in our worship? These are just a few examples. For the most part the Emerging church has moved from an evangelical movement towards a liberal catch-all religion. Sadly evangelism has become total acceptance. Scripture is a warped tool to preach peace and love, without the threat of consequence and sin, and worship is all about the newest trend.
That is the short gist of where my paper went. I write all that to discuss something that I have been thinking about for a while. The church I attend here in Siloam Springs does communion every week. I enjoy it. There are a lot of people I know that do not. Many people tell me they feel like it becomes too ritual. Maybe so. For me, the typical Baptist once every quarter is ritual. I like taking communion every week because I go to church prepared to worship. The act of communion makes me reflect, repent, and prepare to go before God. Maybe I am the one with a skewed view. I should be doing this with or without the communion. And that is where I am at. Not sure if communion every week is good or bad. I think you can argue both sides, maybe it is just personal preference.
There are some really good questions the movement bring up that are worth thinking about. How do we evangelize to the communities around us? How do we treat Scripture? How should tradition be employed in our worship? These are just a few examples. For the most part the Emerging church has moved from an evangelical movement towards a liberal catch-all religion. Sadly evangelism has become total acceptance. Scripture is a warped tool to preach peace and love, without the threat of consequence and sin, and worship is all about the newest trend.
That is the short gist of where my paper went. I write all that to discuss something that I have been thinking about for a while. The church I attend here in Siloam Springs does communion every week. I enjoy it. There are a lot of people I know that do not. Many people tell me they feel like it becomes too ritual. Maybe so. For me, the typical Baptist once every quarter is ritual. I like taking communion every week because I go to church prepared to worship. The act of communion makes me reflect, repent, and prepare to go before God. Maybe I am the one with a skewed view. I should be doing this with or without the communion. And that is where I am at. Not sure if communion every week is good or bad. I think you can argue both sides, maybe it is just personal preference.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)