Leaving Church - Part 3 - Why Leave?

Leaving Church - Introduction
Leaving Church - Part 1 - Those Left Behind
Leaving Church - Part 2 - How Not to Leave

I recently discovered that Lifeway did research about people who leave church. This was interesting to me because I usually get information about things like this from Barna. From this study, I gained a real handle on the real reason people leave.

Here are some quotes.

"Clearly, many of the reasons people no longer regularly attend church are interrelated. More than 80 percent of the formerly churched do not have a strong belief in God, explaining why work and family are a higher priority than church. But would they be “too busy” to attend if they felt more welcome at church?

Although many formerly churched adults stay away from their former church for the same reasons they initially left, some indicate that the church did not notice or care. Sixteen percent said “nobody contacted me after I left” and another 16 percent said “nobody seemed to care that I left.”

...

“Christian leaders seem to be reluctant to [proclaim] the terms of discipleship that Jesus laid out,” Ogden writes. “What are the reasons for our reluctance? We are afraid that if we ask too much, people will stop coming to our churches. Our operating assumption is that people will flee to the nearby entertainment church if we ask them to give too much of themselves. So we start with a low bar and try to entice people by increments of commitment, hoping that we can raise the bar imperceptibly to the ultimate destination of discipleship.”

Waggoner said it appears that some of the formerly churched left because the “destination” was so slow to emerge. “In the end, it’s important for church leaders to not only assume responsibility for those who seek to join their churches, but also for those who attempt to leave. Be vigilant at both the front door and the back door of the church.”

and

"“Many members are vulnerable to attrition because of either a nonexistent or immature faith,” said Brad Waggoner, director of LifeWay Research. “When individuals begin to seek out membership, they should be guided through a process whereby they are clearly taught the gospel and then following salvation, grounded in strong biblical truth. Far fewer people would drop out of church if their spiritual foundation was deep and strong. The church must also be sensitive to this combination of a less developed but genuine desire for faith as they approach the formerly churched about returning.”

and

"One of the many biblical metaphors of church leadership is that of the shepherd,” said Waggoner. “Throughout Scripture we see that the shepherd was to protect, guide and care for the flock and to go after those who have strayed from the fold. These findings indicate that churches should seek out those who have lapsed as well as taking steps to reduce further departures by meeting members’ needs for a welcoming and spiritually fulfilling church environment.”

Waggoner noted that prompting the formerly churched to visit a church with an eye toward attending regularly requires some work. Most of these individuals had multiple reasons for leaving. Not surprisingly, the work of the Holy Spirit along with the efforts of church members, friends and family members is needed to light a fire under them, Waggoner said."

I am aware that Lifeway is not an objective resource. However, I do want to look at this. Based on these quotes, I find that:

1. 80% of us do not have a strong faith in God, therefore church is not a high priority. Also, and increase in welcoming committees would make a difference.
   
2. We want people to harass us when we leave so we don't feel forgotten.
   
3. We are not interested in being discipled so they start us out slow.
4. We are destination-driven to a fault...huh?
5. We are unable to understand or accept the gospel. Essentially, we are spiritual retards and the church needs to hold remedial Christianity classes for us.
6. We want people to harass us when we leave, because we have lapsed and our salvation is at stake. Also, it's all about our needs not being met.
   
7. The Holy Spirit must not be doing His job, because He requires our family and friends help to "light a fire under us" to get us to return.

Please forgive my sarcasm here - I really want to be objective...but SERIOUSLY? They think these things are the problems? Do any of those things sound anything at all like any church-leaver you know?

What I really think these statistics and comments show is the true reason why people leave church...

...the church is completely out of touch with many of us. Gone should be the notion that Christians must be cookie-cutter copies of each other in order to have a vibrant faith. But as soon as we begin to emerge out of the mold, these kinds of things are said about us.

What needs to happen here is simple. Researchers need to spend 6 months reading the blogs of church-leavers, really reading them. Interacting on them. Asking questions without judging. Then they might find out just a little bit about why people really leave. Maybe that would initiate the kind of change that needs to happen in order to get us back.

Then again, many of us will likely never return to what these people consider "church". We are perfectly willing to forge our own way, instead. We are finding new forms of "church community", new ways to "meet together", new ways of expressing and practicing our faith.

I didn't want this post to be negative...but it did end up that way. I am only human and am obviously not able to be completely objective on this subject.

Next...Why Church?

Leaving Church - Part 2 - How Not to Leave

Leaving Church - Introduction
Leaving Church - Part 1 - Those Left Behind

I came across this in my "Leaving Church" meanderings.

From the St.Petersbug Times

"HUDSON - Beneath a stained-glass mural of the resurrection, the choir of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church gathered Jan. 26 to mourn a young member's death.

The people had braced for Alison Matera's passing since they learned of her cancer. They sat in wooden pews before a pedestal of polished white stone. Among them was a stranger who looked strangely familiar.

She said she was Matera's sister. But she looked and sounded exactly like Matera.

And the people wondered."

The story goes on to tell of a woman who faked her own cancer and finally her own death in order to leave her church and spare everyone's feelings. Then she went so far as to attend her own memorial service.

"So why did she do it?

She told the deputy she has attachment problems rooted in childhood trauma. Any time someone gets close, she feels the need to separate.

After she gained several close friends in the choir, she said she had cancer to drive them away.

But it brought them closer.

She said the fake death - the heartbreaking conclusion of an 11-month lie - was her best attempt at sparing everyone's feelings."

What the heck?

In my last post on this subject, I spoke of how I realized I had never really thought about anyone's feelings but my own.

In this case, I think a person might have gone too far in considering other people's feelings.

I realize there are likely a number of issues at play in this situation which I know nothing about, so what I'm going to say next is based on my own personal experience.

The lack of a person's ability or safety to be honest with the people close to them is probably a large part of church-leaving. Rather than being able to say to the people around me "Hey, I need help", I chose to try to deal with my issues, questions, and doubts in my own way.

There were several months where I knew I was at risk, before the events went down that caused me to run. I had fair warning that I needed help, but I was afraid to ask, afraid to be honest about it. Instead I walked out on all of my ministries with little or no explanation, quit going to church, and became mixed up in the most difficult circumstances of my life.

I could have saved a number of people a great deal of grief if I has been willing to risk admitting to someone - anyone - what I was struggling with and that I needed help.

That's not necessarily to say that anything could have prevented me from leaving. There were so many things in the mix - most of which I have driven into the dirt on this blog.

However, I can't help but wonder how different my process might have been if I had confided in someone with the maturity to help me through it, instead of orchestrating my own exit on my own terms. My path out could have been a great deal smoother with a little paving.

The Discovery of Q?

And we're not talking the Star Trek character 'Q', played by actor John de Lancie.

Q is considered to be a lost possible source text for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. It is a long-standing theory that the synoptic Gospels share a common source of content that is not found in their commonly recognized source, the Gospel of Mark.

From Wikipedia:

"The existence of Q follows from the argument that neither Matthew nor Luke is directly dependent on the other in the double tradition (what New Testament scholars call the material that Matthew and Luke share that does not appear in Mark). However, the verbal agreement between Matthew and Luke is so close in some parts of the double tradition that the double tradition is explained as an indirect literary relationship, namely, through use of a common written source or sources."

It seems someone has created an interesting theory as to the origins of this lost hypothetical 'Q' document.

John at Locusts and Honey will tell you more.


HT Brother Maynard.

Leaving Church - Part 1 - Those Left Behind

Leaving Church - Introduction:

"I felt inspired to use Google's Blog Search to look for blogs that mention the subject of 'leaving church', both with reference to Barbara Brown Taylor's book, and without. In the next several posts, I'm going to talk about what I found."



At Relevant Magazine:

"Recently some friends my age left the church that I go to, and I have to say; I felt kind of slighted by the whole thing. Now they are going to a different church, and I am sure they have their reasons. But it just feels like it wasn’t just the church they left: it feels like they left me. The next time I saw them, I asked how things were going, but ultimately I really wanted to know why they had moved on."

For some reason, this quote from the article got me thinking. In the case of this article I quoted, I believe he is specifically referencing people who are leaving because they are 'bored'. Nonetheless, it's an important thought.

In my anguish and frustration, in my eagerness to run, I never stopped to look back. I never really gave a moments thought as to how the people I left were feeling. I was angry, I was wounded, and I was (inexcusably) selfish. I never wondered whether or not my leaving was hurting them. I offered little explanation to most people, assuming, given the circumstances, they would just know why I left. Now, you know what they say about the word 'assume' - I don't think I have to spell it out.

I realize now there are probably people who really didn't get it, and for that I don't blame them. Even if they did have intimate knowledge of the circumstances surrounding my exit, it still may not have seemed the same to them as it did to me. I was leaving the church for my own spiritual well being and I thought they didn't care. They thought I was leaving them because I didn't want them anymore - or worse, because I thought I was better than them - and too good for church.

A few people did reach out to me after I left, but I had the reflexive tendency to brush them off. I think my emotional response was "they don't really want to know how I am or what's going on, they just want to get me to come back to church". I had this deep sense of suspicion about me. I couldn't believe anyone could really understand - I was sure they just wanted to get my butt back in a pew. For some, that might have been true. But in my hurt, I believed even my closest friends and mentors were out to get me.

A good friend of mine is always calling me on my sh**. One item she frequently turns to is my habit of thinking I know what other people are thinking. This is true. Ask my husband. Granted I can be pretty intuitive about people's intentions. Call it discernment. But when I'm emotionally involved, I'm often off.

I left many people I cared about behind. I exited stage left and never really asked them what it meant to them that I was leaving. I believed I knew how they felt, so I didn't bother asking. I think finding out I was right would have been harder than not knowing. But then again, I could have been wrong.

I don't know if I will ever feel safe enough to sort out the truth with the people I left behind when I left the church. I hope one day I will.

Leaving Church - Introduction

Today I have begun decompressing what it really means to 'leave church' and why I did it. I have become interested in looking at how other's view this process, why some people discount it, and whether or not we really need 'church'. My goal isn't only to champion my own perspective, but to truly try to see it from another point of view. I'm sure I'll do some of both.

Right now, I am heavily into Barbara Brown Taylor's book "Leaving Church" right now, thoroughly enjoying it - more than that - deeply appreciating it. I hope to have time to post some quotes sometime soon. But right now, that's not really what I'm getting at.

What has leaving meant for me? It has meant not only leaving the regular practice of church attendance behind, but leaving the entire concept of Christian faith as church presents it. It has meant abandoning the church as a means to define my faith. It also has meant the heartbreak of leaving some valued relationships, as well.

What has it not meant? For one, it has not meant leaving Jesus. It has not meant forsaking meeting together. It has not meant abandoning the practices of bible reading, prayer, or worship. It has not meant the lack of receiving sound teaching.

It has simply meant that church no longer has a monopoly on faith in my life. This is the healthiest spiritual season of my life. God has shown up in miraculous ways. I have met people I tremendously value - people I never would have met if I had remained inside. I have had to scrape the bottom of the barrel (or bottle as it were) looking for the last vestiges of a faith that had lost it's identity in church participation rather than losing it's identity in Christ. And I have found it, at least in part.

Most of you know all that already, but I felt like I wanted to highlight it for background purposes.

Sigh. This has the makings of a multi-part post.

I want to really process, for the first time, what leaving church is all about - from more than just my perspective. I have drawn myself deeply into the church-leaver's subculture here in the blogosphere - desperate to find a place of validation and safety. I am beginning, finally, to feel less frightened of this new territory called "unchurched". That's not to say I wish to stay here one moment longer than necessary, but I do wish to learn whatever I can while visiting here - even if that means hearing some things I'd rather not hear.

I can't tell you exactly what set off this newest wave of questions, but I felt inspired to use Google's Blog Search to look for blogs that mention the subject of 'leaving church', both with reference to Barbara Brown Taylor's book, and without.

In the next several posts, I'm going to talk about what I found.

It was Time

I just purged my blog subscriptions. Don't worry, I didn't delete anyone I ever talk to. I just deleted many of the ones I skim simply because they once-upon-a-time had something that interested me.

I went from 142 to 80. Wish losing weight was that easy, LOL.

I have about 20 News/Tech blogs I usually just skim in my reader.

I have about 40 faith-related blogs that I just skim.

I only actually read/interact the other 20 or so.

How many do you read? How many do you actually interact on? How do you choose to add a blog to your reader?

Portland is Healthy

According to Earthday Network's Urban Environment Report, Portland is the third healthiest city in the U.S.

KATU.com says:

"A recent national study found that only Fargo, North Dakota and Burlington, Vermont are the only cities that offer locals a better combination of clean air, water, and an all-around healthy environment than Portland."

Find the report here and here.

And people wonder why we live here in the rainy Rose City.

Quiet - can you hear spring?

During this stage of life, I don't think I will ever tire of having a quiet house all to myself for a few hours each day. That doesn't mean I'm actually HOME enjoying the quiet everyday, quite the contrary. But some days I have nothing to do but be home.

For 10 years I have been dealing with all the things that go with babies and preschoolers; first one child, then the other. I have loved every minute of it (at least in retrospect). But it is really something to be on duty 24 hours a day for years on end. And the way I see it, I have had it "easy". My kids were over 3 years apart and I only have two of them. I certainly know women whose child rearing has been more complicated than mine.

But for me, for my perspective, it's a sense of relief to have some time to myself. It's so funny to me to realize how my creative energy has been all but non-existent during these nurturing-heavy years. Some years it's been a good day when I have had time to eat lunch or apply makeup; writing was typically far from my mind. For many years, I couldn't even remember what it was like to write. Even as they went to school an increasing number of hours each the week (preschool, pre-k, kindergarten), I still had to fill those hours with doing necessary things like grocery shopping or going to the bank, relishing doing it without kid(s) in tow. How many moms (or dads) have had to abandon a full grocery cart because of an inconsolable screaming child?

It's only been this (school) year that I have actually felt I had time to breathe. I have had time for lunch dates with (gasp!) grownups and without (gasp!) kids. Lunch dates at McMenamin's instead of McDonald's. Real. Adult. Conversation.

But more importantly...

I have had time to listen to my heart - soul search and seek. I have had time to write - nothing earth-shattering - it's more been a time to rekindle this art that lies within me, to relearn, to regain touch with my spirit. It's like riding a bike, you never forget, but that doesn't mean you won't require practice to get good at it again.

This blog has been that for me, practice. I don't know what the future holds for my wordcraft, but I know this has been a place where I can re-familiarize myself with that gift which is in me that has been dormant for so long.

I have been blessed with the ability to stay home during these child-rearing years. I always believed that when the kids went to school, I would be bored. I thought I would want to get a job, to get out of the house and use my brain. But I have found the opposite to be true. My craft isn't so much one of intellect as it is one of spirit; and spirit needs quiet in order to be heard, rest in order to live.

As I have been finding time to be quiet and still, I have been hearing the first subtle sounds of the rebirth called 'spring'. When the wind blows I no longer hear the clacking of bare branches as in the dead of winter. The sound of the wind is not the same as a summer breeze, with it's whisper and sigh; nor the same as autumn winds, where the crackling of leaves is almost eerie. Instead I hear the gentle sound of movement in the trees, their branches heavy with the imminent reawakening from winter's slumber.

I am finding spring all around me, my Crocuses and Siberian Irises are up, bringing the first hint of color to our yard. The Pieris is heavy with buds, soon to bless us with it's Easter fragrance. Daffodils and Tulips are just beginning to reveal the success of their upward journey through the soil.

I am organic - of that I have always been sure. I am never so creative or alive as I am sitting in the spring sunlight, letting the first warm rays of the sun stir my soul. Those days are still a few weeks away, but I am sensing hope in the knowledge that the sun's warmth will come again. And I dream of a chance to write something beautiful again.

Dreams

Last night I had a very strange dream...The details aren't significant, I don't think. It was a typically disjointed dream, but nothing particularly notable about it.

Except for one thing. In my dream there was a clear reference to a verse of scripture. I have never had a dream about a specific verse before, that I am aware of. I have seen or heard Biblical quotes before, but never by the 'address' like this. So I believe there is some significance to this.

I awoke with the words "James 2:12" in my head.

James 2:12 "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,"

I think I grasp the meaning and context, and I am thoroughly able to do my own research, which I will. However, as part of my research I want to know what you think.

Does James 2:12 mean anything in particular to anyone?

Recent Reading

Posts I have read recently...

I Am Free - Pharga via YBMT

"I am free from the need to use human means to define God. Even the word is only used because a blank space would never be understood."

How unhappy can you be with this "evangelical" thing? iMonk.

"I absolutely reject the “Code of Silence” that grows up in churches, institutions, denominations and movements. It’s unhealthy to declare critics, exhorters and prophets as “traitors” to the communities they serve. What we say about those who tell the truth says whether we value the truth, or just want propaganda."

The Gutter Review - John Smulo

"This book raises questions that I've struggled with for a long time. Questions like...Why do we isolate ourselves from people who are different from us?"

Awestruck - Kansas Bob

Bob shares video of Nick Vujicic, who was born with no arms or legs. Nick tours around the world, preaching about overcoming challenges and adversity.

Kansas Bob says

"I am awestruck ... this video changed my view of suffering and overcoming pain."

Homeless Man Speaks - Today at the Mission

"Homeless Man Speaks" is the blog of a homeless man in Toronto, posted with the assistance of his friend, Philip...after reading the blog for a while it seems like Tony is your friend, too. I highly recommend it."

Boxless

My LettersFromLeavers post is up.



Edit: I guess you will have to create a useename and password in order to comment over there. If you don't want to, you can always comment here instead.

Dry Spell

Hi all. I realized I haven't posted anything original for almost 2 weeks. Sorry, I just haven't had much to say lately. Lots I've been pondering, but nothing has really gelled recently.

I'm processing through a range of emotions regarding church and what that means for me. I have been having strange dreams, none of which I seem to remember the details of, but I awake with spiritual questions and a feeling of deep reflection on where I've been and where I'm going. Over the last few weeks I have begun to gain a new sense of purpose, but I'm not really sure what it means. It's strange.

Some of you might have wondered about the new blog. Well...I was going through a phase of wanting to shed my decompressing skin - but I have been rethinking that step. To tell you the truth, this is one of those times where I am really wanting to do something and I'm just not feeling released in my spirit to go ahead with it. I'm not really sure why, but I have no sense of peace about it. We have covered all the technical issues and it's really pretty much ready other than uploading my header images. There's no logical reason not to go ahead with it. I just feel this inexplicable anxiety about it.

It very well could be a situation where I had what I thought was a great idea and I ran with it. I wasn't sure where God was on the subject, but I figured He's come around eventually. Isn't it funny how we treat God like a person? Like we can sell Him on some great idea if we just try hard enough? But I can't deny that God just doesn't seem to be onboard with it and He won't tell me why. Have you ever had that happen?

When we have an idea, in my experience there are three ways God could respond. Sometimes He says "Yes", sometimes He says "Wait", and sometimes He says "No". I'm just uncertain which it is this time.

I am hoping to come to some conclusion about it soon. If I don't move, I will be bringing this blog up under my domain name - so that will still happen. It's not at all an anxiety about using my name. It's more a sense that this is where I'm supposed to be. I can't really explain it.

And we wonder why people hate "Christians"

I was reading today at LettersFromLeavers. I strongly encourage you to read this letter. Be prepared to cry. Here are some excerpts, but please go read it all if you have the time.

*** Quoted text removed, see Third Edit below***

I am not asserting that this individual's experiences are the "norm" in Christianity; maybe, maybe not. What I'm asserting is should these events EVER take place in Christianity at all?

And we wonder why Christians are looked at with such enmity? This letter is a painful reminder of how downright evil we can be; even as we speak Jesus' blessed name through the other side of our mouths.

EDIT: It seems this letter has been removed from the Letters From Leavers site. I don't know why, but I speculate that there was some question as to the authenticity of the letter.

Pam commented that it seemed fishy to her.

My reply to her comment:

"My point is that fundamentalism is toxic. Obviously this person has had some horrible experiences in the church and I don't doubt that fundamentalism is largely responsible for that.

Bottom line point of this post: we can't continue to make excuses for fundamentalist spiritual abuse. Whether or not all or any of this letter is true, we know it happens. We know it sucks. Christians or not there is no excuse."

Second Edit: Tim Bower, one of the co-creators of Letters From Leavers left a comment here that the letter was removed by its author, not by anyone affiliated with the site. Tim also said he has "no question about its veracity".

Third Edit: After some consideration, I have chosen to remove the excerpts that I have posted of the letter out of respect for the fact that the author removed the original post from the Letters From Leavers site. I'm very sorry for any confusion, but I feel that in this case, if the author changed their mind about the publication of their thoughts, I should honor that.

Busy Weekend

This weekend we ("we" being my entire extended family) are moving my grandparents out of what has been their home for the last 55 years or so, and into a retirement community.

Needless to say this will probably consume most of our weekend, so don't be surprised if you don't see much of me here, or out in blogdom.

Have a great weekend!

Not in Eden Anymore

I'm sorry. That's a clever title for a goofy post. Don't mean to mislead you.

Us Oregonians, if you haven't realized it yet, are a kooky bunch. We are the very definition of eccentricity. We love our rights and freedoms and we will sometimes exploit them to the max.

However, every once in awhile, some Oregonian is just weird enough to offend even us, the chronically unoffendable.

This crazy dude in Ranier, Oregon likes to walk around, uh, nekkid. On his own property. In front of neighbors. In front of passers-by. In front of the local school bus.

Officials say because he's on his own property, he can do what he wants as long as he's not engaging in "lewd" behavior. There is some debate as to whether or not he has ever engaged in said "lewd" behavior. At least he's never been caught.

Oh, one more thing.

"He is currently free on bail, facing 50 counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse after police searched his home in 2005 and found boxes and computer hard drives filled with child pornography. He goes to trial in late September."

People in the neighborhood have had enough so they went to the news.

Read the story at KATU.com

Within his rights; or a danger to society?

How (Not) To Leave a Dog

"HILLSBORO, Ore. -- Washington County Animal Services responded to a call this morning to help a stray dog at Elmonica Station, a residential and business office complex near 170th Avenue in Beaverton. The finder, an employee with Avenue Development, LLC, found the emaciated dog in a crate near the complex' dumpster area. According to the responding Animal Control Officer (ACO) and the finder, the female dog had been abandoned. The officer brought the dog to the Bonnie L. Hays Small Animal Shelter in Hillsboro, where she received immediate care.

The dog, a miniature Schnauzer, should normally weigh about 15 pounds. She weighed in this morning at 7.6 pounds. "

Sigh. Read the rest at KATU.com

We recently made the decision that we would have to re-home at least one of our two huskies. It was a difficult decision we made over the course of 4 months, due to a number of ireconcilable factors. When we came to the conclusion that this needed to happen, we decided we would be diligent in how we proceeded. We placed an ad on Craigslist with the text "only experienced husky owners need apply". We interviewed everyone who came to see our dogs. When we finally found a good match, we included a home visit before we decided definitively. It was a 6 week process, but we are pleased with the owner we chose. Our girl is happy and healthy in her new home.

We know, I mean really KNOW, how hard it can be to be a dog owner. We know it can cause all kinds of problems, not the least of which financial. We know not everyone has the ability to go through a lengthy screening process. We know it can be embarrassing to admit that you can no longer care for your dog. We know sometimes there just is no time.

But seriously, people, there are many more humane ways to re-home your dog.

If you aren't willing to post on Craigslist and screen adopters yourself, and if you don't want to go through your local humane society, then please PLEASE look into your local rescue organization for the specific breed you own.

In this case, Miniature Schnauzer Rescue, Inc., right here in Portland.

An Interesting Debut

Letters From Leavers debuted today:

"If you have moved on from church, we want to hear from you. Speak up and express your thoughts and feelings. Post a letter to this blog about your church experience and why you left. Write your letter with a specific church in mind or address it to the Church as a whole. It's up to you. We created this website to be a safe space for those who have left to freely tell their stories. Please tell us yours."

HT TSK

Worst Company in America

The Consumerist is holding the first round of voting in the:

"2007 Worst Company in America" Contest.

The contestants?

The RIAA
United Airlines
Best Buy
U-Haul
Comcast
Sony
Time Warner Cable
Exxon
Halliburton
News Corp.
AT&T/Cingular/SBC
Clear Channel
Verizon
Bank of America
Monsanto
Wal-Mart

Anyone have any horror stories to share about any of these companies?

For a great laugh...

from the Emerging Women blog...

There were 3 good arguments that Jesus was Black:
1. He called everyone brother.
2. He liked Gospel.
3. He couldn't get a fair trial.

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish:
1. He went into His Father's business.
2. He lived at home until he was 33.
3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin and his Mother was sure He was God.

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian:
1. He talked with His hands.
2. He had wine with His meals.
3. He used olive oil.

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was a Californian:
1. He never cut His hair.
2. He walked around barefoot all the time.
3. He started a new religion.

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was an American Indian:
1. He was at peace with nature.
2. He ate a lot of fish.
3. He talked about the Great Spirit.

But then there were 3 equally good arguments the Jesus was Irish:
1. He never got married.
2. He was always telling stories.
3. He loved green pastures.

But the most compelling evidence of all - 3 proofs that Jesus was a woman:
1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was no food.
2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just
didn't get it.
3. And even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was work
to do.

AMEN!

Have a great day!

Comments

Hey - I just want to thank everyone for all the great comments today. I have been away from the computer almost all day and I just have a second right now to say thanks.

Luv ya'all and I'll respond in the morning.

Happy heart day!

Googe

In case anyone wondered what is wrong with this picture...



...you can find out here and here. Clever.

Love is...?

...having children who still hug me.



When I was a girl we had this book. "Love is...Walking Hand in Hand" by Charles M. Schulz.

Inside, it is page after page of "Love is..." quotes, Peanuts style.

Today, I can't really remember any of the sayings, but I do have a question for you.

What is love to you? Format your answer Charles Schulz style...

"Love is..."

Two things I read today...

...that moved me.

John O'Keefe at Ginkworld relates visiting a church that has no handles on the exterior doors.

"that's right, the church has no handles on the doors leading into any part of the church. the only way into the church is to have a key, or be let in by someone who is in the building. no one is able to just "walk in," and you can never just "visit" without being allowed in. [in fact, to "visit" the church requires that you stop by the security office, sign in and get a visitors pass] when we pointed this out to some of the people who attend the church they had some very interesting responses -

"one women said, "well we do have a great deal of homeless people in the area and they are always coming by for help. so we had the doors replaced so they could not just walk in." well, God forbid a homeless person should ever approach a church for help; i mean what are they thinking? do they actually think we care? do they actually think we are to welcome "those" people into our clean, well kept, over priced church? after all, they did not have anything to do with the building of the church."

Huh. Thought provoking. How many of us have removed the handles from our spirituality, lest anyone "taint" us? I suggest you head over there and read the rest of it.


And my friend TrailLady posts on "Confirmation" about her questions regarding Church and Kingdom. Powerful stuff. Go give her some love, as her and her family are soon to be in the midst of a state-to-state move.

"The Bible offers principles, but does not apply them to every situation. This leaves room for the human being to exercise his/her God-given intelligence and make a judgement call on any issue based on conviction.

...

"Last Sunday I was in a grocery store when a young couple with kids got in line behind me. They wore T-shirts that said, "The Church has left the building. We're trying to make a difference in our community". Overwhelmed with curiousity, I said "hello" and asked, "How do you make a difference?" The lady replied, "Well, we paint things, pick up trash, deliver food, plant flowers & build stuff. Basically, we look for a need in our community and try to meet it." I said, "I like that! What church do you represent?" To which, she said, "We're not affiliated with any church, we are part of a Kingdom."

...

"My idea of helping God was to do something BIG. I meant well, but I was in a holding pattern, working myself into a position where I could do great things and have the most influence. However, little gestures faithfully done can make the biggest difference in the end. Some of the most powerful people in my life did simple, thoughtful things to show they cared. Being a Daniel, Moses or a Joshua is wonderful and inspiring, but in a way, it takes more faith to be an average Joe Christian who is genuinely nice to his co-worker and neighbor."

A Little Fun...

...never hurt anyone.

Over on my Grammy Love post, Pam and I are talking music, and we got a little onto the subject of One Hit Wonders. Or at least I did.

I found this list at Wikipedia - it's VH-1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders.

Which is your favorite?

1. Los del Río - "Macarena" (1996) #1 (14 weeks) US
2. Soft Cell - "Tainted Love" (1982) #8 US
3. Dexy's Midnight Runners - "Come On Eileen" (1983) #1 (1 week) US
4. Right Said Fred - "I'm Too Sexy" (1992) #1 (3 weeks) US
5. Toni Basil - "Mickey" (1982) #1 (1 week) US
6. Baha Men - "Who Let the Dogs Out" (2000) #40 US
7. Vanilla Ice - "Ice Ice Baby" (1990) #1 (1 week) US
8. a-ha - "Take On Me" (1985) #1 (1 week) US
9. Gerardo - "Rico Suave" (1991) #7 US
10. Nena - "99 Luftballons" (1984) #2 (1 week) US
11. Debby Boone - "You Light Up My Life" (1977) #1 (10 weeks) US
12. Sir Mix-A-Lot - "Baby Got Back" (1992) #1 (5 weeks) US