i read a write-up of a book recently. The book was titled Liquid Church. one of the points the author makes is that "church" should really be more of a verb than a noun. for example; i church, you church, we church.
and this just hit right on the head of everything i have wanted to say when i get the invariable stare and blank expression of those who don't understand why we don't invite everyone in our neighborhood to church.
i think i swing back and forth with my commitment to this salvation army at times. being the "burr under the saddle" as i have heard it called, is a lot of work. there's a lot of discomfort and burden i think we carry in this quest to be agents of change.
i found out this week that one of the big supporters in my life has all sorts of questions and misgivings about the work we are doing. and instead of asking and really getting to know about our ministry, in an effort to define our work to the naysayers, he has become a part of the negative force.
another blow that satan can surely use to give rise to my doubts about discontinuing the ministry. another crumble in the wall that i have built around the desire to be complacent.
i wish the church really was liquid. maybe that's on the horizon. for now i'll just have to fight off these pirates on the surface.
posted by Kelly @ 1:56:00 PM
4 Comments:
Have you ever heard of the Easter to Easter devotionals? Well if you haven't this really cool girl does an internet version of them. Take a look at the Psalms passage in them. What a source of encouragement it was for me to read in light of all you just said.
yeah, it's much easier for me to be a critic and a naysayer than it is to look at things from several vantage points and then offer clear, helpful comments. have you read Tim Miller's post about the difference between a rebel and a reformer? It's worth checking out and has led me to some helpful introspection lately...
I just read Chris' blog, on which he quotes a passage that includes this statement:
"If we are looking for the world to confirm that our faith journey makes sense we may be waiting a long time."
The need for affirmation from other people is a very basic human instinct, and we all suffer it, despite the constant reminders to seek none but God's approval. The shock/anger/sadness you feel over the reaction of your supporter shows that you too are susceptible to this. You could say that you were "submitting to his authority" by being so invested in his opinion. And while it's hard to overcome the desire for earthly recognition of your work, the only recognition you truly need is that of the One who called you to do exactly what you're doing, exactly at the time you're doing it. I'm praying that He will re-instill a spirit of boldness, that you might "run and not be weary...walk and not faint..."
It isn't always the irrational that is hallmark of faith. In fact the irrational seems to be more the test of faith than the quality of it. The passage in Psalms that I refer to above is Psalms 64. It talks about God protecting the psalmists during a time of severe trial. At times I think people try to stop change because it is different. And people don't always like new things. They fear what that will mean for them. This leads to a closed mindedness towards the new initiatives. Sometimes its just what Kelly has said in her blog. People don't sit down and talk about what is actually happening because they would rather criticize. This way they don't have to face the new. We all have fears, rational and irrational. Many times criticism is just one person's reaction to fear. It is sad because if their reaction were more information gathering they may find out that what is going on isn't so irrational after all.
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