tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post2811443500675537639..comments2024-03-27T03:19:11.216-04:00Comments on Assistant Village Idiot: Lord, Is It I?Assistant Village Idiothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-27929143264699348042010-01-13T19:51:59.971-05:002010-01-13T19:51:59.971-05:00Well, here's an idea- put some empirical basis...Well, here's an idea- put some empirical basis behind it. Go somewhere else for 2 months. Do things improve?GraniteDadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04851407860883846133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-17534880319175260502010-01-13T11:38:09.322-05:002010-01-13T11:38:09.322-05:00Perhaps something to consider (based on past exper...Perhaps something to consider (based on past experience) is to what extent your (or any church) is a club of nice, comfortable, middle class people who - aside from the praying and God-talk - act much like any other folks belonging to an association of nice people who share a common interest, like the Elks or Parrot Heads.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-74243926598591254362010-01-13T08:30:01.035-05:002010-01-13T08:30:01.035-05:00The question has been rolling around in my mind la...The question has been rolling around in my mind lately as to what exactly church is for.<br /><br />I mean...really...at it's core....what is it supposed to be about? Once it's established things begin to take on a life of their own and the church activity calendar can spiral out of control with all sorts of seemingly meaningless minutae...like book clubs...or christian exercise groups....or christian movie night.<br /><br />One part of me thinks these types of things are quite dumb and don't really have much at all to do with God, Jesus, or any sort of engagement with spirituality. ANother part of me thinks that the church is only a community of like-minded individuals attempting to live in a way that they believe is honoring to God...in which case, if such meaningless programs help forge that bond...then I guess they are OK.<br /><br />I think churches struggle because the people who attend them are a very peculiar sort of people who want to do things the "right" way. ....and with any collection of individuals....there will always be disagreement about what that "right" way is, even among like-minded people. <br /><br />It's a recipe for dysfunction in some ways.<br /><br />People who are passionate about implementing the "true way" into their lives and the lives of others tend to be less flexible because they care so much about the outcome.<br /><br />As far as shallowness...a religion/church must be able to function at several levels in order to be accessible...it must be both simple and complex--<br /><br />Simple enough for those who have never been exposed to it to be able to apprehend the value and truth in it, and feel comfortable participating in it....and complex enough for those who have been on their journey for a long time to still have new facets to discover and new questions to answer.<br /><br />That's a hard balance to achieve.<br /><br />Re: you as the problem<br /><br />You could be...but the very fact that you are even considering the question is a good indicator that you're not trying to be. It's doubtful that everything is all your fault! ;-) I don't think pulling out of things would create any solutions...as if God was just waiting for you to step aside so He could finally do what He wanted to.<br /><br />If God wanted you to do a particular thing...it would seem most logical that He would want to do it through changing you into who He wants you to be, rather than merely casting you aside as a stumbling stone.<br /><br />But then....what do I know?<br /><br />I haven't had any visions lately!<br /><br />:-)terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12399706958844399216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-59810247104092204002010-01-12T23:25:37.978-05:002010-01-12T23:25:37.978-05:00There's also the question of how much of the s...There's also the question of how much of the second-guessing is a non-sport version of "<a href="http://assistantvillageidiot.blogspot.com/2010/01/end-of-season.html" rel="nofollow">The End Of The Season</a>" mentality, applied to more normal aspects of life.<br /><br />I don't know if that plays a role among the players involved (members of the church), but it likely plays a role in the minds of the team-owners (Denominational higher-ups).<br /><br />There's also the question of whether any of the people involved in the church can figure out the path between point A (current state) and point B (desired state). I'm not sure there's a church on this Earth that contains such wisdom, even if they are already in the place that you'd like to go to.<br /><br />Lastly, you've reminded me of a song. One video provided <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQcNiD0Z3MU" rel="nofollow">here</a>.karrdehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00205160745963596856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-42012585874166503712010-01-12T22:47:38.736-05:002010-01-12T22:47:38.736-05:00I was perhaps too negative about them, karrde. Th...I was perhaps too negative about them, karrde. They are nice people who wish us well, and give the knowledge that they have. But the Arts & Humanities Tribe is too caught up with how they think the world should work to observe objectively how it actually does work.<br /><br />As to your first question, it is one many of us have attempted, singly, in small groups, and as a congregation. We are perhaps too skilled at coming up with the theologically right answers to that. Forswearing the shallow answers, we have likely cut ourselves off from the great majority of people we would like to reach. None of us is that deep or fine on this planet, and attempting to be so may estrange us from our simpler selves.Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-61381893504188112432010-01-12T22:05:06.726-05:002010-01-12T22:05:06.726-05:00Really good post. In a gloomy mood this last week...Really good post. In a gloomy mood this last week, worrying "Is it I?" about my family's problems (perhaps just hubris on my part? Or narcissism to think their difficulties are ALL about me...)Retrieverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09036341287285545932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-62205768312930252152010-01-12T21:09:42.114-05:002010-01-12T21:09:42.114-05:00Another question: what do you consider a sign of a...Another question: what do you consider a sign of a better, healthier church?<br /><br />How does it relate to the dicta and perceptions of the Denominational Masters?karrdehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00205160745963596856noreply@blogger.com