Your Church Looks Exactly The Same

 "Anyway. Sometimes people will ask me about a certain church we went to, and I find myself having to dig pretty hard to pluck the particular church they wanna know about out of the mess of services in my head. -- This is not because I've been to so many churches recently, but because they're almost all exactly the same...like EXACTLY...and they all smoosh together in my mind like peanut butter and jelly on suburban white bread.  

My favorite part of this overarching sameness is how every church is dying for the person walking in on a Sunday morning to think they're different from all the other churches. While they're so similar, it's almost comical."

- Jamie Wright

Trivial Drival Preaching &Teaching Inspires Nothing!

Such a trivial level that we think we have heard it all. I've had leadership say as much. What about Teaching that reminds us every week we have a lifetime of study and learning and we still won't learn it all? Reminds me i have much to more to know and grow into? I remember  leading a group in Charlottetown  about ten-year  ago and a life long church leader at first was very very frustrated and a bit angry. Becuse he was struggling with the material and reading assignments. I did not know why. Then about five nights in he said that he had never heard much of this stuff (i was teaching Kingdom themes) before. He said i read a paragraph and it is so profound that i have to read it over three or four times. It turns out the anger was he was angry he had never been taught this stuff before, and wondered how come at 65 he has not encountered so much of this teaching,and he could have been digging more in these themes. He was convinced at 65, that doing more than the average church member, he had a good handle on most things.  Then he learned themes he did not know existed.  I said i dont know... but we have a lifetime to study and still don't know it all. I said let it wash over you.... just be exposed. 

I love it when secularists talk to me like  they have the church and theology all figured out. Yes.... it happens weekly to me.  They dont ask my opinion, they talk to me to correct me based on their assumptions... they trully do feel they have a good handle on what faith people  think. I dont have conversations there.  Every week  a church should be taken deep enough in some aspect of teaching they can't say "i heard it all before." A good shock as to what they don't know is required very regularly.... or we forget we have something to aspire to.... for a lifetime. 

My 2 cents.

"Even kids at a pretty early age get bored if they are not exposed to maybe things they can't completely apprehend, or things that are in some way held out for them something else to attain. 

But when it is the drivil, and trivia, and game playing that becomes the focus of your activity….  What i see happening among adults with boredom and passing through the back door. Oh they're prepared for that as children.  Because that sort of thin engagement i think ultimately  is not going to, first of all, disciple anyone, and probably won't hold their attention into highschool and beyond.

- Paul Axton

Never Sing A Lesser Piece

"You must not sing the Haters
song," the Father-Spirit cried,
Be very careful, for I love you,
Troubador.

"Now," cried the World Hater,
"Let's do this tune at once.
I'll pipe, you sing. Think of
the thousand kingdoms that will
dance about our feet."

"No, Hater, I'll not sing your melodies,"
the Troubadour replied.

What then Singer will you sing?"

"The Ancient Star-Song of the Father-Spirit."

"Alone, without accompaniment?"

"Yes, Hater, all alone if need be."

"You need my pipe, man."

"You need my song instead."

"The music of your song is far
beyond this tiny pipe."

"Then, go! For I shall never sing
a lesser piece."

- The Singer. Calvin Miller 

Mission Is Standing Close To Evil

Hate sometimes
stands quite
close to love.

God too stands
often near to
evil-like silent
chessmen - side by side.
Only the colour
of the squares
is different."

- Calvin Miller. The singer

When You WILL Be Made To Pay

"She was breathless. She had perhaps intended to express her idea with more dignity, art and naturalness, but her speech was too hurried and crude. It was full of youthful impulsiveness, it betrayed that she was still smarting from yesterday’s insult, and that her pride craved satisfaction."

(About Katerina Ivanovna)

- Fyodor Dostoevshy -

The Brothers Karamazov