Wednesday, June 6, 2012

3 things

Here are three things I don't recall ever hearing a pastor say in church:

1.  I have a heart for ABC neighborhood, where a lot of needy and poverty stricken individuals and families live.  It's a part of town that needs renewal.  Therefore, my family is relocating to this neighborhood to live amongst the people there. Yes, we have children, but we believe in God's provision and protection.

2.  Driving an Escalade is wrong.  If you drive one, you should sell it or give it away quickly.  You're not only wasting money that could be spent in a myriad of better ways, you're hurting the environment.

3.  Our church is switching directions.  Not necessarily because God wants us to, but because I do.  I've decided I don't particularly want to do XYZ, so we're not going to.  Instead of lying, I'll just be honest.  Frankly, I'm in charge here, so come along with me, or find another place of worship.

Instead, I've heard {something such as} this:

1.  I have a heart for XYZ neighborhood, and I hope you will too.  Sign up today to coach a kids' team, or help clean up this neighborhood, or work in a program that will help families there.  As for my family, we live in the suburbs and our kids attend Christian school and are thankful you pay us a lot so we can live comfortably.

2.  A family recently gave a needy mom a gas card so she could afford to drive to work for a week. Yipee for them!  Or, a family loaned their Volvo to a college student to drive home for the holidays.  Aren't they lovely?  Or, isn't Chick-fil-A the absolute greatest place?*

3.  Unfortunately, our church's plan didn't work out.  But really, that's a positive thing because we feel that God is calling our congregation in a different direction.  Let me lay out "Plan B" for you..........

I try not to be a mean spirited blogger.  And honestly [really] I'm not trying to be mean in this entry.  My husband, children and I have had many church experiences.  Many of them have been difficult.  Often we've been misunderstood.  It weighs on my brain sometimes, how the Church is, more often than not, laissez faire about just about everything I deem as imperative in the New Testament:

Basically the Sermon on the Mount.


So, please accept my snarkyness.  And please know if you own an Escalade, I whole heartedly believe you need to get rid of it. 


*{for some reason Christians vivaciously promote Chick-fil-A, even though it's technically fast food, with all the other fast food downfalls such as fried food, paper products hazardous to the environment, and just think of the typical chicken farm - gross!}

5 comments:

  1. Maybe they don't say that because they don't like to make themselves out to be God's gift to the world like you do in all your spiritual phoniness?

    Maybe they don't move their kids into the ghetto because they are smarter than you are and believe God wants them to protect their children and not expose them to unnecessary danger?

    Maybe they drive whatever they want to drive because they haven't bought into the pseudo-spiritual environmental movement's nonsense?

    I could go on, but I'll just let you continue bragging about how spiritual you are and how lame all the ministers are at the many churches you've been kicked out of.

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  2. Those are some interesting assumptions, considering I don't believe you know me. Also, for the record, I've never been kicked out of a church. Thanks for your comments, though, Becca1.

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  3. I guess somehow you're missing your own hypocrisy. Everything you've said the pastor should be doing is something you are not doing either. It is all a matter of degree.

    For instance:

    1. I imagine that where you live, even if it isn't the greatest neighborhood, is a heck of a lot better than what most of the world lives in. So instead of patting yourself on the back and trying to make others feel guilty, why not move to the poorest country on earth and actually walk the walk you're proposing for others?

    2. If driving an Escalade is wrong, so is driving any car. Do you know how much of the world has no means of transportation? You pick the Escalade because it is out of your personal reach, but someone else could make the same statement you are but say "Driving a 1972 Ford is wrong."

    So what if a 3rd Worlder wrote a similar article, but instead of listing the things you criticize, listed instead your fancy neighborhood and transportation (compared to his). Do you really not see your hypocrisy? You're just part of the class warfare, blame game mentality.

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  4. One more thing. I apologize for coming across so harsh. I'm just trying to make a point.

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  5. I hear what you're saying. Yes, I completely agree with you that our family is rich compared to the majority of the world. Our family has made a choice to live where and how. We are not poor, compared to world or American standards. I would never make a blanket statement that EVERYONE needs to do what we've done.

    Really though, that wasn't why I wrote this entry. Feelings of discontent with the Church came to the surface earlier this week. Without going into specific details, I grew tired of hearing what I construe as mixed messages from a variety of voices.

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