October 18, 2006
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Well, I want to/need to write something but really don’t have any certainty as to what I want to write. I have a few hundred different emotions/feelings/ideas running around inside my brain but am uncertain as to how and/or when I should release them, especially when they might be taken the wrong way by some and I’m never sure who might be reading these things (though from the comments on my last post, I’d say no one). All areas of my life seem to be having their ups and downs these days though I do want to stress that my life has been extremely blessed by God and I consider it to quite excellent.
Work continues go well for me but the uncertainty caused by unknown budget specifics (mostly due to the wars going on) always has me speculating as to whether I will continue to work at my present workplace or, once again, be sent to work in the Federal Building in Pittsburgh again. I’m not a cubicle type engineer, I’m a field engineer who thrives on going out and working with the craftsmen and that is what I hope and pray I can continue to do.
The bathroom is coming along nicely, albeit a bit slow as far as Kathy is concerned. I finished the trim and she now has to fill in the screw holes and paint everything (I don’t paint, but that’s another story). I need to finish a small area in a corner that will eventually have small baskets hanging on it in place of shelves. We’ve lived here for 16 years and this is probably one of the few projects we’ve actually seen through to completion. We built the deck a couple of years ago and for all intensive purposes it is finished but I had grandiose plans to expand it, which I have never moved on. I am not the most ambitious person in the world when it comes to looking forward to spending an hour or two a day doing extra work at home, the everyday chores such as grass cutting keep me busy enough. That’s one reason why I like to take a week or two off of work so I can enough time on a project to get it moving in the right direction. Is that clear? I came to the conclusion. Not to long ago, that we were planning to do too much at one time (kitchen, bathroom, living room, etc.) and we needed to turn our focus to one project at a time as it was all too overwhelming for me and that was one reason I wasn’t getting moving on anything. I’m not sure what our next move will be but it will probably be to restore the living room and dining room floors.
Saturday Night continues to be a huge disappointment to me as it seems to be going nowhere. There are a few dedicated attendees but their numbers continue to dwindle. It is so hard to lead worship when you look out and see a bunch of stiffs standing there looking back at you. I spent years leading worship in a “full-gospel” church where the people were so enthusiastic and thus easy to lead in worship, but this bunch seems to unconcerned as to whether we worship or not (I’m using the term “worship” in the musical sense). It is hard to lead without any feedback from those being lead. I returned to the Methodist Church because they offered the Saturday Night service as an alternative to a regular Sunday service but as time goes on, it has become just another service. I also returned dead set on not getting too involved again but got pushed into first the band and then into leading the worship. I enjoy leading worship, but not under these circumstances. The reasons for the demise of this service are many and a lot of them are speculation on my part but the bottom line is that all those who were the backbone of this service have trickled out the door over the past few years for various reasons and there have been no new people stepping up to take their place. I would hope that it wasn’t division caused by the enemy to stop what appeared to be a vital ministry but I also think that if those who had left did so because God was leading them to do so, then why didn’t He provide replacements? I haven’t felt any conviction that the service needs to come to an end, but I’ve been seriously thinking that my involvement might. I stayed too long at another church because I felt that was what God wanted me to do and I did so against the wishes of my family and I don’t feel like going through that again. I offered to take over the worship leading in December of 2004 on a temporary basis but no one else has come forth to relieve me of that duty. The church is trying to hire a worship “director” and expect them to lead worship for the Saturday Night service plus two Sunday morning services but that seems to have the prospects of burn-out written all over it.
Well (there’s that word again), that’s about as far as I want this to go for now. What’s going on at your church?
Be Blessed!
God IS Good!
Go Ahead: Say It! Believe It! Confess It!
You're Invited!!.
Comments (9)
The boys and I have begun attending a different church in the past couple of months. It's a bit smaller than the megachurch we've been part of since we landed in Colorado. But the kids are finding it much easier to fit in and that's the most important thing to me.
Thanks for stopping in, thanks for letting us know you're okay. I get the issues you are writing about here and I know that making those decisions can be harrowing. It would be so much nicer if God would leave a sticky note on our desk telling us what to do ...
our pastor and a few 10 or so people in our congregation have been battling a huge "family" that has decided that the church is theirs and it will 'not' go through the changes we're trying to push on it. the "family" thinks that tradition is the number one winner and therefore, we're going through a lot of battles concerning that.
and being a christian is 'easy'. hah
Dael,
It was good to hear from you. Somehow I missed your September blog. I was in a similar situation about 2 years ago. It seemed that my church lost its direction. The focus turned more from worship and relevent teaching to accommodating secular needs. For example the Women's Missionary Fellowship's name was changed to the Joyful Women. The forcus went from providing support to our missionaries in the form of prayer, communications such as cards, letters, e-mails, providing for ministry needs as requested by the missionaries, and sending small gifts to encourage the missionaries. It was decided that it cost too much to send a small package to a missionary in the field, but the group could afford to have a luncheion and pay $100 for a pastor's wife in another city to come and be the speaker. There were many other examples, but the outcome was a church that became more self-centered instead of Christ centered. I was going to leave, but I chickened out and stayed another year until I moved to Indiana.
I spend a lot of time looking for the right church here. It was a pretty discouraging effort. In the end I found a church where I feel I can both serve the cause of Christ and receive the spiritual nourishment that I crave. The church is the biggest church I have ever attended (about 2,000 including children on Sunday morning), but it is not a mega church (there are two of those here in the fairly small town of New Albany). I like this church because the preaching is great, the music inspires me, their are multiple ministries serving inter city Louisville, KY, and the people are not only friendly, but really try to include everyone. Right now the church, with God's powerful hand of help, is about to begin a huge project. It presently has a small Bible college on the church campus in Louisville. A piece of property across the river here in New Albany where I live has become available. It is 6 acres with a 43,000 building on it. We believe that we are being led to purchase the property and relocate the college. This would allow the college to grow in enrollment, as it is presently maxed out due to facility limitations. It would also then free up the present college space for additional rooms for Sunday school classes, etc. A second church ministry would also be opened at the new location, but the church is firmly committed to maintaining the core inner city ministry.
Well, that is my news. I will be praying for you, Dale. I can see that you are frustrated and in a hard place.
Carol
well, i am glad to see youre posting. something i have been lacking in anyway. God is pouring out revival in our church. we have had several people filled with the Holy Ghost and baptized in Jesus Name. our number one mission as the church is to reach out to the lost and dying. if the people that are so "saved" find it appealing to warm a pew then that cannot take its toll on you. Yes, we are created to worship Him, but that has to come from our hearts and you will not have to give an account for those who do not enthusiastically worship their Creator and their God. lately, i have been fighting the feeling of "burn-out" and this keeps coming to me, "Be not weary in well doing..." Not to say that it isnt God's will for you to move on or stay where you are but you just keep worshipping with your whole heart and God will reward you for that. Also, remember that where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. maybe some people don't have the liberty to worship because they are not feeling the Spirit of the Lord. (not trying to sound mean or anything) you can't help it if they do not have their spiritual feelers out.
well, i am glad to see youre posting. something i have been lacking in anyway. God is pouring out revival in our church. we have had several people filled with the Holy Ghost and baptized in Jesus Name. our number one mission as the church is to reach out to the lost and dying. if the people that are so "saved" find it appealing to warm a pew then that cannot take its toll on you. Yes, we are created to worship Him, but that has to come from our hearts and you will not have to give an account for those who do not enthusiastically worship their Creator and their God. lately, i have been fighting the feeling of "burn-out" and this keeps coming to me, "Be not weary in well doing..." Not to say that it isnt God's will for you to move on or stay where you are but you just keep worshipping with your whole heart and God will reward you for that. Also, remember that where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. maybe some people don't have the liberty to worship because they are not feeling the Spirit of the Lord. (not trying to sound mean or anything) you can't help it if they do not have their spiritual feelers out.
thanks for the comment on Slick.
Adam and I have just started attending a church about 30 minutes away but it sucks because he has to work every other weekend so we can only go to church every other sunday. But at least we've finally found a church that we both like. The pastor is awesome and he knows how to relate the Bible to real life. Most of the pastors I know just tell you what the Bible says (not that that's bad but I can read it myself). I like application and interpretation sermons. It was difficult to find a church in the area where we live. There's lots around but a lot of them are jsut about the show. I don't want to go to a church where people are Christians on sunday but you'd never know it any other day of the week. When you find a church that you feel called to I guess the best thing is to stick around.
Tessa
Hey!
Love you, Dale...I wish you felt greater joy in the journey right now. Know that we pray often for you, brother.
-mark
What's going on in our church? Well, we baptized 10 people last week; some were children with their parents. One girl thanked her grandmother for bringing her to church. I've known many of these kids since they were small. It was such a joyous occasion for me; I could see the difference God, through our little church, has made in people's lives.
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