Does Sunday mean we should be in the same church building, from 10:30am to 12 noon every week??? Hmmm... we (my husband and I)have been giving this a lot of thought. I believe it is important to build relationships, to set a good example, to demonstrate self discipline and to be committed to spirituality... but does that mean the only way to do this as a family is to commune from 10:30 to 12 at our local church each Sunday?? I decided that I am open to trying a multifaceted approach to spirituality, mix it up a bit, keep it lively. So the plan is that sometimes we will attend the traditional Sunday morning service; sometimes we will attend different churches/times; sometimes we will watch and discuss television sermons; sometimes we will watch and discuss Internet sermons; and still other times we will listen to/discuss radio presentations, religious movies, and books. We will see how it goes... For today we watched/discussed a very good YouTube skit that my mother forwarded to me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXut0HxncvY ) then packed the bikes in the back of the truck and headed for a day at the beach! How better to appreciate the goodness of God than through the natural beauty of the ocean on a sunny day!
What a terrific day!
I believe that everyone must live their own life with their own values and priorities. I also believe that if a person professes to follow Christ and the teachings in His Holy Bible then the fullness of those teachings must be the first priority and basis of one's life. I don't believe that a faith that picks and chooses "pieces of scripture that suit them" is of any use to that person or is acceptable to God. (just my opinion) All through the Bible God demands the "first fruits" of His people: "to be first in their worship, first with their time, first with the means and first with their talents" and He also demands the best: "the perfect sacrifices" whatever sacrifices are needed to be totally yeilded to His will. Throughout the Bible He explains that He is a jealous God. Many people, I feel, lose out on many blessings simply because they refuse to "let go and let God". He wants to bless us, His children but He cannot when we refuse to give Him the control of our lives. Can you drive a car and keep it on the road while someone else is pulling on the steering wheel? About the church attendance; I may think of it in terms of children attending school to learn acedemics. I may let them them attend school occasionally but if they would rather stay home sometimes and just learn about earth science in the back yard, or math by counting the number of steps from the back yard to the front; then that would that be just as acceptable as an acedemic exercise in learning as attending school daily? I believe that those "at-home-learning-experiences" are very beneficial to ENHANCE the in-school learning process but are inadequate as a substitution for it. In the same way; I feel that radio and TV religious programming and enjoying God's beautiful nature are very beneficial to ENHANCE "spritual learning" but are inadequate as a substitution for it. In both cases there must be a continuity of teaching to attain effective learning! It all comes down to priorities: "Is this life all about God?" or "Is this life all about me?" If you believe the Bible, you will know that in the begining God established "a day of rest that is devoted to Him". "Christians" that believe that it is an imposition on their time to devote 2 or 3 hours on "God's day" to Him have gotten off on the wrong track and pulled the steering wheel right out of God's hands. I believe that all that we possess and all the the time that we have all belong to God and that we are His stewards. The only question that remains is; "What kind of steward am I?"
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a well thought-out comment!
ReplyDeleteI am going to invest some time and thought into your perspective tonight and respond tomorrow.
Best Wishes till Then:-)
Good Morning:-)
ReplyDeleteOk, now that I have had time to digest it all, here are my thoughts...
God first always...agreed
Consistency in spiritual beliefs, priority and conviction... agreed
One learning style fits all...
I have always been a proponent of "alternate forms of education"... the more one is able to see, feel, hear, touch, taste, write, and be a part of something...the stronger the mental "footprint".
Regarding Religious Conviction...
I do not mean to imply that one should "throw the baby out with the bath water", just change the water...maybe even the bath tub once in awhile. Bath preferences (temperature, water level, tub shape) vary with personal need...
Everyone absorbs information differently... for instance: individuals with ADHD need more sensory input than a 2hour session of sitting silently with their hands folded. I have watched these people on many, many occassions... the majority of their focus is on keeping all of thier "extra energy" in a tiny box of confinement... they learn very little at church and even though thier intentions are just, they can't wait to get out... to move around. Standard schools have the same effect on this type of person... leading to labels like, "poor student", "fidgety" & "disruptive" , which can translate into the individual feeling like an outcast... maybe even a failure among his/her peers. There are specialized learning programs that cater to individual learning styles... but the standard school/church service is in essence a "one size fits all". In an effort to minister to the non-traditional learner I have found the need to identify non-traditional ministry methods to take my loved ones by the hand, and gently guide them toward a matured spirituality.
I have struggled in learning that I really must read and thoroughly study the whole extended novel before I fully understand the cover presentation. This particular journey remains one of the hardest in my life.
You make good points. As I started with; "everyone needs to make their own choices for their life". To respectfully share thoughts and differing points of view, I belive helps us to continue growing mentally and spiritually in this life.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insight.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed our discussion:-)