While in Germany, we got on the topic of severe overcrowding at church – a situation that can cause the pastor to get sent to the pokey if not resolved… a suggestion was made that a way to deal with overcrowding was to ask people not to come to church anymore. Seriously.

After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I got to thinking… this could be a great blog topic… so here we go: what are the “Top 10 Ways To Get Someone To Stop Coming To Church?” I’ve listed a few to get you going…

TOP 10 WAYS TO GET SOMEONE TO STOP COMING TO CHURCH
1. Foster a “Dead animal smell” in the sanctuary.
2. Put large pad-locks on every cabinet and every door.
3. Make fun of people that show up late.
4. Draw all kinds of awkward attention to visitors.
5. Lock the front door of church exactly at church starting time.
6. Make sure the nursery is filthy & that last weeks diapers remain in the garbage all week.

I’ll be waiting for one or two of your suggestions with baited breath.

One of the things that is a by-product of international travel for me is that when I get back into the Pacific Time Zone (the best zone of all I might add!) I wake up ready to go at 3… that’s great if I’ve got Petey’s job, but I don’t. I’m not much for tossing & turning either – the whole idea of ‘trying hard to relax’ kinda defeats the whole purpose of sleep in my book. So, I come downstairs & think.

Thinking is not usually hard work, but having your brain think it’s noon while its only 3 seems to cause my CPU (central processing unit) turn to jell-o, which is good if you’re Bill Cosby, but not so good otherwise. So instead of deep productive thoughts, I go random to unclog the machinery.

Thinking on school… 1 test & this semester is toast. 2 more to go for this go round.

Friendship is underrated – of all the things that I missed while in Frankfurt, friends were 2nd on the list, preceded only by #1 – my own bed.

People in Germany say they live in the West. I laughed the first time I heard it said, because they are 5500 miles way east of me & everything I consider to be in the east. Maybe its because they look to the “true east” of the orient or the russkies to be “the east” & because they’re west of those areas, they’re west. Maybe its more a culture or world view. I’ll have to ponder that. Anyway, regardless of where they live or their nationality, people in “the West” seem to struggle with many of the same issues: insecurity. fear. unforgiveness. guilt & shame. pride. lack of self-control manifesting in severe depravity. inability to prefer spouse over other relationships.

It’s interesting to me that when we “be being” transformed by the Holy Spirit, our own culture, habits, & proxemic distinctives are overwritten with a new “program” for lack of a better word. That’s why we can have more in common with a Christ-follower in a foreign land than with a blood relative. Truly knowing & being known by Christ places new DNA in us, & what was true of us before is not necessarily the case any longer.

More later…

Whew. I’m sitting at my desk trying to determine just where it is I should begin in dealing with the mountains of paper, mail, messages, & emails that await me. The best idea so far is to sneak out the window ala Indiana Jones (Holy Grail) & let it all sit for another day.

But, I just made coffee, so I’ll be enjoying a cup or ten, then systematically shoveling through… I love this.:)

The fam & I are off to Frankfurt – & would appreciate your prayers – for health, safety in travels, favor with the people & good connections for all of us.

Blessings to you & see you soon!
scoey-d

The day after thanksgiving means that there is not much to do but eat whatever grub is leftover from the feast the day before, and watch episodes from Season 1 of Stargate SG-1. We’re (ok, I’m) not really into shopping or crowds, so I have about as much desire to go find some great deals at the mall today, as I would to go play in the shark tank at Sea World wearing a halibut swimsuit. (Translation: not very much desire to shop)

I believe that my inactivity today has helped with digestion of the mass quantities of nourishment that were consumed – esp. the cheesecake that was O So Good, topped with cherries to boot. Frog-eye salad. Fruit & yogurt parfait. Stuffing with gravy. Good times.

This is my dog – yes I have a dog, & he is a lab puppy born in June, so he’s bigger than his photo shows…

His name is Moby Richard, partially after the techno master, partially after the book of a remarkable similar name written by Melville…

Why Moby Richard? Because my kids didn’t think the other would be appropriate.

Not a George Michael song. Pondering Galatians 6:7-10 – still. Asking:

At what point does the concept of “liberty” or freedom in the life of the Christ-follower merely become a license for compromise and sin? How close to the edge can I stand, still believing that somehow, someway, I’m “strong enough” to not be adversely affected by the behaviors, thought patterns, & entertainment choices I indulge in?

Is it possible that the longer I stand close to the edge, the less likely I am to be able to really tell if I’m in a spot of danger? I think this may be the case, as desensitization often results from repeated exposures (frog in the kettle, foot in the ice-bucket…)

maybe this is where the being open to another person’s insight into my life would be helpful, as what has become normal for me might be truly seen as a destructive & deadly habit, pattern, practice by someone who is not as “used to” death-(sin) defying behaviors.

How can I nurture an attitude that is open to input from others & doesn’t respond in a ‘counter-attack’ of self-justification when somebody points out my pet behavior/indulgence?

I’ve been reading in Acts 26, which details Paul’s incarceration & the many times he was called before kings and judges to give account of why he was under persecution. It got me to thinking about the following:

Trials of many kinds, for Paul, included:
Physical – shows up in beatings, suffering, grueling travel
Mental – being mocked, rejected, & despised by those closest to his heart
Spiritual – opposition of the devil, thorn in the flesh
Actual – standing trial, held in jail for years, even though no crime was committed

Still, all of it happened to point people to God, & to get the message of the good news out & about & throughout the Empire. Maybe it was easier for Paul to take because he knew it was coming – the first interaction he had with Christ was in Act 9 where he discovered how much he would suffer for the name of Jesus… maybe it was because he grasped the fact that living on purpose for Christ, regardless of the pain required to do so, was well worth it…

It seems like Paul could have avoided his imprisonment & at least some of the suffering, (Acts 21:10-14) but chose instead to go on with his God-given mission, enduring “trials of many kinds” because of the promised prize at the end of his race.

An excerpt from Kyle Lake’s last sermon read at his funeral.

“Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.
If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.

If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well.

Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own.

If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift.”