We went for coffee and ice cream (DQ not MW) last night with a friend I used to work with. Reminiscing and looking ahead. I could do that with friends on a daily basis. Old friends and new friends. Relationships are just so very special. TV is way overrated by comparison. She encouraged us to read Ecclesiastes (I half heartedly agreed), so over the next week or so, I will read and blog on what I have read. Feel free to read along with. I have not started yet. Maybe once I am done today's blog. :)
Even though I don't attend church I don't like to bash it. I do at times but I don't like to :) . There are good things happening and there are changes that need to be made. Usually it is our attitude that needs changing. There are times that things need to be said where improvements are needed. Started reading a little more in "What's so amazing about Grace", and on the first page of Chapter one he tells the story of a prostitute who is homeless, sick and looking for food for her kids. She is asked if she has ever thought about going to the church for help and she cries, "Church, why would I ever go there? I already feel terrible about myself. They'd just make me feel worse."
Truth is there are times when people go to church and come out feeling worse than when they went in. Grace is an incredible gift to have but it needs to be extended to others in order to be useful. At this point in my life, I can take or leave church, but I cannot make that decision based on the few "stupid church people". (In case you were wondering there is a website devoted to them http://www.stupidchurchpeople.com
When we read the Bible it tells us to extend grace where grace is needed, mercy where mercy is needed and so on. So why don't we? Remember I am on the same journey as some of you, just at a different parts of the road (I'm still at the fork), a narrow road and a broad one where do I go? So I don't have all these answers to most of these questions I bring up, I suppose if I did I would have written a book instead of a blog. Sometimes we just "know" what the right thing is to do or to say...yet we hesitate, and look back and say "My intentions were good here and there", or "I could shoulda woulda done that..." We all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Faith requires action. So like the old participaction commercials..."Don't just think about it, Do it, Do it, Do it!!!!
15 comments:
i know i sure need to practice extending grace. i find this hard to do with other christians because in the past and even quite recently other christians have taken advantage of the fact that i should be extending grace to them but then they have not been willing to extend grace in return. i know this does not give me an excuse not to extend grace to everyone, butthe fact is i have been left feeling "abused" for lack of a better word - i'm still in the morning brain fog. so i can only imagine how that homeless prostitue would be feeling.
how come we tend to be so could at expecting grace but so undisciplined when it comes to giving it.
amanda
When we don't deserve love, God loves us. That is grace. We can't earn it. I guess in the same way we need to extend that grace to those people "we can't stand". I can extend grace to family and friends (not really a big deal) but we are to extend grace to those people like the twins - we all know people like them.
It is sometimes easier to extend grace outside our circle and I think this is because we expect more of Christians, then again shouldn't we??? Hmmmm Good thoughts you two!!!
and sure, rub it in that you have easy, cheap access to ice cream!!! just because you can go whenever you want, and eat ice cream for less than $16/4 liters, feel free to openly tease me in your blog. Ice cream that didn't have to travel 1500nautical miles to be eaten. Ice cream that is cheaper, better, and more accessible. Just rub it in.
how is that for extending grace?
Awwwwwww, hopefully next time when you are in town. Maybe Amanda and Bob and others will join in. We could picnic/BBQ in Wascana Park then head over to Milky Way for ice cream.
Was not meant as a tease. Just stating it would be a great idea to get together. Like a small group social :)
I guess this is the best way of msn'ing :) Hope you like the new picture on the front page of my blog.
Hey everyone,
I was in Calgary during the weekend after a long week of school (alliance history and thought)so i have missed the blog. Mike i definately vote that you must keep the blog up. Your thoughts are deep and thought provoking, and the the comments do build a sense of community.
i have not yet gotten set up for the small group blog but i think that can be very effective. my co-hort group from Carey has a blog and rather than 'comment' we make our own 'post'. It is much easier to keep up than checking the 'comments' i also suggest having a private site w/o links on other pages if we are going to be to one another a small group.
Now about grace. the book you refer to is one of my all time favortie books. and i concur that people at church can be stupid - myself included. i still maintain this is not the church Christ intended and i think we need more people like all of you to come and be bearers of grace and love and all the lovely things you are, to outnumbers the 'mean' people. i think anytime there are large groups of people - school, church, cliques, sororities etc. there are going to be people who are so wrapped up in self that they function in a mean fashion.
We are called to something so much higher and more purposeful than that. we are called to be Christ's representatives to those who know nothing about Him, we are called to provide soft places to land for one another, we are called to come together to worship the lover of our souls .... the church needs you so that we can become what we are intended to be.
i leave on june 2 for BC/Carey for a 1 1/2 week long intensive ... so june 3/4 for ice cream won't work for me :(
have a wonderul evening everyone!
deb
Thanks for the input Deb. It does make some sense about a private site if we are thinking small group blog. Something for everyone to think about. I am sure there will be more opurtunities for picnics and BBQ's and ice cream this summer.
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