Weblog

Friday, January 04, 2008

  • the ugly journey part whatever

    Since my last post I have had quite the road. It turns out the church we were going to has a very dogmatic stance on doctrines too close to calvinism for my own comfort(there are deeper issues than just the surface doctrine). It's not that I think calvinism is total bunk but I personally think you have to cannibalize certain scriptures to make it work for you. I'm not sure I would call myself an arminian at this point either...I guess I'm still sorting out where I'm at in the whole deal. I have exhausted the internet researching the issue(you probably noticed the net has been a little sluggish lately...sorry about that). At base level though I am really not interested in belonging to a particular theological pendulum, all I really want is to return to my first love. Well I thought it better to step back from the church than be peppered with a theological agenda. I really love the people but I need to come to my own conclusions.
    Something interesting has happened though. The neighborhood we moved into after leaving the church has a couple of pastors from Texas/Oklahoma that moved here specifically to start a church in our community. I have really connected with these dudes and we'll see what happens in the area of worship leading. Oh, the offers continue to roll in from other churches to play/lead but my wife and boys need to flourish in a local body as well. There seems to be big potential in the area of real fellowship with these folks...I dig that.
    Leave me alone for awhile... I bear in my psyche the marks of a theological beating.

Friday, September 14, 2007

  • the ugly journey part 4...

    It was bound to happen sooner or later…or…the honeymoon is over.

     

     

    Ok, I’m sitting in church on Sunday enjoying the “honeymoon” period(I’m really starting to like this church) and it happens…the pastor says something that I really disagree with. It wasn’t a doctrinal disagreement necessarily but strong enough to make me flinch internally. I still like the church and will still attend(I’m not a baby, give me some credit), but now that the warm fuzzies have been violated I have to will to grow into mature love for this body…poor me.  The honeymoon analogy is probably adequate. It’s like this… you’re just married and enjoying the honeymoon. Your spouse, because of natural bodily processes, has to take care of intestinal business. Well, let’s say they leave the door open during the download and because you’re eating foods that are somewhat foreign to your system there is a more antagonistic odor than usual. Well you can kiss those warm fuzzies good bye and send them on a fast track to the land of broken dreams baby!….sorry…you get the picture. I guess I’ll start bringing a can of biblical air freshener to church.

    By the way, this has nothing to do with my wife and our honey moon. sorry dear.

    asta la vista los web geeks

     

     

     

     

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

  • the bad music

    My wife and I are having a house built. On the way to do the pre-drywall inspection we were listening to the local Christian radio station which I am not particularly fond of. The tune that was playing had a very relevant message but was very poorly written(I will not name the song or the artist). I was holding my tongue until the 3rd verse arrived at which point I erupted in laughter. Not just your normal “laugh at a joke” laughter, but the kind of laughter that happens after you’ve been holding it back for awhile…an outburst if you will. Now, I have had issues with Christian music being “sub par” to secular music(generally), but I am really trying to jettison my critical spirit, after all I am not the best writer either. It’s just that it became more and more comical as I listened, which I felt bad about because the message was so pertinent. It didn’t sit well with my wife either as she was having a bad morning and enjoying the song to boot. I guess I will load my ipod with Delirious, Crowder, Brewster and the like and let Christian radio bask in it’s below average dribble without my opinion. Good day sir!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

  • the ugly journey part 3...

    Word travels fast…

    Since “stepping down” from my worship leader gig I have had several calls from pastors and/or worship leaders wondering where I am or what I may be doing in the future. Some of the offers are tempting, but I really need to give this season it’s due. Not to mention the fact that I am really enjoying the church my family and I are attending. I am doing my best to keep a low profile though as I’m not sure it’s time to be involved yet. Besides I’m enjoying the time trying to learn Brad Paisley riffs instead of working on the plethora of worship tunes in a 1,4 5, 2/6 chord structure(there are plenty of ‘em). Above all I believe the Lord is doing a work in my heart and I don’t want to short circuit that process. God IS good….catch you on the next rant daddio.

Monday, August 13, 2007

  • the ugly journey part 2...

    Here goes another entry….

         The more time goes by the more I realize I’ve made a quality decision in taking a hiatus. I have turned my focus to “taking the plank out of my own eye” instead of making a hobby out of labeling what’s wrong with the American church. This has been more painful than I was expecting. I really had to make a concerted effort, with a conscience held captive to Christ, to release any and all bitterness, resentment and disappointment that I’ve had with church leaders and the “machine”( there was quite a bit). Some of it probably was due more to my exacting expectations than the fault of church leadership but the lines are grey. I am still in the process of working through it, but I know this has given me a good platform to build on. I really don’t want to live the life of a jaded saint…forgiveness is paramount.

     

    Later…