wow, this is great... another blog to check out and write on...i enjoy it...

just before we started to go to the church we attend now, my wife and i had decided that we were not going to settle into another rut of obligation...we didn't want to feel we had to be there in fear of judgement if we missed...our problem lies in having to get four children up, dressed, ready and then pretend to be super spiritual when we arive in the parking lot..

some of our better arguments have been on the way to church (go figure).

so, we knew that we wanted something different, something where we felt we belonged without feeling the pressure to measure up to unrealistic expectations. we needed change...

change tends to make me run the other way. i didn't want to start over again. i didn't want to be caught up in some poilitics driven group...even though i wanted something different, i didn't want change...my therapist(Jesus) and i are working on that little quirk..we went from church to church, yet never felt welcome..sure there were the smiles and hand shakes, but the feeling wasn't there..there was no genuineness in the actions shown...we had the feeling that if we never came back that no one would would ask where that odd couple with the 4 kid were..

i remember talking with a friend of mine about a church he had started a couple of years ago..the only reason we never went before was we thought that having a church service at 1pm was too rebelious.(that coming from the token punk christian 13'r family).
we went and fell in love with the very first encounter..we didn't have the argument on the way to church. we didn,t have to hurry to get there because we had to fight with one of our children to get dressed (in fact they dress themselves) not only that but we also found a community, not just a group of prople speaking some unknown dialect of christianese, but a community of like minded souls looking for a relationship with God and others...

i know , i know good for me, huh..

we don't have all the answers, but we are willing to admit that..we don't always practice what we preach, but we are striving to do so(we all need a starting point)...we do love each other and others....not in words but in action..

so for $19.95 i can send you my book,"how to be super spiritual in an spiritually deprived community" ...it will bless ya...

ok, I AM KIDDING!!! i don't know what came over me...please forgive me...

i say all this to agree that, yes we need to "shift" we need to change our perspective...we need to look at what we do and ask why we do it...like right now, i am looking at why i ramble on like this...it's genetic! mom did it, dad did it(who said opposites attract).i do it and my kids do it..

my wife does it also, but will deny it.

a side note: after church we all head downstairs to have a meal...every week..

that is where the real ministry is..

pancakes anyone?

God bless,
chuck