Today I had the privilege of visiting two, yes two, different churches. All in one day. I know, I'm crazy. But as I said before I want to visit some churches in our area that I have heard so much about and see what makes them tick. I went to a large church first, and WOW!, they have an amazing facility. Very po-mo (post modern) in set up, screens on either side of the stage "broadcasting" the service both in the sanctuary and then to other rooms throughout the church, contemporary Christian music (I was reminded again how blessed we are to have Chad and the band!), and a very nice sermon. I left feeling like I had just attended a very nice church service.
Then, the whole family went to the next church. It is a newer church in the area and I was excited to see what they had going on. They meet in a very cool facility, had a very kick back style, and had a ton of fellowship time, which I really liked. Very friendly group, and the boys thought they had awesome snacks and want to go back next week. I commented to Adam that if I was a visitor looking for a church, I would go back (now the trick is to figure out what it was that attracted me to the service).
Now, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't be petty when I visited other churches, and try not to have the, "I think e(x)tol is awesome" chip on my shoulder, so I won't go into the little this' and thats' that bugged me. I must say I did like the second service better, more my style; the pastor shared from his heart, not just a Bible lesson, which I liked. Perhaps it's because I grew up in a church that met in a movie theater (which was cutting edge back in the day), so while I am into the "feel" and ambiance, I am not into the fancy facilities and pretty sanctuaries (not being petty, as I know that is important to some, just not MY taste).
When I was reflecting on these two experiences, and while I certainly have my preference, I think it's important to remember that different people meet God differently and being "missional", in my opinion, (help me out here junior highers, I can't totally remember what we said in The Journey a few weeks back), is telling people about Jesus in a way they understand. So some people need the fancy facilities and pretty sanctuaries because that is the language they speak and understand, and some of us like the more casual feel. Then I started thinking about the church we went to in Jamaica and their "sanctuary" (I think my chair was broken, but I was in direct line of the fan, so I didn't care) and worship service (that I still can't remember the words to that, ...burning with the Holy Ghost song" drives me crazy!), and was reminded again of how great it is that God doesn't care what our facilities look like, or if we sing hymns or contemporary Christian music, or have our heads covered with pretty scarves; what He cares about is us and the fact we're there to learn more about Him. Something I know I need to be reminded of often!
I also realize that you can't judge a church on your first visit, so I do look forward to visiting both churches again, when we get back from Maui.
If you think about it say a prayer for safe travels and fun family time. We seriously haven't spent this much uninterrupted family time together in, oh, 7 years (maybe even longer)!
I heard worship was awesome today, I'm not surprised! Adam and I both commented on the way home from church #2 how blessed we are by the many talents of our church!
~meghan
Adam is in Portland right now at the denominations annual meeting, and when he returns around 2:00 a.m. his sabbatical will officially begin. So what am I going to do while Adam is resting, repenting, trusting and being faithful? Well, besides trying to keep the boys busy so as not to kill each other, and going room by room and cleaning/organizing the house, and sunning myself on the beach in Maui (which I think may very well be my favorite part of the 8 weeks) we leave a week from today - YAY!! I too am going to do some Meghan-style studying. As I am more of a kinesthetic learner (that means hands on for you non-education majors out there), I am going to do some church hopping. My strategy will have to differ from my hopping strategy of old, which was go where the cute guys are. While we were "highly encouraged" to not go to Newport while Adam is on sabbatical, which makes us sad since we love you guys and will miss you (feel free to invite us over, though), I decided now is the time for me to visit some churches we've heard about and see what makes them tick. I will of course share my insights, but will do so without telling you what church I visited. Tomorrow I am double dipping and visiting two, what I think will be, very different churches.
But as for now, I must go and work towards achieving my first goal which is to keep the boys from killing each other. Oh the yelling emanating from downstairs, Chris can probably hear them way out in Issaquah!
~meghan
Come to E(x)tol this Sunday and enjoy confirmation! I love confirmation, and this years class is awesome! So maybe they were a bit slow on the uptake, but we've had some great discussions this year during the Journey, and I've loved hearing their presentations (I do hope Nick sings his song on Sunday...). If you're able to come this Sunday, come prepared to hear the 5 confirmands share their testimonies and how God is working in their lives; I don't know what it is about Eighth graders and their stories, but it gets me every time.
I hope you can join us, you won't be disappointed!
See you Sunday!
~meghan
**hopefully some fans will be going this Sunday, it was so warm I almost fell asleep this past Sunday - and that would have been a BAD thing
A Clean Heart! My God My Father! From Yesterday!
Click Here to download both and many more live recordings.
Some of you may remember a few months back Adam preached on Rest (not sure when exactly, I guess I should have done my research beforehand, but if you click on Sermons, you can scroll down and find it). Anyway, last Saturday was anything but restful! Adam was gone on a small group training "retreat" (all the way to the Gardner's house in Newcastle), and I had a list a mile long of things "needing" to get done. Now, I don't consider myself a popular person, but seriously, my phone rang off the hook last Saturday (that's an old expression, I think we need to come up with a new one for our iPhones and whatnot - I mean how many of us have phones that actually hang in hooks anymore); with my class's Mother's Day tea on Friday, and my friends' sick kids in the hospital my phone rang and rang and rang; and then there were all the things I "had to do" on the computer (I mean, really updating my Facebook status IS important). And you know what I noticed about Saturday, it really sucked and WOW the boys fought A LOT, and I yelled EVEN MORE! So I told the boys last Saturday night that today and every Saturday is about them. Not so much as doing whatever they want, going someplace fun, but about them in that if they needed me or wanted me to do something with them or help them I would be there, not on the phone or on the computer. I reminded the boys last night at dinner that today was going to be my no phone, no computer day, and then Thornley reminded me not once, but twice this morning, that today was the day I said I wasn't going to talk on the phone or be on the computer unless it was to play a game with them (I did however order my mom's birthday/Mother's Day gift online, which they seemed ok with). And as I was taking Thornley to his room for bed I asked him why today was so good and there was not fighting or yelling, and he said that because I wasn't on the phone, so if he needed me he could just come talk to me. Wow, I can be pretty dumb sometimes! So I guess technically the only thing resting was my vocal chords, but it was such a pleasant day and so worth the sacrifice! I think I'll try it again next Saturday!!
If you're still reading this after my ramblings, let me remind you there is no Extol tomorrow, but instead a lovely Mother's Day brunch in the gym at 10:45 (hence the reason for not having Extol). We won't be there, we'll be at the Sounders game, woo hoo! I'm excited (really, it was my idea).
Oh, and next week is Kids Choir Sunday, so again if you come to the gym at 10:45 you'll see the Kids Choir performance, but as far as I know we're good to go on May 24th!
Enjoy the sun and a (hopefully) restful day!
~meghan
**As a side note, the boys are in bed, hence the lifting of the no phone/computer ban**
I was so excited to log on this afternoon and post a blog after all those encouraging things my husband had to say about blogs today! But I heard something today that stuck out and I wanted to comment on, and no, it wasn't in the sermon (although, there were fabulous things to think on and pray about in the sermon) but this happened before the sermon, during the prayer time. I just wanted to echo the prayer of thanks for David and Dominique who provide us with the amazing artwork! Whenever a new series starts David and Dominique are in charge of the artwork that expresses the series. Rumor has it they were at church until almost midnight last night finishing their "mural". As someone who is artistically impaired, I so appreciate their creativeness and willingness to serve God thru that avenue! So a huge thanks to David and Dominique!
ALSO, if you have any questions for Adam, you can click on Soapbox and write them down, send him an email (adama@newportcov.com) or send him a text. This should be interesting!!
Have a great week!
~meghan
Psalm 22:1, 9-11
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my bellowing?
Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me feel secure on my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Studying the Psalms over the past few months in Extol has made me wonder where we get our “Evangelical Christianity” theology from. Overall, that kind of theology, the theology I am most used to, is fairly safe, uses measured and polite words and expressions, and really shouldn’t lead to raised voices or high emotions. It’s a rational theology, where any inclination to express human experience is managed by chapter and verse. Teens refer to this as Boring. Boring theology. Boring God.
What about the wild-eyed psalmist covered in ashes, shaking his fist toward heaven, spitting out slobber as he bellows out to God, crying out for vengeance, forgiveness, attention, companionship? Is this what your spiritual director does? Do you have a spiritual director? Maybe your faith is already adequately safe and carefully managed, like mine has been, and doesn’t need any directing. Boring God. Boring faith.
These verses in Psalm 22 are covered in dirt, blood, spit and bellowing. On the one hand, it speaks of this condition that we all share – from birth we are imprinted with the presence of “My God.” That’s a powerful imprint, the desperate need for a personal God, that sends us high and low, deep and shallow, trying to fill that craving. We do awful, wonderful, but always inadequate things trying to fill this craving in our lives. Christians do. Especially Christians with safe faith who won’t allow themselves to look into their souls and hear the bellowing, “My God, my God.”
On the other hand, these verses speak of another condition – God’s condition. When we are born, and God takes us into his arms and imprints on our lips the cry, “My God,” he allows himself to have the words imprinted on his own lips, “My child.” Everyone one of us has changed God forever (I know, I was taught that God can’t be changed, too -- Boring). For every time it may occur to you to cry out, “My God!” there are hundreds of times God has cried out for you, “My child!” Like the father waiting for his prodigal son to come home, and running out with complete abandon when he sees his returning son down the road. The shephard walking through the night to find his lost sheep. The woman frantically sweeping the house to find the lost coin. Theology isn’t even safe for God. Being human isn’t safe. Being God isn’t safe.
Where do we get our theology from? If we get it from God, then we have to learn how to cry out like He did: MY GOD, MY GOD!
I love Easter. Love it, love it, love it! I think maybe even more than Christmas. There is just something so amazing about Easter, no matter how many times I hear the story about what Christ did on the cross it gets me. When Adam and I were in Idaho our church did the stations of the cross for their Maundy Thursday service (not Monday/Thursday service - seriously what I thought it was called until I saw it in writing; I was so confused was it on Monday or Thursday?), and it again just brought to life what Christ did for us on the cross. Our friend Matt Nightingale (who some of you might remember from leading worship at the 9:00 service this summer) had, what sounds like, an amazing Good Friday service at his church in Houston (you can read about it on his blog www.mattnightingale.blogspot.com). When he was explaining to me what a Tenebrae Service was I couldn't help but wish we could have been there to be a part of it.
I'm excited for tomorrow; excited for the amazing music Chad and the band have been working so hard on, excited for Adam's sermon that he's been studying so much for, and just excited to see what God has in store for us as we celebrate this most wonderful time!
Hope to see you tomorrow!
~meghan
For those of you at church last week (either service, since Adam preached at both), you heard Adam's sermon on doubt and envy and how they often go hand in hand (as always, if you weren't there, click on sermons and take a listen). So here's my thing, I don't quite know what I am doubting: Adam's call to be a pastor - no, Adam's call to Newport - no, staying at Newport for all these years (I guess 7 isn't really a lot all things considered) - no. Unless it's some deep seeded thing that I wouldn't be able to put my finger on without years and years of counseling, I don't have doubt (well, about some things anyway); I do however have envy. Especially now, as people are leaving for Spring Break, planning their summers, and taking trips. Adam and I have never been to Hawaii (and chances are never will go), we've never been to the fancy/exotic resorts, never been on a cruise (ok - and honestly have no desire to, Adam gets seasick taking the boys fishing on Lake Boren), but you get the picture...
And don't get me wrong, I so appreciate my friends' generosity and my fun weekend in Palm Springs (big sigh, wish I was laying by the pool)!
But I do envy those people on fun, exotic, fancy trips.
Maybe what I'm feeling ties in more with what Adam is preaching on tomorrow, depression...
For those of you NOT on fun, exotic trips, hope we'll see you tomorrow (but you might want to stay away from me, I'm grumpy)!
~meghan
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