Danger: Don't rock the boat

I have news.

So, Tim and I had in mind a courthouse wedding. A quick speaking-of-the-vows for a local magistrate, with no hoopla.

But a friend thoughtfully suggested an equally quick ceremony at our very own church, by a pastor who would be more inclined to view the sacred ceremony of matrimony as a prayerful sacrament.

Good idea.

We called up our favorite pastor, and started to plan.

But, we had to meet with the Powers within the Church, who would offer us Holy Pre-Marital counseling, albeit at an accelerated pace. Usually, they like a good four months of counsel prior to a church wedding. They said that an exception would be made for us, allowing us to complete the process after our marriage. We went in yesterday to talk to a pastor about our romance, our riveting sex life, and our previous marriages.

And today we got a call.

Unfortunately, our church can't marry us, unless we're willing to postpone our marriage for four months.

After answering all those questions about sex, they realized that they've got to turn us away, because, after all, they've got to have standards.
We've known each other for two and a half years, we're both committed Christians, We've dated for a solid year, we've done loads of research and study regarding second marriages and blended families, and we've saved sex for our wedding night. It's not as if this is a shotgun marriage; we've been planning for a year.
If we had been sleeping together, un-biblically divorced, or simply co-habitating, why then the church could marry us. Especially if we were living together with kids, then they'd be in a hurry. But, boy, do things by the Book, and...

I'm not bitter.

Not really.

Just annoyed.

I am not a real enthusiast about modern church, you know. It sure messes with people who just want to live for Jesus.
Our favorite pastor was put in a terrible position because of bureaucracy.
That should not be.
Tim and I are back to plan A.
That should not be, either.
I miss house church.

Party like it's 2009

The week ahead is planned and plotted on several charts, graphs, and college ruled sheets of loose leaf paper. I have my own schedule, including work, homeschool, bible study, dating, and my workouts. The boys have individual schedules of schoolwork and chores. There is no way I'll get it all done.
Tonight we're going to bed early.

House church is changing. What I mean by that, is that everyone quit. Apparently, once Tim and I got together, God Called everyone else away. This works well for us. We met today, and enjoyed a lively discussion. It's quite amusing to note that between the two of us we can generate quite a bunch of debate and conversation. We are kind of a bible study unto ourselves.
In truth, I think God is up to more that just giving Tim and I alone time. There's more happening, and I can hardly wait to see what comes of this.

The weekend has flown by. The week will, too. DO you think that staying so busy burns a lot of calories? I hate to be so busy. It's ok, though. SO many people have no work at all right now. I am thankful for the work I have, and thankful that the kids are old enough to be a help. It's only temporary, right?

If I am burning calories by my busyness, I might be able to smile about my schedule. Have I told you about my scale? It's wrong. Buy several pounds. I heart my scale. It says I weigh 122 pounds. I often stand on it as I begin my day. Even though I know it's wrong, it's very like having a talking mirror that says, "You are beautiful." Many years ago when I was a size 2, I weighed 125. This is how I know my scale is off. I am not currently able to fit my left wrist into a size 2. Ergo, I do not weigh 122. But, who cares?

Have you any new year's resolutions? I don't. I don't have time to resolve, much less to do.

That's what's on my mind. In case you were wondering. Which, you seem to have been doing, else you wouldn't be here.

Times, they are a changin'

I'm in the third book. Is the thing.
Someone should put the tome down and get a little exercise, or Some one's going to turn into a bowl full of Jello.
I read the first one in 24 hours, flat.
I couldn't really justify the expense of buying the second one, but the magnetic pull of the bookstore swept me in. I bought it, and consumed it within a day.
So, there I was yesterday, looking at the book at Target....book #3. It was discounted. What was I supposed to do?
I am going to pace myself on this one, though. I have become a text glutton.

You know how much I love my house church? It's about the most wonderful thing ever in the world of Christian fellowship. There's this group of people who really love the Lord, they really love good food, and they really love to be together. It's been a whole social circle, like the Christians in Acts. Meeting needs in one another's lives, and so forth.
Only, people keep leaving the group. Why are these folks not insanely committed to each other? I don't get that.
We are down to a very small group at this point, and it makes me wonder why such a treasure is so easy to walk away from.
However, I suspect that God will do something remarkable here. That's kind of what He does. Any time there's a big shift in circumstances, it makes me sit up and pay attention. See, the God I know gets tickled by taking a situation that looks unpleasant, and morphing it into a wonder of breathtaking beauty. I've seen Him do it over and over again. Whatever God is up too, I want a front-row seat. I want to be a part of His plan. I want to watch Him work.

So, maybe I should get my nose out of the vampire book, eh?

Acts of the Commune

My social calendar is full. Today is a float down the river, tomorrow is a Boise Hawks Baseball game, Friday is a bar-b-que and fireworks, and Saturday is a pool party. For a girl who doesn't get out much, I have a lot going on. "Party Girls" Soubanh calls us. He's going to be at nearly all of these events, himself, so what does that make him?
I was wondering if the early church was anything like this. This house church group is also my social circle. It's like family, in the sense that we're all in each other's lives. But it's even better because it's all people who jive well with one another.
The early church in Acts met in people's homes, and they met one another's financial needs, and they dined in each other's homes. That certainly sounds like us. It's rather a lot of closeness, as one among us recently pointed out. It's like a scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Remember all of the people, and the eating, and the getting in each other's business? It's like that. It's quite wonderful, really.
God seems to like us to live in community. Not quite communal living, but certainly relational. He wants us to be accountable to others. He wants us to be close enough to see needs in others. He wants us to have relationships wherein we've earned the right to speak truth into the lives around us. This intimacy requires investment. It requires commitment. And it requires a great deal of time.
So, that sure makes my weekend plans sound holy, huh?

Commentary

I've decided that I want to marry Joshua, from the bible.
How old would he be now? I have always preferred older men.
David would be good, too, only he has too many wives already. I'd get lost in the shuffle.

The book of Joshua is our latest group endeavor in house church. Sometimes I am tempted to think of this particular book in terms of a flannel board, but I am finding that there is a great deal which challenges me.
The fifth chapter is where I camped out this morning, reading and thinking.

The chapter opens with an invitation from God to use flint knives on adult men to preform the ceremony of circumcision. I have a hard time imagining that these guys embraced that idea. Raise your hand if you want someone wielding a flint knife down there.
Anyone?
And why would God have them thus incapacitated so near their enemies? It's another exercise in trust for them, because it's not exactly a battle-savvy move. It left them entirely vulnerable, and they had to be convinced that God was protecting them. I wonder if anyone died from the complications? I wonder if anyone refused to participate? For the moment, it seems, this is a nation united in obedience.

Next thing they do is kill a lamb, rather, lots of lambs, and celebrate the feast of Passover. God instituted this as a permanent reminder of their deliverance from Egypt. Why don't I celebrate Passover every year, then?
Who wants to raise sheep?
The nation of Israel has finally arrived at their Promised destination, and God has them play out the Passover reminder of the beginning of their journey. I'll bet this was a festival of mixed emotions. There's all the joy of arriving at the new land, but looking back had to be bittersweet. So many of their loved ones had died on the way. They must have thought of that first fateful night back in Egypt, and all the loved ones who had been spared the Judgement of the Firstborn, only to die in the 40 years of wandering.
Sobering reminder.

The next day, the manna ceased. Did you see the Veggie Tales movie where they are all excited to finally eat something new, like souffle? That was a great little film. I never get to see Veggie Tales anymore. I need to look into that.
No more manna. That had to be a shocking realization that everything had changed. I wonder how they felt about that. Life as they knew it had altered completely, and there was no turning back.

Then we come to the thing that made me want to marry Joshua. He was a formidable warrior and a godly man. Love that.
This is the only place I can think of in Scripture where someone is confronted by an angel without fear. You've got this big ol' angel dude, with his sword drawn, and Joshua marches right up to the guy.
"Are you for us, or against us?" He demands.
Once He is told that this is, in fact, the leader of God's army (interesting that Joshua likely had thought of himself in that capacity), he hits the ground in subservience. His response is immediate worship, and submission. This is a mighty warrior who understands leadership, and submission. What a heart he must have had.
I gotta get me one of those.

And so, I am finding that the book of Joshua is giving me a great deal to think about. God included these stories because He wants me to understand the historical background. He also intends that my life be altered, my faith stretched. The truths can be applied to my situation, like a salve that heals and strengthens. Funny that a flannel board story can reverberate through the ages to transform the heart and mind of a 21st century blogger.

Church

My writings of late have been less than fascinating, and for that I apologize. I am nothing, if not inconsistent. Sometimes.
How are you Internet people?
I did something today that was different and exciting. I got all dressed up, and abandoned my children at home, so that I could run off and enjoy a rare experience, for me.
I went to church.
House church is as different from institutional church as can be. Now, I don't miss house church, ever. I'd meet several times a week if the group would consent. Mostly that would start to look like communal living, and that's a bit cultish, even for our group. Come to think of it, they may like the idea of a commune, after all. But I digress....
Church is a place where everyone faces the backs of others, and they dress up. An alarming number of these people neglect to style the back of their hair, and this is a shame. No one looks at your front through the service. At house church, you can come in your PJs if you like, and everyone looks at your front. We sit in a circle and see one another's faces. It's not a good place to be if you have much to hide.
Everyone stands up when they're told to, in regular church, and they shake hands on command. I was thinking about this. I don't know these people whose hand I was shaking, and I hope they washed their hands this morning. That's like a whole germ-sharing thing. In house church, I already have these people's germs. Their kids throw up in my house, I breath their same air 'cause we get in each other's business every day, and we cook for one another. It's like we're related. I could hug 'em or share a bed, or get the Holy Kiss thing going on, and it doesn't make much difference. I so have these people's germs already.
In regular church you say, "How was your week? How are you?" And the person says, "Fine, fine. You?" In house church, friends say, "Dang, this week nearly kicked your butt, huh?" And they pour you a glass of wine.
We don't sing in house church, and maybe that's best. I love to sing, though. That is a good reason to go to a regular church from time to time. God loves singing, and so do I. We ought to figure out how to get more of that in our little group.
Teaching is different in regular church. It's like a classroom. The Guy Who Knows Stuff gives a lecture, and it's good stuff. He incorporates history, and language, and cross-references. I took notes. In house church, it's more like group therapy. Someone will talk about how a passage from the bible is making them do things in a new way, and someone else will add what they've learned. The whole thing kind of ebbs and flows like a living organism. It's not as intellectual, but it's really very applicable.
I like house church. But there's stuff I like about real church, too. It's a bit of a trade-off, either way. Just like anything.