Hey Brad, I don't know what the deal is, but I sent this message over a week ago. Wow! Kathy At 07:58 AM 1/29/2005, you wrote: >ey Brad, >One question, how long do you wait, when exploring a new church, before you >get involved? I would like to respond to your answer, whatever it is. >Kathy > > > > >At 05:57 PM 1/23/2005, you wrote: > >Approaching the harbor you are struck with awe of the external view of the > >ship you are about to board. It's girth, length, height and width are > >breath taking to consider. One wonders how this vessel can stay afloat with > >it's many floors, cargo and people. As you approach to board it along with > >hundreds of others you have no idea of what exists inside and excitement > >builds as you consider what it is like inside this enormous piece of craft. > >Slowly you make your way through the chained barricades as they wind you to > >and fro like a maze until finally you walk up the gang plank and for the > >first time see what lies inside this ship. Once you are inside and look > >around, and get a feel of what it is you find, just like a church, you are > >either aboard a party barge, slave ship, or Christ cruiser. It is difficult > >when you have researched the voyage and ship prior to boarding and then > >find later, after you have purchased your ticket and packed your bags, that > >you need to jump off at the next port because it is not the ship for you, > >the voyage is not what you had hoped. Again this is similar to churches. We > >find Party Barges who drink up the Holy Spirit like a bar fly and party on > >in a sea of lost folks totally oblivious to anything beyond their claims > >in Christ for their own wants and desires. And you have slave ships who > >also have blinders on who are so consumed with working on the inside of the > >four walls which hold it's cause, that they begin to burn out and the > >voyage becomes very labor some and with each stroke of a row, it seems the > >ship moves no where, none of the people floating lost at sea are picked up > >because the focus is on the ship, therefore no new blood comes in to spread > >the load of work, no sense of accomplishment is seen, no progress, no > >nothing but sight of endless work and no forward progress but just enough > >bustle to stay afloat. Sort of like flailing ones arms about the surface of > >the water in a disorganized manner, and for the enormous amount of energy > >spent, it is by the occasional hits upon the water treading water is > >fortunately accomplished, while breathing becomes more and more difficult > >and the arms are beginning to burn with muscle fatigue. And we also have > >Christ Cruisers who focus on Christ, the lost, set forth plans by the > >guidance of god and although much work is put into it, it is done joyfully > >and with genuine appreciation and one is energized to continue and through > >the efforts those willing to be picked from the salty sea are done so, > >brought in, washed off, and join the ranks of laborers making it easier > >yet to lift more folks out of the sea. > > > >It is indeed difficult to find balance in a church. I too am in just such > >a position. I've bought my ticket, boarded the ship and began work, and > >found out it is a slave ship and in need of checking out at the next port > >stop. I'm somewhat convicted as I despise church hopping. That is to say, > >to hop hop hop to find just the church that fits my needs, for my wants, > >the way I want things to be. After all why don't they do things the way I > >suggested or want, after all that is the best way... right? Right? I do not > >care for that attitude and yet I know that is not the motivator of my > >stepping back from music over the next month or two and eventually > >researching a new voyager. For months and months we've served with no > >vision, no plan, no idea of where we are heading. No sense of making a > >difference and lack of conviction that if we ran across someone in > >desperate need of god, that we could bring them to church and they'd > >actually be affected. In fact there is no real opportunity for them to be > >affected on this particular ship. After this decision has been made, now > >out comes the big plans for a vision, to take action, to move forward, and > >etc. The idea of removing commitment of music is so freeing, so lifting of > >a burden, I hadn't realized how much it was weighing on my shoulders. > >Either I am really missing God to be backing out at this juncture of the > >church catching a vision and goal planning, or this is the divine appointed > >time to do such to make way for a right person for the work. I've been > >through essentially two churches on the entry level of growth and getting > >feet off the ground and now this one, and have experienced as well a ship > >who is established and carries wisdom and is making a difference. I can't > >help but look for the latter as it has become too draining to continue to > >reside in the former. > > > >I don't look for the perfect church, cause I'll join and ruin it, but I do > >gauge or discern it from it's fruit as God's word says. > > > >Brad