Why I Like House Church (50th POST!)

For most of you reading this, you know I really don't have a particular fondness for traditional styles of church. I have been gathering with a home-based church group for several months now and I have just fallen in love with it. I just wanted to take a little time to explain why I love it so much.

1) Eating together every week. While this may sound trivial to some, my primary love language (from Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages) is Quality Time. I rarely got to spend any quality time with people in traditional/contemporary churches. With house church, I get my fix every week, at least.

2) Input in teaching. I'll just say this: in every other single Sunday School class I have been a part of, almost nobody took my inputs/suggestions seriously, except when I was teaching (which was rarely). I'm not sure why. Yet with an open Bible study, everyone has a chance to ask questions, give input, relate to current struggles, apply to life, and so on. My input is valuable, and I get the chance to value input from others.

3) Prayer. This is the crown jewel of the house church movement as far as I'm concerned. In our group, at the end of the Bible time, we all pray for one another every week. When someone prays for you in your presence, it is the most amazing feeling in the world. When a Sunday School teacher prays for you--it feels cold and forced. When a friend prays for you who doesn't have to, it is the most affirming thing ever. I rarely got this at church (for one thing I didn't feel comfortable enough to share requests) and I get it every week at house church. Plus, I think it's in the Bible somewhere.

4) Sleeping in on Sunday. Since our group just has one long meeting per week (and not three short ones) we just have it on Sunday nights, and Sunday mornings are free---and they are AWESOME!! I really don't see why churches try to have Sunday School, AND Service, AND Discipleship Classes, AND Second Service all in one day. Who can keep track of all that? No wonder the best Christians are educated beyond their obedience---they don't have time to obey because they're spending so much time in inneffective Bible studies.
Bottom line: I feel physically refreshed from resting, and spiritually refreshed from the evening's activities with zero compromises. Win-win-win.

I know there are "traditional" churches out there that incorporate these elements into their routine and they are much better off because of it.

For me, going to church is like eating vegetables. It's something that really isn't fun, but you do it anyone because either someone makes you, or think it's good for you. House church is like finding out that there is ice cream and soda that keeps you healthier than vegetables. Only God could do something like that. It's just too bad He doesn't do that with real ice cream and soda.

Mark, Discipleship, and so forth.

I just finished plowing my way through Mark for my "quiet time" ritual, and I thought I'd share some of that, since my last few posts have been just complaints (I'm practicing for Rush Limbaugh's job!).

Clearly, one of Mark's distinctives is his emphasis on the path of discipleship. His gospel takes Jesus from baptism (the beginning of discipleship) through resurrection, and leaves the ending wide open. Another distinctive is that Jesus doesn't do a whole lot of talking, or "teaching." He lets his actions do the talking. In this sense, it's a little difficult to get to know Jesus by reading Mark. And this sense of mystery is definitely present to all the characters in the story, who basically have no idea what is going on--even up to the ladies who discover the empty tomb in 16:8.

I can totally relate to this. For most of my life, I'll admit, this whole Jesus business has been hard to figure out. I'm to the point now where I kind of resent people who appear to have all the answers, especially when they're arrogant about it.

Why is it that I've never been able to "hear" from God during a quiet time? How come my Bible study time never seems to have any relevance to what I'm going through in life? What the heck does Jesus mean in all of his last days teachings? Why is it so difficult to sustain a prayer to God? If the disciples couldn't get Jesus talking to him face to face, what on earth chance do I have when I'm just alone with my thoughts?

And I know I'm not alone in these questions, especially among seminary students.

Maybe the "personal" discipleship and contemporary methods (spiritual disciplines) are what's out of whack. You know, when there is only one verse in the New Testament that remotely supports a daily personal quiet time (or does it?), I kind of wonder if the reason my quiet times don't work is because they're not even God's pattern to begin with?????

More to come......

(spoiler alert: it takes a village to raise a Christian)

Blech

Moving is no fun!

So now the wife and me are in a new place with a little breathing room (finally!). Although, the living room is a stupid "L" shape that is impossible to design around with our furniture. Not only that, but the finished basement, while big, has narrow stairs that almost no furniture can go down, so our hands are really tied, decorationally speaking. Oh well.

I don't know if anyone can relate, but I really, REALLY hate applying for jobs. The work is so tedious and most of the time you don't even get the job.

As of a week or two ago, I've decided to officially put any church ambitions on an indefinite hold. I'm just kind of sick of pushing against God all the time. It's frustrating when every point on the compass is the wrong direction!

So here I am, clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. So, I'm just wondering if I'm completely stuck for the rest of my life in a job that I hate, living totally unfulfilled, and letting all my talent go to waste. Maybe I don't even have talent? I just want the feeling that I'm making a difference somewhere. Is that wrong?

Will there ever be a rainbow?