Taking Back Sundays

As a child, I remember lazy Sundays. They were lazy because there was nothing else to do – church, home, and lots of football. It wasn’t just my family, it was everyone’s. Sunday was a day apart from the rest of the week. Nothing happened on Sunday. There was nowhere to go on Sunday. Sundays were long and luxurious.

Then things changed. I think we thought it was a good idea to repeal the Blue Laws. They were annoying. You couldn’t go to the market on Sunday. The pharmacy wasn’t open on Sunday. Monday through Saturday had gotten so busy. It seemed only practical to add another day of business to get all of it done. We wondered why were adhering to some silly old Puritanical laws anyway. Some in the state weren’t even Christian, why should they “remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”. Sunday had potential. It was an unused resource.

At first it was kind of exciting, being able to transact business on Sunday. Suddenly there was more time to get things done. You didn’t have to get everything done Monday through Saturday, because now there was Sunday. Sunday soon became just another day for many of us. Sure it was part of the weekend, but you could now fill it in with kids’ sports games, grocery shopping, picking up birthday presents. . . Down time was a thing of the past.

In that change, we began and / or amplified a much larger change. Sunday family dinners became a relic of the past. Big dinners are now relegated to holidays and the occasional birthday. Sunday services at church started to become optional. If you could fit it into your busy schedule, you might go. There were now better things to do on Sunday; chores to be done or perhaps working yourself at the market, department store, or pharmacy.

Sunday no longer was a day of respite and rejuvenation. We were now fully plugged into the 24/7 society. These days, I have even found that you can bank on Sunday (What happened to good old banker’s hours?).

I ask is 24/6 ok? Can we turn back the clock and take back Sundays? We still have some vestiges of the Blue Laws i.e. no alcohol sales and no mail on Sundays, but there is even talk of changing those. Before we do, we better think not of what we are getting (the ability to get mail on Sundays or buy beer that you forgot to get the rest of the week), but what are we losing.

Sundays are days of family, fellowship, respite. For many, it is a day of prayer. Sunday should not just be another day in our hectic lives but a day to celebrate all that we have, a day to come back together with family, a day of peace in an otherwise crazy world. And if we disserve that, so to do the people working at the pharmacy, the market, and the department store. Let’s rebuild the family by giving it time to be together. Let’s regain our sanity by giving ourselves a little vacation every week. Let’s take back Sundays – for our community, for our families, for ourselves.

Perhaps we could all reply as my friend Lisa does when clients ask to meet her on Sunday, “I’m sorry. I reserve Sundays for my family.”

Confession Time

I did not go to church today. I have not missed in quite a while and today, there really was no excuse. My stomach was bothering me, but I’m sure I could have made it through. DH and DS were camping, but DD and I could have gone. I feel guilty for the choice not to go. We used to skip all the time. We didn’t really even go to church between the time we got married and the time we had children, but now it has become a very central part of our lives. This week though, I skipped. It was a pretty selfish choice and today hasn’t seemed right since. If I could rewind, I would get my lazy but out of bed this morning and get to church on time.

How important do you think going to church is to your faith?

Incredible Church Photography

In researching the development of churches for the confirmation class I can by these beautiful pictures by Paul Wainwright:





You have to visit this photographer's site, go visit the exhibition, or buy his upcoming book or prints. His photographs reminds us how special our meeting houses are. These are only two of the many, many on his site.

UPS Brough Packages of Hope

I have gotten two deliveries this week: one, my package from Operation Christmas Child with all the materials for our church’s kickoff and two, a package from PRAY publication for my husband’s program on God & Me.

Operation Christmas Child as I mentioned on August 26th is a program run by Samaritans’ Purse that delivers the word of God with shoeboxes filled with toys for children around the world. In an effort to assist those spearheading the program at their church, Operation Christmas Child provides organizations with prayer cards, DVD’s, bulletin inserts, and more. This will help me put the program together properly for a great kickoff and continued reminders during the weeks of the collection. Our final collection day (shh! Don’t tell anyone. It is a collection day only for those that “forget” the week before. Experience has taught me well) and wrapping day, November 16th is also OCC’s Shoebox Dedication Day so I will be giving the Children’s Sermon. As I’ve been mulling over how I may do the sermon this year, I have decided that I may work with the children to create a Mad Libs type prayer - not to be funny, but to include their ideas in the final prayer. Our church is familiar with the program and knows the concept from my previous year’s presentations.

The PRAY publication box held the God & Church and God & Life student workbooks, mentor workbooks, and counselor workbooks. As part of my husband’s wood badge, he made it a goal to plan, promote, and execute a God & ME Protestant program through our church. As Boy Scouts only affects the two oldest segments, those are the segments we are going to make sure are run. If others want to include the younger two segments, we will happily assist them, but it is not absolutely necessary to run this lower section of the program. I worked on this program 4 or 5 years ago when our children were in the younger levels and was very impressed. And for those of you that know my husband’s propensity to assign me extra work, as you expect, I will be running one of the levels. Fortunately, the break will allow DS to take one level and DD to take the other. We will be promoting the Protestant version, but there are religious awards for almost every religion under the son. I’m sure as I work through teaching this program you will hear more about it.

These two boxes will certainly bring us plenty of work but also the joy that the work of the Lord can bring.

Singing to the Lord

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn— shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
Psalm 98:4-6


My husband has always complained that my church does not have a church service but that we sing too much. For me the songs are the great binding thread that runs through each service. Apparently, the woman that gave the sermon today agreed as she spoke of the importance of our church’s hymnal. Tracey spoke of the history of the hymnals in our pews. Our church has been so attached to these hymnals that we have chosen to rebind our hymnals as opposed to changing. Our congregation loves our old traditional songs.




One of the best parts of the sermon was actually a reading which she made directly from the hymnal itself. I have repeated it below for your interest:

Directions for Singing
From John Wesley's Select Hymns, 1761

I. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.

II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

III. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a single degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.

IV. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, then when you sung the songs of Satan.

V. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

VI. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can; and take care not to sing to slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.


What are your favorite hymns? Here is a site with music and words to Methodist Hymns that you might find helpful, if your recall is a little weak.

The Secret to Long Life & Happiness

People have searched high and low for the secret to long life and happiness. Ponce De Leon thought he found long life in the springs of Florida. Will Smith was Oscar nominated for his Pursuit of Happyness. But both still seem elusive to the masses until now. Apparently, the secret has been in front of us all along. The secret according to a couple of studies is religion.

In a study published in the March-April 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, a study at the University of Pittsburg found that people who attended religious services could add 1.8 to 3.1 years to their life. The study compared the affect religious attendance, exercise, and statins (a specific kind of medication) on life expectancy both in time and in cost. The study concluded that, “The real-world, practical significance of regular religious attendance is comparable to commonly recommended therapies, and rough estimates even suggest that religious attendance may be more cost-effective than statins.” It is important to note that the study does say that “there is no evidence that changing attendance causes a change in health outcomes. Furthermore, even if a patient did start attending church to get well, there are ethical, theological, and methodological problems with this instrumental approach to the associations between faith and health.” However, the study goes on to explain that if people made a life change of their own accord for non-health reasons, the authors could not asses if such a change would accrue the positive results over time.

Futhermore though, religion does not just increase your life expectancy, it makes your life happier. According to an article by Michael E. Nielsen, PhD, Religion and Happiness, “people who are involved in religion also report greater levels of happiness than do those who are not religious.” This seemed to be true universally, except for cases of mysticism and times of religious conflict. Nielsen synthesizes studies on religion and happiness reporting that the “extra” happiness may be a result of social support, firm beliefs, and religious experiences themselves.

I encourage you not to keep this information to yourself but to share it. Certainly, one should not come to faith for personal benefit. But if you come because you believe that there is benefit to religion, then perhaps as you look for the benefits, you may find the Truth. For those of you that are already reaping the benefits, albeit as a side effect of your natural behavior, isn’t this better than sit ups?

Growing Your Church or Closing It

What is the responsibility of a church? I have mentioned previously that my church closes for the month of July. We actually exchange with another church; we go there in July, they come to us in August. Along with this being a strange ritual for the continuity of worship, it is a cash flow problem for the church. In my opinion to correct both of these issues, we should not close at all.

The other day though, I was talking to another member of the church about this issue. She is actually working on an auction to help finance the upkeep of our historic church. So she certainly understands the financial issues, but her next comment led me to wonder about the spiritual side. Her solution to the summer money crunch was to close for the entire summer. I almost choked, “We’re a C-H-UR-CH!” This argument was lost on her though as she felt the non-use of the facilities would be a more cost efficient option – like the four day work week many companies are going to to save money. I personally think that this is a very slippery slope that we are already seeing the results of. Church attendance falls off as soon as spring sun shines and doesn’t really revive until the chill of October. Should we close those days too? How about during February and April vacation? Is this a business or a church?

I think of the work of Rick Warren of the Purpose Driven Church. Speaking from the top of a drive-in roof until his congregation was large enough to need a building. When building the Saddleback church, he always thought about how to develop and grow the church. I don’t think, in fact I know, having read several of his books, he would never close down for a month a year. His plan has built his church to include four campuses and a worldwide sensation. While I don’t believe that we have to do that, I think that we could learn a lot from his ministry. In doing so I think that we could better serve the congregation and would not need to worry about covering payroll either.

How does your church deal with the summer doldrums? What unique and helpful services does your church offer its congregation?

Can You outgrow your Church?

My church has been my church since as long as I can remember. I grew in the congregation and returned to marry and raise my own children within its fold. But lately there is an uncomfortable ache, like a sore tooth that draws your hand to rub your jaw, but not so strong that you call the dentist for help or take a pill to sooth it. An ache that makes me wonder if our church is the place to continue on our journey or is it a comfortable hut along the way that welcomes a weary traveler, but then tricks him into abandoning the journey altogether.

The church has a wonder minister who speaks well and a friendly congregation. The music director teaches us beautiful songs. But where is the substance? Protestants by virtue of the very first protest published by Martin Luther are full of questions. We believe in questioning the very foundations of our religion. But like Martin Luther we must also question if we are crumbling the strength of the whole structure.

The wine is not blood (actually it is not even wine). There may be books excluded from the Bible that we should consider. Jesus’ bones may have been found. The Nicene Creed is a creation of arguing men. Why must our sermons even reflect scripture? We can speak as we wish. Don’t forget to make a donation. All religions speak of truth and can lead us on The Way.

I yearn for something more. I want to converse with the power of God behind me. I want to know His book intimately. I want to understand what He requires so that I may follow in His way. I want to hear His words. I want to speak of the truth as easily as I speak my native tongue.

I don’t want to suppose or guess. I want to know The Way. On the other hand, I cannot follow blindly as men proclaim dinosaurs never existed or that we cannot dance and sing because of the interpretation of one passage. My life is open to God’s direction. My family is ready to move at His whim. We want to be used for His glory.

I think that it is time to get up from the comforts of our shelter and move onward on the path to salvation.

Where are you on your path? Have you ever settled down comfortably and then felt that it was time to grown and move on? What did you do?

Saint Teresa

I have always been fascinated by Mother Teresa. As a Congregationalist, we don’t believe in saints, but if there ever where one, I believe Mother Teresa should be she. Currently, Mother Teresa is on the track toward sainthood, but now apparently a second miracle must be ascribed to her. A second miracle? How about the millionth miracle? Her miracles are the bringing of a thousand hearts to God. Few else could match her record of conversion. Mind you, I don’t mean the people of Calcutta or the nuns of her diocese. I mean the people of the word. So rarely has a person with such good intention touched so many in the world and inspired them along their path God. Even now when her private notes are published and we hear of her own doubts, this does not weaken her case, but strengthens it. She has shown that she is us and that we can be her. What greater miracle can a mortal offer? Mother Teresa’s miracle of conversion is far more spectacular and far reaching that curing a stomach tumor or a crying statue.

As I think on this more, maybe it is right that the Catholic church does not canonize her. Their sainting a person is just an earthly symbol of an eternal truth anyway. Perhaps if we all personally see her as a saint, this is more a truth than sainthood being bestowed upon her. As for now in the Church, she is considered Beatified. She is the Blessed Mother Teresa. But for me, she will be the best example of a saint. She will not be corrupted by statutes or trivialized with prayer to locate lost items. She will be a beacon, showing us what humanity can be if it chooses. She was and continues even after her death to help us toward walking in Christ’s footsteps. She is a Sherpa, who has walked the path and can help us along our way.

picture from http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9709/mother.teresa/impact/index.html

Dear Pope Benedict, Please consider Mother Teresa’s miracle her impact on others. As this impact has lasted past her death and as she continues to inspire and move people toward Christ, this miracle should be her second miracle and therefore move her forward to be canonized as Saint Teresa.

Sincerely,
A non-Catholic but a fellow Christian, who was deeply inspired,
Dawn

Fellowship in Need of Recipes

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Fellowship is an important part of growing in faith. At our church and important component of that is Coffee Hour as I’m sure it is at many churches. For the next month, I am in charge of serving snacks for it. This is where I need your help. I need some recipe ideas. They should be easy, finger foods, quick to make and something that most people will enjoy, and also, for my pocketbook, not too expensive. Usually there are three or four items out so I welcome as many ideas as possible.

Putting on a good Coffee Hour has encouraged people to stay around after church to discuss the service and their lives. It has helped to make our church a community rather than a chore stop. It has certainly helped me to get to know others in our congregation better. It is hard to support each other in Christian ministry when you are not even sure what their first name is. You would be amazed what you can learn about people in just an hour a week.

We’ve had conversations in the church that putting on too much may seem overwhelming to some people and therefore it is difficult to get people to sign up, but from my perspective having only coffee greatly reduces the number of people that come and the time that they spend. So for now, I will continue to put on welcoming spread. With your help, hopefully it will be the best yet.

What recipe ideas do you have? What other activities does your church have for fellowship?

Children at Church

Today was our last Sunday to switch churches. Fortunately, it was a bit cooler out. Unfortunately, the devil wasn’t whispering this week, he was sitting behind us playing with toys on the seat of the pew. Despite their mother’s continued requests to be quiet and behave, the children were unruly. When the mother threatened to leave the church, the child was thrilled, “Then let’s go.” Of course the mother did not follow through on the threat and I don’t think I or my family got the full substance of the sermon. I felt for this mother, but I also really wanted to hear the sermon.

Some hints for trying to keep control of your children during the church service:

o Bring food – small bits of cheerios or goldfish that they can eat slowly (Please just be careful to clean up after yourself)
o Bring books or coloring books – some churches like ours have a child’s bulletin that can keep the children busy during service
o Layout expectations - perhaps in the beginning a reward for good behavior may even be helpful
o Bring a stuffed animal or some other quiet toy for them to play with – hot wheels are not the best choice, especially if you sit in the balcony. I tell you this from first hand experience. Don’t ever let them put a toy or book on the balcony railing. Thank goodness our church is laid out so that the isle runs below the railing and not the seats.
o Involve the child in the service – have them stand and sit as required. Help them find the proper pages in the hymnal.
o Sit close enough that they can easily see the minister and know that he / she can see them too.
o Don’t be afraid to leave- Unfortunately, kids can have a bad day. If a warning does not keep them in control, don’t be afraid to remove them. If they calm down, perhaps you can sneak back into the service. If not, there is always next week.
o Keep trying - Reverence takes time to develop.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

Husband and Wife in Faith?? Will he even come?

”Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

“. . . the father to the children shall make known thy truth.” Isaiah 38:19

“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.” Proverbs 1:8

I had not thought of raising children and church myself, let alone discuss it with my husband, of course that is, until it was an issue. I knew my husband was not a church goer when we met. I knew he was an altar boy as a child, but only by parental force. I never thought about how this would affect us as parents or as partners. But I will tell you, when your four year old asks you, “Why doesn’t Daddy go to church?” or claims exemption from having to go because “Daddy doesn’t go”, it quickly becomes an issue.

I started with asking, progressed with pleading, and finally just reached frustrated acceptance. Every week the kids and I would get up, get dressed, and head to church. I was convinced that others in the church thought that I was a single mom. I even began referring to myself as a church widow.

As the kids got older and became more involved, he was seen at occasional junior choir performances or perhaps the Christmas Pageant. Then as I got involved, sometimes he would help at a Pancake Breakfast or other event. The congregation loved his help but knew that as soon as he was done helping, he would be gone.

As the kids grew and learned, they became concerned that Daddy was missing out. They noticed that other families sat together. They recognized my church widowhood and felt orphaned themselves. No matter what we said, it did not seem to make an impression. In fact, it sometimes drew angry responses. I had to ask the kids to let it go, but I did remind them, especially my son, to remember this so that they would be different as parents themselves.
We did convince him to join us on a mission trip to Kentucky. We went for fellowship and missionary work. He went to work, work. He happily swung his hammer. He worked through our day off and used his spare time to do his regular work on his computer. He would even try to skip our evening prayers.

Then God sent an angel. Not a white robed or feathered cherub, but a man. A man that was not afraid to express his surety in God’s presence; A man that became a friend to my husband through scouts; A man who welcomed us into his family and openly shared God plan. The man, Bart, often would say his peace and then apologize for pushing his beliefs onto us. I think he was afraid of offending us, but something about the way he shared opened my husband’s ears. After 15 years of begging and pleading, my husband announced that he was going to come to church with us. I think I actually held my breath – afraid that if I jolted the moment, he would change his mind, but he didn’t. He came to church. He stayed after for coffee hour. He discussed the sermon. Next week was no different. He came again and again. People at church actually started commenting about his attendance. Kids that had gone to Kentucky with us actually commented about his attendance to the minister. They were inspired that such a man’s man could swing a hammer and be a part of the church. I no longer had to cajole him. He was now the first one ready and often pushing us out the door.

Our church has a strange tradition of “closing” for the summer. Technically we just exchange with another church. We go to another church in July and the other church joins us in August, but truthfully most people stop attending when school gets out and don’t come back until after Labor Day. When the first summer came after my husband started coming, I thought that my dream had ended, but the angel interceded again. The idea of “ending” church was foreign to his family and he refused to embrace it. So we all kept going and completed the summer swap.
And then I knew the seed had found fertile ground when he had to plan a “ticket” (a planned program based around a core idea that develops the self and advances Scouting in some way) for his Boy Scout WoodBadge. He called me from the weekend retreat with his plan. Tears streamed down my face as he explained his plan to increase his understanding of Protestantism and to bring his belief in God to Scouting. At that moment as I listened to my husband describe his ticket, God reminded me that things don’t happen in my time but in His and that truly miracles still happen.

Since then, my husband has attended a Bible study course, encouraged us to serve coffee hour for the congregation, and looks for ways for us to help at the church. He requested an audio version of the Bible that he could listen to on his commute to work. He even goes to church on weeks that I may be unable to and comes home early from camping to make sure that he and my son make it to services. I no longer have to fret about the message that my son is receiving from his father, because my son has seen the blessing of a father leading his family in faith.