Person in Random TV show:
You are not the first person to go through this.
Me:
But this is the first time I am going through it.
LHT
What are the biggest mistakes people make when visiting your country?
While I am not sure people make this mistake often, one of the weirdest things about “my country” is left hand traffic. Visitors from other countries often go to the wrong door on the car when they first arrive. And sometimes freak out in traffice.
winter
What is your favorite season of year? Why?
Winter, of course. I do not like the heat – it not only drains me but really emotionally brings me down. So I like the cold!
sharing with you
In the past there were people in my life with whom I would have shared the following.But they are no longer in my life so I am sharing it with the blogosphere:
I think I knew the individual honoured. I am sure I personally know the struggle within that community. So I am sharing it with you.
wish
What’s a song that always puts you in a good mood?
Maybe the song that has stuck with me the longest is Pink Floyd’s Wish you were here!? It is my first album on cassette. It reminds me of many people who have been part of my life, Good mood? Maybe a sense of connection!?
Running over the same old ground, what have we found?
The same old fears, wish you were here
ablution – when?
When all have communicated, the Minister shall return to the Lord’s Table, and reverently place upon it what remaineth of the consecrated Elements, covering the same with a fair linen cloth.
I wish
What’s a fear you’ve overcome — and how did you do it?
I am not sure I have ever overcome a fear. I have learned to hide the fear from the outside world. I have learned to pretend I do not fear something or someone. But it is only on the outside. On the inside there is always fear and anxiety,
without the church
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and counseled and assisted by the knight just mentioned, he moved to another village of his called Haselbury, some thirty miles east of Exeter. There in a cell abutting on the church, which had been empty for some time, and without the usual induction by the bishop and no solemn blessing, but only the inward authority of the Holy Spirit, he buried himself with Christ, shortly to be transformed with him in a sort of resurrection glory: in newness of life, in cheerfulness of spirit, in the power of signs, in the grace of prophecy.
The Life of Wulfric of Haselbury, Anchorite.
Wikipedia: Wulfric of Haselbury
Article: Saint Wulfric of Haselbury
why I no longer go to church!
Others, though, experienced genuine pain that led them to lose hope in the institution of the church or the Christian faith altogether. The list of these points of trauma and frustration is long, but it includes spiritual and physical abuse in the church, hypocrisy among church members and leaders, sexual ethics, political syncretism, political disagreement, suffering, racism, bigotry, and a perceived lack of relevance or real answers to the world’s problems. Some in this group are victims of pastoral malpractice, and some are victims of the draw of the world and the flesh. We call this group the dechurched casualties.
The Great DeChurching, 57
The Great DeChurching is filled with interesting statistics and insights. And, yes, the above does describe me to some degree. But I think the above misses a group of people who are dechurched: those who separate themselves from the institution as a theological conviction.
Jesus alone means Jesus alone. Not Jesus PLUS institutional attendance and commitment. There are institutions full of people who are completely committed to a good cause but that does not mean the institution, or the leadership, is good. And, for me, the jump from people gathering in Jesus’ name and claiming to be the “Body of Christ” is too much.
For me, the confusion of sanctification with justification is part of the very foundation of the institution – the institution needs something to justify itself. So “Christendom is confused with Jesus”.
I might write more on this later. Who knows!?
let me know
What’s the best way to build self-confidence?
I have absolutely no idea. If you find out, let me know!!!!
a fool and his prayer book 