Like the Michael Jackson song says...

Yes, I am ashamed to be using Michael to introduce this writing. But I couldn't think about a more interesting way to chat about, as the song goes, "If you're black or white".

One of the things I appreciate about both my churches, though probably moreso the newer one, is the willingness to have anybody and everybody come in. I think it goes pretty evenly for both churches, but since Quest is bigger, you get a broader spectrum. In my home church, I have a black man married to a caucasian and they have a little dark skinned youngin. I think he's quite cute. And I'm thrilled that nobody minds in the least. (Why some would find it offensive, I'd rather not get into. But I know there are people out there that do.)

In church on Sunday, I took up my usual chair in my new church. I sat where I always sit; the middle of the middle. Around the second or third song, up came a couple who plopped down next to me. He was Korean, she was caucasian, and none of us really seemed to care. They were both perfectly friendly and delightful, and they seem happy together. What more do I need to know?

Over in a nearby section was someone who had a distictive lesbian vibe to her, and my understanding is that there are about twelve homosexuals that attend. Okay. God loves everybody, right? Do I need to follow a stricter guideline than God's? I don't think so.

Be different. Form interesting couples. Add some flavor. I'm quite the character myself and I slap the "Christian" label on my forehead. Works just fine for me, so who am I to tell others to do otherwise?

I'm Critical of Critcism

Not so very long ago, I listened as a man addressed a group of Christians. He was responding to the concept of whether or not the world was worse off for Christianity coming into existence. Wars have been fought in God's name, religious persecution; a fair amount of misery might be blamed at the feet of Christianity, so was it really worth it?

I of course argue no. That while people's attempts may not always go as I would like, their intentions were hopefully to further God's kingdom. In my view, it is the every day little decencies we perform that lead us to a belief in Christianity, not the wars and attacks that we're a little too quick to jump to.

Well, the leader's response was to start off with, "All due respect, but" and then went on to call this specific author he had named an imbelic, uncomprehensible, dumb, moron.

... : Uh huh...

Now, I have my opinions about people. There are actions that my friends and coworkers do that simply boggle my mind. I'm not stupid, I'm not flying off the charts, I'm what I refer to as: smart enough. I'd like to think I'm smart enough not to replicate this mistake.

Look, the specifics don't really matter. It was a respectable enough fellow addressing a group of Christians. Knowing that much alone, I would argue that most would agree that different actions probably should have been taken. Singling out one author and calling them unintelligent because they think differently? That we think things through in opposing manners? That's not being stupid, that's offering up a possiblity for debate.

Bill Maher and I think very differently. But he, in so far as I can see, is no dummy. There are people that have been President in the past few decades that I think were unwise in their policies and how they executed (sometimes, literally) those policies. But having acknowledge our differences, I wouldn't go so far as to call them evil.

In my book, God is love. Insulting someone and claiming they lack intelligence seems unloving; unkind, if you will. I like to think that we, as Christians, can be better than that.

I like discord. I don't like how it frustrates me when others won't agree, but I do appreciate that we can all see things differently. It just solidifies my beliefs in my head and sorts them out that much clearer.

The Changes That Fall Brings

Yes, I know. It's been a while. (I'm actually mildly shocked that my Dad has yet to e-mail/message/Facebook me about my lack of information) What can I say, my search has settled and I've been using my free time at work to watch tv shows that I fell asleep too early to watch. Ya gotta love streaming videos (with less commercials!).

My main area of uncertainity used to be how many more churches I was going to cruise through. For the time being? The answer is zilch. Look, because the twisty road from A to B, it takes me about 40 minutes to get to Quest. If I choose to go to NSFC after that, then we're adding on another two hours. I think 4 hours of God time is a reasonable chunk out of one's morning. And that comes with certainty. I want to keep going to Quest, have time to pop in at NSFC... and adding a 3rd church? A fill in the blank visit church here and there? Uh, no. Don't have the energy. Besides, I've got my food in the door, people are friendly enough, why should I have to extend the effort to yet another church?

The real reason? I'm lazy. The other real reason? As I've argued before, if you start chatting with a cute girl and she wants to go out with you, thinks you're worth her time; ya don't go and start chatting up some other girl that same night! I'm not greedy. I've got two churches that work for me. That's fine. I might eek out here and there to explore other possibilities, but I was never much for the "because it's there!" sense of exploration. Not my thing. I'm content, I like content, content is better than where I was 2-3 months ago.

In addition, I have a new pastor to get used to. I'll admit to a small amount of concern when I started attending. First off, there's the whole introducing myself to a group of people who are complete strangers to me. But the pastor wasn't even in attendance! The main poo-bah was on sabbatical! How'm I supposed to get a feel for folks if their guy ain't around to chat with? Well, problem solved. He returned last Sunday.

Now, oddly enough, his name popped up on my Facebook on Saturday. Some of my favorite people (and solid Christians in their own right) are already friends with him. I had seen his name pop up before, but didn't realize he was pastor of -that- church. That was comforting when I put two and two together. Then I heard him speak on Sunday. He's quite relatable for me. Recovering extreme-introvert. Nerdy. Has to take breaks from e-mail/technology. And is on Facebook. (As evidenced by the fact that he friended me about two hours after I first e-mailed him. But one wonders about the sincerity of some with over fourteen hundred friends. Sheesh! Still, nice to have a well-liked pastor) ;)

Starting this next week? C-Groups. Yes, in their desire to fit in with Seattle culture around them, they took a perfectly good word, community, and shortened it to make it cooler. (To be fair, I knew going to their church that they run the Q-Cafe... so it isn't like I went into this unknowingly) They acknowledge that it is hard to get to know people, so they have groups that meet during the week at people's homes. I signed up for two. One in Queen Anne, and one for newbies. We'll see how it all goes. (Already it's easier and cheaper than -shudder- Equally Yoked. There's a way -not- to meet people. Yikes. Topic for another time...)

Clearly I'm alive. Enjoying church(es). Trying new things. Just in my own, timid, baby-step kinda way. ;) (Bring a camera to my IMAX movies, then you'll see me non-timid)