And on and on and on

The more things change, the more the past comes up behind you and pats ya on the back.

I went to Anacortes last weekend (and by "weekend", those that know me realize I mean "Sunday only) to take part in our little version of a Quaker mecca. We gather 'round, catch up, and remember stories of what used to be. Then we brush off what little "skills" we have and perform for each other.

Mine was not as good as I wanted it to be. There was a little Alfred Hitchcock homage which I thought was rather inspired... but as for the rest? Eh, could have been better. Our version of the Sound of Music family was of course delightful in their orchestrations. 3 different ones. A force to be reckoned with, that family.

But by going back and visiting old friends, I found someone who wants to go to my "new"er church. So from my old church I have a friend who soon becomes my new friend at my new church. Quakers don't really die off, they just come back for another round. (So long as they stay the same high-quality people, I like it just fine.)

Buckle Up, Kids

This evening, I will be off to Yelm. With 3 strangers in my car.

...to my way of thinking, that last phrase just sounds like some low-budget horror flick. (Okay, it might be a comedy, but either way, somebody's gettin' left at the side of the road in some dark wilderness area. Complete with low-laying fog and wolves. And coyotes.)

Yet, it is untrue. At least I hope so. In theory it will all be a jovial church-sponsored romp down to a retreat.

What can I say? The five minutes of greeting time at church doesn't really enable close, lifelong bonds to be established. Plus people always have somewhere to go after church. But a retreat? Yeah, you're stuck there. You paid to be stuck there. Get comfy.

There you have it. The story of an introvert trying to chat it up with some fellow Quest-ers. If it were indoors, I'd bail. This is happily not the case. I like being outdoors. I wear flannel for a reason.

Plus I get to ride a horse. Which I haven't done this millenia. That'll be nice. As for the rest of it? God only knows, right?

Quaker Catholic?

Y'know, many a time I think that Catholics must be nuts. Going to church every morning. Enduring hours long services. Marriages that feel like marathons. The baptism, the hierarchy, the rigid structure. Catholicism always struck me as the army of Christianity. Ya do what you're told, ya follow the rules, ya work hard at it, and it all comes off as a first class operation.

I don't know many Quakers that have crossed over to Catholicism (or vice versa).. My "brand" of Quaker tends to be more liberal. We can do without a message. We can be loosey-goosey and go where the spirit leads us. We're encouraged to read our bibles everyday, but we're going to be okay if you feel the need to skip church every now and then.

This is not to say that I am not drawn in by certain elements. I think a strict structure would keep me on my toes. I'd probably have a few more scriptures memorized, which wouldn't be the worst thing. Besides, if you can survive all those sermons, you'd have any troubles with ADD beaten.

Yesterday, in particular, I was struck with the idea of confession. From where I'm sitting, it is a required version of someone to talk things over with. How could that be a bad thing? They're pastors, they have to forgive ya... right? You would always have someone to talk things over with. Shoot, you'd be encouraged to.

I have friends. I have co-congregants. Still, I'm hard-pressed to think of someone (other than Mom, of course) that I talk to about God-stuff. Yes, everyone has their own walk with God and it is deeply personal. So personal that sometimes people don't want to talk about it. But ya toss that confession in the mix and you get yourself quite the little release.

Doesn't sound like a terrible idea to me. Even if I do prefer being loosey-goosey.

An Introvert. When not in church.

Howdy,

I like being by myself. I like sitting around thinking. I refuse to move to the city, instead opting to live 12 miles from my work because I don't like the hectic surroundings. I haven't had anyone over to my apartment in about a year, I don't frequent bars, and nine times out of ten I go to movies by myself. I have a fairly regular jogging buddy, but I was say about one fourth of all the laps I log are done alone. I get two to three phone calls a week and I would love a three day weekend where I didn't have to talk to anyone.

I think it is pretty safe to say that I have my introvert side. Probably a large part of why I'm eeking up on thirty and am still quite single. Still, there's one notable exception to this.

Church.

When I'm in the sound booth at my home church, I don't think it really counts. It is hard to focus on God's presence while wondering who is going to want the wireless microphone next. (Not impossible though. God's presence can be rather loud/rude/pushy.) However, upon visiting church as an attendant? Not just a sound volunteer? It's a different experience.

I enter church alone and expect to leave church alone. But in the between, I like a little pew company. (Happens to me on the bus too, but I like it the reverse. Somehow I seem to scare off people so that I'm one of the last people with an extra seat beside me. Comes in handy when my legs are crampted, but I wonder what it is.) The seats are arranged in rows of six or seven, and I plop myself down right in the middle. The LCD projector tells me too! "Slide in to make room by the aisle!" Honest!

I guess the "outsider" part of me wants to know that I'm not -that- scary and that people are okay sitting by me. The "stand and greet your neighbor part" is half awkward/half delightful to me. I don't do small talk well. I'm quite content to jump into your mom's heart attack while you're losing your job. Let me at it. But we only have a minute or two until the pastor wants to talk. So there's that...

Then there's the holding hands after church. Honestly? Unless you're in a leper colony? I think every church session should end with holding hands. Temples too. Social gatherings, the whole thing. (Come to think of it, if we're in a leper colony, they're already sick too. Go ahead, hold hands!)

I have yet to encounter slimy, sweaty hands. And you give a little squeeze at the "amen". It's good times.

Yes, I've found myself looking forward to it. So much that I was getting a little distracted when singing and just closed my eyes and let it be. I laughed to myself that I was hear for God, not for some seatwarmers who happened to be around. Yeah... focus on God. That's the ticket. When I foucs on God then I'm doing what I'm here to do. If God wants it to happen it'll... and then somebody started singing right beside me.

;)

God knows what I need. Can't always get what ya want, as they say. Still, ya trust God, and whether you get what you want or not, it all seems to work quite nicely.

Focus on God. While at church. It is the simple concepts that throw me off. Maybe if I got that tatoo I was pondering... nah.

Toodles

A-Questing goes a Quaker

Howdy!

There were numerous churches offered/suggested to me when I started this little search. (And by "little" I mean, "what in the world do I do now?") Suggestions were mentally cataloged, websites were looked up, and my first church to visit was decided upon.

I like the look of Quest's jib.

Check out that website. It's friendly, without dumbing it down. They're God-centered, but not on a high-horse. They emphasize having all sorts of people in their congregation. And, wouldn't you know it, they could use help with their sound/powerpoint. (It's true. Sometimes we'd get through a verse before the next slide was advanced. When it worked, the singing was great. Guitars, piano, a little drum, nice voices. When the slides were off? Confusing, irksome, stress-inducing for someone who's been doing it for 14 years)

The church itself is in Interbay. Right near the golf course between Ballard Bridge and Denny Way. City-located, but not city feeling. I (due to my inability to turn at the right time) was a few minutes late, but so was the service. Not sure if tbey employ greeters or not, but I found a program, found my seat, and they started soon after.

The room just felt nice. Yeah, I'm not a fan of candles, but they only had 2 or 3, so que sera, sera. There was a youthful feel to the room, but not overly trendy. (Y'know, light brown and auburn colors spread around. Offset well by stained glass here and there.)

The speaker? (Leah, that day) She was delightful. Made little side jokes here and there, but mainly impressed me with having a keen intellect. She refused to give a "quick fix" or "checklist" to make us appreciate justice better. (The sermon was on Herod of Agrippa being killed and eaten by worms for not defusing claims that he spoke as a god.) She merely stated that she was human, that sometimes she wanted bad things to happen to bad people. That we should look around and take care of others kindly and justly. If you wrong some one, make amends face to face. Be kind to homeless people and help out with hunger. (Which led into a plug for a garage sale to feed the homeless. But they're actually helping people! Plug away in that sense.)

And I'm not going to lie to you. There were youth there. It was about half youth, half elderly. Some were couples, some were alone (in both groups). And no, I didn't partake in communion. I still believe that as a Quaker I can commune with God all day long, listening to what God has to say, without the symbolism of bread and wine/grapejuice. For me? I'll pass on the symbolism in this instance. I just don't need it.

Oh, and if you look on their website? They have an outdoor ministry! They think you can experience God just by being outside and being surrounded by God's creation. !!!! I just happen to believe that very thing. ;)

Yes, Quest is recommended. Much. I shall return. The 9:15 service was sparse, but there were plenty of people my age, and a crowd was gathering at 10:20 for the 11:00 service. I was impressed all around.

Then I went straight to my church. It was a 10 minute drive away, I had 20 minutes, and I figured I'd help start my journey where the last one had ended.

It was fine. Nothing really struck a chord with me. I ran microphones (was able to fix a high-pitched squeal), ran powerpoint (well, someone had the remote. But I turned it off!), and not much happened. More of the same. And I was tired from my morning/jog/cooking/one service already. I'm not sure I recommend trying to be alert for 3-4 hours of church in a row.

But where to next week?

Toodles

-PC, visitor (a label which takes much getting used to)