I’m not entirely sure why I’m a skeptic but I definitely am, especially when it comes to Church. I’m a very visually judgmental person (even though you will never notice it, and you wouldn’t think it.) and I know that is a bad thing. I also have a tendancy to think that people are what they appear to be, and I know that is wrong as well.

Although I find Church strange in the fact that the same Bible verses are referenced a million time in the span of only half my life time, it would appear there are more than a million different ways to look at something. Believe me I know what the right frame of mind can do for any sermon, and I know what the wrong frame of mind can do as well.

So as I sat there I pulled out my pins and began to draw a few doodles while listening, and as I listened I thought about a few things.

Here they are… I scribbled these down in Church as they came into my head…

Stories for us that we’ve never done or seen, but examples for us to think about. To pretend that we would give up our first born to trust God. Metaphors for life and examples, yet every time the same concepts with a new wrapper… Not always… It’s like a bag of different kinds of candy.

Will I really move mountains?
Will I really have the voice of even the Apostles?
To do what we can to break the Mold…What will we do?
I don’t like the Mold I feel like we stand in.
Is there something different coming?…different in the sense of social structure, something bad.
Is this Mold being built to make us weak?

Make no mistake, I don’t say these things because I’m new believer. I don’t say these things because I’m loosing my faith. I don’t say these things because I want an answer from you. these are rhetorical ‘?’s… But questions all the same, and when I find my answers I think things will be different.

I’m going to Church tomorrow in a small town south of Nashville. I have only been to Church a few times in the last few years. (last week was the first) This should be interesting. Brody says they play music there.

I just hope I can get past all the accents, and actually hear what people are saying.

I read a few blogs this morning and they kinda got my brain stirring.

I went over to Without Wax and something in his post got me thinking about how the majority of “Christians”, in my perspective, seem to be missing a healthy dose of “Reality”. Not sure what part is missing, but something is missing.

No more that 4 blogs later I came across one of Carlos’s posts with a banner that some people were walking around with.

Obviously these people have issues and the majority of “Christians” would agree to a point.

Here is my question…

What is it about the average “Christians” daily life that reminds them of God’s existence? What is it that reminds them of the Truth? Once you have these thoughts in mind, think about how loudly they spoke to you. Literally how loud did you hear them in your ears?

Well I’m not crazy so I didn’t hear anything. What I did notice was the subtle consistency of the “Reality” around me; “Life“. The calmness of Nature and peace of Silence.

I just wish more people would reflect a life of Christ than talk about one.

I can’t say much for myself, I’m not the best example of a good reflection, but I would rather reflect than be heard.

If who you are is reflective of what you’ve done and what you can do, than what you believe is probably being seen.

I always feel a little in the clouds when I say things like this, but I think in general as individuals we walk around thinking about life like this from time to time.

I think the difference between what is probably being seen and what is being seen, are those miniscule moments of time where you’re standing in line kicking that penny you’re looking at on the ground. Or, it’s that moment where you just can’t take it anymore and storm out of line with your arms flopping around in disgust because junior can’t get his order out. Maybe it’s just that stupid red light thats always red when there is NO ONE around. But don’t forget the time when you stopped, smelled the rose and thought, “I actually just stopped to smell the roses” and then you laughed at yourself for it.

I think if I took all those moments in life and put them in a bag, as if each one was a lego piece, I could pull them out one by one and build something that would resemble a good life that beard fruit.

I was just over at inWorship and was reading his post “Don’t Waste Your Time“. I’ve always enjoyed the 30days to live concept. Be sure to go and read.

After I read it I started to think of how much of a freak I would be acting like if I really only had 30days to live. I’d probably be running all over the place and babbling about all types of things trying to scramble to get it all done. Then I thought, 30 months would be a lot better. And the death at the end of 30 months would quick so no you’re not spending the time in the hospital or anything.

30 Months ‘hmmmm???’ 2.5yrs ‘hmmmm???’ What to do???

I’m not sure what I would really do with my last 30 days, or 30 months. I know this for sure, showing gratitude and giving thanks is never a waste. I think that is where I would start.

The Church is an odd Beast of People and their individual lives. Individuality of thought is a strength, and while being fed is nice, feeding yourself is more rewarding. Im pretty sure we can all agree on that.

I was out reading posts this morning and there were two I read that got my brain gears to turn.

1. manofdepravity (Tyler Braun)
   • What is Wrong with the Church?

     I read Tyler’s post first, which got me thinking about what I thought was wrong with the Church. I thought about a lot of different issues that came to mind, and all the reasons Church has the ability to bug me. I also thought about all the reasons for fellowship.

2. withoutwax (Pete Wilson)
• A Lump In My Throat

  Later I read Pete’s post about an influential person in his life that took a spill, and who has recently posted about mistakes.

Both of these post really got me thinking about the fact that I haven’t been connected to a Church in over 4yrs. That’s a long time I know. I don’t advise that kind of a break from the Church community with out sufficient cause. Although I must admit, I’ve gained a new perspective and found a new desire for fellowship. Perhaps it’s a prodigal son type of situation, but I don’t like to put myself in the Bible stories too much. and no I am not a new believer

Here’s what I’m thinking (pete)…We Live, We Choose, then We’re Judged. Nothing escapes the Book of Life. And, while we can hide our Choices behind the difficulties of this Life, good people do unspeakable things. I’m thinking the equality of sin is never apparent because the wave of it’s effect is measured by our approval.

If Sin was Dirt, and you wore your Sin daily, How dirty would you be. I’m pretty freaking dirty, in fact I probably leave a trail.

Have you ever felt like a Spoon that got put in with all the Forks?

Not sure why, but I always feel this way when I go to Church. It’s not that bad of a thing to feel in my opinion, but it’s there none the less. It’s not that I feel left out or treated differently, but something is just a little off.

I think that finding a place where you can fellowship with other believers is a huge part of Life. I’ve always thought that feeling like a Spoon caught with the Forks might be a good thing. Maybe us Spoons have something to offer we don’t know about.

This may sound cheesy, but perhaps us Spoons just aren’t paying attention to the reality that we don’t poke things we scoop them.

Over the last couple of months I’ve began to wonder about community. I’ve been thinking about the Church and all the people that make the body of Christ. I’ve been think about our society and our generations of today, young and old alike. What is the perception of life from an average stand point? Does the Christian Society really exist the way we perceive it? (perhaps that last line is better said, ‘the way I perceive it?)

Brody made a really good point the other day, and i had an idea. I would like to see a community come together and share its life experience.

Here’s is my Challenge.

Think of a story that you are, in some way, connected too that will uplift and build your community, then post it within the next week.

Why?

Life seems to be largely based on our perception of write and wrong, good and bad and our perception of other peoples lives. Share your story and see what happens.

Once again WordPress had gone the extra mile to set up a web platform that allows people like me to offer the common user advanced content management. What I mean is, I can more for you because they have done it for me.

I’ve been running through all types of new code and new ways of thinking. I’ve found all types of new concepts for pulling information from the WP database. In my studies i find myself thinking about future generations and what they’ll accomplish based on what we’ve accomplished. The loop of history and the cycle of life.

Things like this always bring me back to the same thought. Our comprehensive capabilities as Human beings.

If i put myself inside a box and you put yourself inside a box, then we all put our boxes in a larger box. Then we take all the larger boxes and put them in an even bigger box. It goes on and on… What makes this concept abstract is the communication between single boxes.

The expansion of God’s creation is insane and its thought like boxes that gets me thinking.

I was sitting in a room yesterday where there was about 20 people and I was looking across the room noticing the people and just looking in general, not a big deal. One of them smiled, and when that person smiled a little light bulb flickered in my head for a little while. (i was having a thought & ive had this thought before) 

Have you ever notice how sometime when people smile you can see strait into that persons kindness. Im not exactly sure how to explain it, but im sure you know what im talking about. The purity of a Good Smile. When someone else’s smile can make you smile, it feels good.

See if you notice any of those today.