Timely Topics That Test...

Test what -- our faith? Our flexibility? Our Openness to change? To ask ourselves hard questions about why we do what we do?

My bottom line -- it is ultimately the relationship between me and God. He sees my heart, He sees my intention, He sees my sin. Yes, we are directed to fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. And where groups of people gather, there is conflict & disagreement... and how we deal with others who disagree with us is a good litmus test of how we are faring ourselves with our fruits of the spirit. (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control)

God of the Old Testament is also God of the New Testament, and He never changes. There are things we can't imagine Him caring about, yet He was quite specific about a lot of things in the O.T. That sometimes gives me pause when I start wondering about what things are 'salvation issues' -- it is hard for me to imagine the use of instruments in worship as a salvation issue. Music being my passion and blessing and gift. Yet, if I'd grown up in any other 'denomination' I would probably have been false & arrogant and incredibly vain and un-humble. But while it is hard for me to imagine, I am finite, and cannot possibly begin to understand where God is coming from - His purpose.

I just kind of started in on my thoughts -- they stem from this website -- which I love going to and seeing what direction the winds are blowing...

Keith Lancaster's blog - comments from Dec

• Why is it okay for a woman to serve communion east and west, but not north and south?

• "In case someone missed the "east and west" meaning, I found it hilarious when someone told me "It's okay for a woman to pass the tray left or right down the pew, but not from pew to pew" (north to south); thus the smart alec question I asked..."

I love this theory...

• "My 89-year-old dad has ... a theory on this subject. He thinks God directed the position of women in worship in recognition of man's inherent nature to sit back and let women do all the work, so that as women would assume more and more responsibility the men would just keep withdrawing from that responsibility."

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We've been busy!! We're having an Open House on the 30th - I'm planning on it being an annual Event every year on the Saturday between Christmas and New Years.

I'll do more soon -- it's all been good!!