Monthly Archive for September, 2008Page 2 of 6

You mean everyone was NAKED!!?

…this question is just another reason why I love my “girls”….the staff wives at C3 Church.

Travis, our Student Pastor (and frequent “other-hat-wearer”) wrote this post about a conversation that his bride, Sandi, had recently:

So Sandi was talking to her mom last night and the topic of church came up. What I found so interesting is that Sandi’s mom lives and always has lived is a small northern town that is steeped in tradition and the Greek Orthodox Church. So, pretty much all the churches including the protestant ones are very old, stuffy and dying.

Last night though, Sandi’s mom had mentioned that she went to a church that was actually growing and in her words; “busting at the seems.” What was so interesting is that this church is the same style and flow of C3. Now remember Sandi’s mom has always lived in little traditional towns and has grown up in churches that do church for church people. So, when she hit this new fangled church thing she about freaked out. The first thing out of her mouth was “no one came dressed for church.” To which Sandi commented back; “you mean everyone was naked?” Of course that’s not what her mom meant, but it was fun to poke at her a little. Sandi’s mom just couldn’t believe that people would actually come to church in shorts and Ts. Oh the horror! J

Anyway to make a long story short, after getting over the “naked” thing, Sandi was really able to explain in detail why that church in PA and C3 do what we do. Now Sandi’s mom is not about to head out and join a contemporary, progressive church. But, what was so cool is that by the end of their conversation Sandi’s mom “got it” and understood the importance of our style of church. Even though it’s not her style she loved the idea of churches that actually go after those, who are disenfranchised with church and God. I thought that was really cool. I also just kept thinking; if a sixty something year old, who has been indoctrinated with tradition ever since she was a girl, can “get it” then why can’t certain others (God tells us that we’re to love those far from Him) get it? I mean really, how hard is it to understand that we’re all different and not every church is for everyone. So instead of being scared of and slamming churches like C3 and the one in PA, why not just understand that we’re reaching our culture and that’s a good thing. Just interesting.

…and so goes my continuing love, respect and utter enjoyment toward the awesome women that God allows me to serve with.

The Real Staff Wives of Orange County

The Real Staff Wives of Orange County

Peace.

And I am unanimous in that!

So, maybe I’ll just type until something comes to me.

I feel words rolling around in my head, but I’m not sure what to do with them yet. This is nothing new, of course - I have a real love/hate relationship with all the words in my head…and how they “roll around”…

…they always affect me, and often make me crazy! But, this is sounding a little like the introduction to some kind of support group (”Hello, my name is Angie, and I have these words in my head…rolling around…“).

I have found that days like this may not be the best time for me to express myself. I have a tendency to make rash and sweeping statements which - on saner days - will make me cringe….

So, let me just go on record saying, “I have no comment!” I feel nothing about any mildly and/or extremely polarizing issues regarding politics, leadership, economics, socialism vs. free-enterprise, the stock market, the housing market, gas prices, who Hugh Heffner moves into his mansion…and what color her hair is,…bull vs. bear, elephant vs. donkey, race vs. gender, Calvinism vs. Arminianism, traditional vs. contemporary ………..worship wars, holy wars…and/or whether it should be legal for someone to wear their pajamas to the grocery store…..!!!!!!! …but I digress.

In summary, I am having a peaceful Thursday in which none of the aforementioned issues and/or topics will ever occupy my mind….

….or roll around.

In any form or fashion.

And I am unanimous in that!

Peace! (Wait, is that rash and sweeping….no)… Yeah, peace!!

Happy Wednesday…ode to Forrest and Jenny…

I guess because of the post I wrote yesterday (”Knowing Him Best“), I dreamed about the movie “Forrest Gump”. Let me explain:

In my dream, I could see Forrest trying to run with his braces on his legs, and I could hear Jenny yelling, “Run, Forrest, run!”.  All through the night, my mind kept flashing back to the moment when the braces fell off and Forrest began to run unfettered…like the wind.

This is what love does.  This is what a soul mate can do.  A woman can give a man the courage and strength to run - to break free of his failures and his past - to run and be strong.  And a man can give a woman the shelter she’s never known.  He can protect her from the things that haunt her…bulldozing the bad places and keeping her safe.

I don’t know why I dreamed of “Forrest Gump” - I wouldn’t have put it at the top of my list of romantic movies…

…but I guess it really is - it is a love story….

…and, you know, love wins! :-)

Have a happy Wednesday!

Keep on running!

Peace.

Knowing Him Best…

So, last week this was on mind mind.  Today I’ve been thinking about another important (as I see it) part of marriage…

As a mother, I pride myself in knowing my children.  I feel like I know them better than anyone else…maybe even better than they know themselves - especially when they’re young.  But, as they grow, I realize the day will come when there will be another who will know them like no one else:  the one they will share their life with…their soul mate.

Now, as a wife, I take the same pride in knowing my husband better than anyone else does.  It should be one of my top priorities.

There should be no one - no woman at work, friend from childhood, or even family member -  that knows him, really knows him…down deep, the way that I know him.

I need to know him - inside and out - what really makes him tick…his dreams, his fears, his strongest strengths and weakest weaknesses….

…there should be no one else who can be to him what I can be - because I know him like no one else on earth.

But, this process takes time.  It also takes a whole lot of effort and trust.  He must feel safe that he can be real with me - with no harsh criticism or fear of my using his transparency against him.  It’s hard to “know him” if I don’t put him first.

So, try something a little different tonight - we, as women, have a whole lot of words…way more than men have - let’s try to use those words to:  ask questions, listen to his answers, speak encouragingly, praise…praise…praise, and make him know that he can do and be anything he puts his mind to.

Women love to change men - we’re wired to want to do this.  But, most men don’t want to be changed - they just want to be the best they can be - and love, encouragement, and support are how they get there.

We have so much power, as women…so much influence - God has gifted us with this.  We just need to know how to use it to empower the men in our lives.

After all, if I don’t know my soul mate….who will?

Peace.