Saturday, July 14, 2012
Controversial Topic
Wondering if any of you out there have home churched or unchurched now or in the past. Over the past couple of years I feel my heart and desires have been changing. At this point I don't know if it is the flesh talking and my desires or if it is God talking to me to take our spiritual life on a different path. Organized religion has been a part of my life and my children's life since as early as I can remember. My husband became born again and a church attendee about 10 years into our marriage (currently our 26th year of marriage). Lately I have felt led to do something through my home for non attending church friends on another day of the week and maybe not attend our church as much as we did in the past. I feel led to reach out to individuals that for one reason or another don't feel comfortable going to church but do believe in God. Maybe younger folk that don't identify with the four walls of the church. I would like it to start off with a meal and fellowship and just learning to know people better. Am I crazy? Am I thinking the wrong things? I am 45 and have spent most of that time involved in various churches in various cities. I have sat in classes and worship services, but I feel now is the time to do something. On that same note I do help with a teen drama team that travels and performs Christian skits, and this fall I am a co-owner of a Christian fine arts cooperative (helping kids to learn their talents and perform in the community to further God's kingdom) that will start, but still feel I need to do more to make a difference. Tithing is a whole other issue. I will probably get alot of comments disagreeing with me on this, but I would what little tithing money I can give go to missionaries, etc. instead of paying for a building, etc. Does that sound wrong? Am I wrong? Recently we started supporting a missionary through Gospel for Asia and I feel led to do more. My cousin and her husband are leaving in August for Uganda as missionaries for a year. I would love to help them too, but only so much money to go around. Feedback from other Christians would really be helpful right now. Please keep it kind though. I continue to pray and ask for guidance as well as discussion with my husband. Currently his work schedule keeps him from attending church on a regular basis but that will change in the next month. Our church is small and we love them like a family and it would hurt to leave on a new adventure. Though again I come back to the fact that we are supposed to go out and make disciples of men, sometimes I don't know if I can help do that in my current situation effectively.
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2 comments:
We "unchurched" for awhile. We were discouraged at the church that we had been attending. It's also important to note that at that time, we were not attending church because we wanted to, but because we felt that we had to do it. We took a step back and time away (about the same time we began traveling) from organized church while we began learning on our own. It was an incredible time of growth for my husband and I. Now we love attending worship service and I miss the fellowship when we aren't there (note: we are at a different church than what we started in).
That's a deep question.
What does your husband say? As wives, we're blessed to have husbands who are to lead us...and even if we don't like their leading at the time, we're called to follow.
Your idea of reading out to unchurched friends in your neighborhood makes so much sense. Why travel across the world, wasting all those resources, when you have a mission field in your back yard?
Right now you're not in a position to go abroad, so bloom where you're planted, reaching out as you can and being part of your church.
And remember, your primary mission at this stage is your own family.
I hope that was encouraging. :)
Sometimes I feel the same way and ask God what I really should be doing. Sometimes the answer is to clean the floor, and sometimes it's more 'spiritual', but all of these things need doing and need someone humble enough to do them.
On to other topics, I haven’t read everything by Dickens either. He wrote a lot, and I don’t particularly enjoy reading him. There are only 24 hours in a day, I’ve discovered!
We enjoyed that version of Sense and Sensibility too.
Annie Kate
http://anniekateshomeschoolreviews.com/
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