All right so I think I am going to attempt to do a honest rugged Spiritual Sunday note or as I will call it a "sunday soup tip". I will do my best to not be preachy, just honest, and to use religious real words. OK? Here goes nothing ...
As I sit at my laptop in the shorts, dirty sports bra and zip up hoodie I threw on to find the missing dog, along with my unkempt filthy hair, I realize that today is actually SUNDAY. Like Christmas or Easter but an actual, normal day of the week. How things have changed. In the pre-military days I would have found myself at church. At 10:35a I would have been hustling the last of my kids from my classroom and back to their parents at our Sutherlin Family Church. Than, as the tones of the first song rang out in the halls, I would have been looking for my husband and our seats to sit and enjoy the next service with him. Chances are I would stumble into some friends for a quick "hi" and handshake through greeting time than a few shhh's from Shaun when the pastor or song leader was talking, as well as I. I would also probably sing along with the music, a little more edgy and little less hymnal style. Pastor Paul would give a message share his thoughts with the attendees and I would probably scribal down some notes and nod my head in agreement. Than we'd stand up with an Amen and head to lunch with friends.
Now I sit and blog. Walk the dog. Nap. Enjoy Netflicks. Call and harass my husband. Text some friends. And remember what it was like to have a church family and people that I would see on a weekly basis and connect with. Now many of my family and friends are my web network, from NZ, Maryland, Virginia Beach, Kansas, Roseburg, Madras, Vale and here.
The thing is, I liked church. I connected with some of the songs and enjoyed getting the tidbits of advice from the pastor and friends. I may not speak in words like "forgiveness", "redemption", "saved", "sin", "heavy burdened", "salvation" and "bow down" but that doesn't mean I don't believe in them or agree with them. I believe in God. I think there is a heaven and hell, right and wrong, ying and yang to everything. It just makes sense. I just don't want to shove it down anyone else's throat. I liked the reminder that there is love. That christianity is a faith and not a title. That the group at church was like everyone else. They have their ups and downs and that makes them no more a hypocrite than the employees at Starbucks charging $4.50 for a 30 cent non-fat, grande caramel machiatto. No one calls a member of a crochet group turned knitter or a AA member who fell off the wagon or a dog hater turned dog owner a hypocrite. But how DARE YOU say you Love God than feel a human emotion like anger, range, resentment, sorrow or hurt and EXPRESS IT. It is said that religious people fill like 60% of all stereo types. Do the people that make up the stats realize that this could be caused by the stresses of overly high expectations placed on them by the elders leaders of the church?
The thing is loving God and following any sort of organized religion is a lot more complicated than it seems. See I believe in God. I think that the basic concept in the Bible is very clear and makes sense. (I'm sure I've said this before.) We should love our neighbors as we love ourselves and love God. It really is simple. It living to turn the other cheek, do the "Pass it On" tactic and live to help others in our day to day grind. It may be as simple as picking up a piece of trash in the parking lot to make the world a cleaner place. Holding open the door as you leave a restaurant for the patrons leaving behind you. Mow your neighbors lawn as well as your own. Not freaking out if someone cuts in front of you in line for that much needed Cinnamon dolce Latte. Realizing that though the McD's employee might be a complete idiot, he's prone to bad days like everyone else. Taking a stupid and very ignorant comment from a friend with a grain of salt and letting it go, because we're all human and make mistakes. Other times it's more complicated like volunteering your free services, donating some money to a good cause or changing your occupation to a lesser income because it is an asset to society and the world is so much more than fancy toys and diamond rings. Sure, you may like that 2007 Escalade with fancy spinners that tows your mega-jet boat parked in front of your $300-500K house, but did you realize countries of people dying and starving in many countries like our own? It IS your responsibility. It is EVERYONE'S responsibility. Is it such a bad thing to be happy living in a compact 900 sq foot house that meets our needs and driving a more economical and fuel friendly vehicle? I may recycle clothing by shopping at thrift stores but it isn't the style that makes the girl, it's the personality and heart. I may be sarcastic, cynical and a little snide but if I've wronged you in a big way I should suck it up and apologize. That doesn't mean we may remain the best of friends but at least it'll show that no one is perfect and I've acknowledged my stupidity. The poor as well as the rich should be giving of their time, money and energy.
I think that church's can very much over-complicate things. Instead of doing sermons on the basics, like how to better demonstrate love and assistance they tend to complicate the where-fors and how-tos. It starts becoming super structured and overly analytical. They create by-laws to back up by-laws and recommendations like no tattoos or body piercings for teachers trying to help teach their kids how to love. If the public school system doesn't demand it that why more so a religious environment? It's one thing to not expect your teachers to educate the children on sex ed based on their clothing style it's another to explain that tattoos aren't signs of the devil affect your ticket to heaven. When that was written in the Bible in the first place it was out of the context that they didn't know how to sanitize things and the tattoos/piercings were either (a) a sign of Devil Worship or (b) very dangerous to your health. It this generation that isn't the issue. (Unless you are a Devil Worshiper but I am not EVEN going down that road right now.)
The thing is if God is Love than why aren't churches focused on the basics, like greeting their guests and outreaching to involve themselves in the communities around them? Serve soup. Donate money and time to helping build safer youth environments. Help set up homeless shelters for the homeless. Become a part of Red Cross and assist those in emergency environments. Adopt a highway and teach your kids to be responsible for more than making their bed and feeding the dog. Greet and welcome the people attending your church so they can feel like church isn't a Big Scary Place or you are full of Arrogant Snobs. For being an outgoing and gregarious position, even in strange religious environments, nothing puts me off more than attending a church for months and not getting more than a perceptible head nod from a few around you. Why is it that I got more attention from my co-workers and strangers the first three days on the NewJob than at the first 2 months attending NewChurch? Why is it that strangers welcome you and want you feel like home while doing a job and helping a company succeed yet when you attend a church, which is in essence to do that same thing, they alienate you and don't like to give you the time of day? Aren't you attending to become a member and further a cause and promote that church/company? Than why do we feel more uncomfortable than being the new kid at school! To be a better church think like a company and family and stop thinking in the box. You cripple yourself.
That being sad I leave you with this: If you believe in God or love or are even human I challenge you to try out the Pass It On technique this week. I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said before. If someone drops something in front of you, pick it up. If you know your husband's neighbor is out of town, ask if they need some help with something. Resist the urge to pummel the ignorant cell-phone talking driver impeding the flow of rush hour traffic in front of you. Smile at someone instead of growling when they hand you another piece of paper to do at your desk. Do ONE thing. Even the most cynical, smart ass of us can be a little nicer to somebody.
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By the way this was NOT what I was referring too: