Church is changing these days. The post I wrote a few weeks ago about sin has had me thinking about ways the church needs to change to better communicate its message with a new generation.
If you go to church, what changes are you excited about?
If you don’t go to church…how would the church have to change to interest you? Different service time? Different location? Different message? Different planet?
Don’t forget to check out yesterday’s post to find out how registering for the Fireside Writer’s Conference could win you a free stay at the Ellmaker House B&B. Now on to our regularly scheduled programming…
When we encounter someone in the middle of screwing up, do we accuse them, ostracize them, bring their shortcomings into the light, and make sure they understand how they’re messing everything up before consoling them? Do we start kicking around for the right sized stone to throw? Or do we stand between that person and the religious crowd, challenge the crowd with their own hypocrisy? When the crowds disperse, do we turn to that person and lovingly tell them “I’m not accusing you either – just go, and don’t miss the mark again”?
When we meet someone for the first time and somehow find out that they’ve had a rough life, been into some stuff that hurt themselves or others, do we talk to them about religion or do we talk to them about living water?
We come across someone who, after making some dumb choices, is wounded and bloody, lying in a gutter. Do we cross to the other side of the street, tell ourselves that if we help them out they won’t experience the consequences to their actions? Or do we take whatever action is necessary to restore them to health, no matter the reason for their destruction?
I throw too many stones.
I talk too much religion.
I cross to the other side of too many roads.
What do you do?
The Fireside Writer’s Conference is only 2 1/2 months away and registration is now open! I am still looking at various venues, but the final location will be somewhere in Gap, Paradise or Strasburg.
So, our first promotion is here!
The first 20 people to register will be entered in a drawing to receive a free night’s stay at the Ellmaker House in Gap, Pennsylvania. It’s a beautiful bed and breakfast, and the innkeeper, Verna Fisher, is as friendly, hospitable, and knowledgeable of the area as they come! So get your Fireside Writer’s Conference registration filled out and mailed in. You can find it HERE. By registering now, you can also take advantage of the discounted rate of $110, good for those who register before September 1st.
There’s also been a few questions about how many people will be attending. My goal is to provide an intimate gathering of artists where interaction between attendants and speakers actually happens in a spontaneous and informative way. We will probably need to cap attendance at around 100 people.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Looking forward to seeing you there!
My apologies to those folks whose comments on Thursday didn’t show up right away – I was on vacation last week, didn’t have access to the internet, and apparently my spam blocker was on high alert. So head back to Thursday’s post if you have a minute. There were some great blogs highlighted.
Last week I stayed in a cabin in the woods with 16 family members. Maile and I took turns sleeping in – on the mornings I had to get up early with Sam, he and I usually walked out into the living room, sun streaming through the large windows. It was completely quiet and peaceful. On the mornings I slept in, I usually woke up to the sound of 8 kids under the age of 8 running in frantic circles after eating grandparent-supplied bowls of Captain Crunch.
The week supplied some much needed relaxation – late morning naps followed by lunch and swim time followed by late afternoon naps and dinner, then board games long into the evening.
Mostly I was reminded that sometimes we just need to get away. I didn’t think I had time for an entire week off – lots of major (self-imposed) deadlines looming, too many projects that weren’t getting enough of my time. But I needed that week.
And the world didn’t collapse.
I think last week was also a metaphor for my daily life – I’m not taking the quiet time I need EACH DAY to get refreshed and focused. Just as taking an entire week to relax helped get this year back on track, perhaps taking 30 minutes every morning would do the same for each of my individual days.
What do you do to stay focused?
