The decline of a church - read between the lines

The obnoxious, "rebellious teenager" in me is giggling fits over this story from MSNBC about the Crystal Cathedral in Orange CA.  Fortunately, the middle-aged adult took over and read some of the comments toward the bottom of the article made by some long-time supporters of the church.

In the article, one "supporter" cancelled her monthly gift to the church as she did not like that the church had so many guest pastors.  Another long time "supporter" did not like the fact that the father and son Schuler were not working together at the church.

Really? You were giving money and lending "support" to a church only because someone named Schuler was giving a sermon there every week?  I don't suppose I should be quick to judge a church's congregation by the posted comments of two of its "supporters".  That said, when I am in church on Sunday mornings, the first thing I look forward to is entering the building.  The "building" is a mashing of three smaller office spaces and is, technically, a "storefront" church.  But with the number of years the church has been there, the place truly has a spiritual feel to it and I feel so much more connected to God just by being inside and being connected to most of the congregation.

The pastor/preacher/spiritual leader is not the church.  The people inside the building are the church.  There is no practical way for one pastor to spread the message throughout the workday; the people who hear the message are charged to pass the message along to others, even if it is just by being a presence in someone else's life.

Honestly, I would not mind if the Crystal Cathedral was taken apart pane by pane and the "church" disbanded.  Better still, let the church disband and the Cathedral building be converted to a museum as a reminder to what placing one's faith in one human ultimately leads.

All around the blogosphere for 1/31/09

So much on-line drew my attention today -- lots of things going on in the world.  I just didn't feel there was anything happening that needed my own unique take.

I will admit to watching interviews of Ted Haggard and his wife with brief appearances by one (Larry King Live) or two (Oprah) of his children upon the premiere on HBO of the documentary "The Trials of Ted Haggard".  From my point of view as a Christian and a gay man, I started by feeling angry then just sad for the whole lot of them.  Every other LGBT person I know is on an ongoing journey with their sexuality and how that is expressed.  My prayer is that Ted continues his journey, continues to choose honesty over deceit with himself and his family and realize that Christianity and being gay are not mutually exclusive.  I have for years considered my sexuality as a gift from God, separating me from most so I can be most available to be of help.

Along those lines, here's what caught my eye today:

Embracing Two Spirit Traditions:  A point of view and a group that sheds light on the gift and responsibility of being different. 

Mt. Redoubt:  Some odd things are possible in Alaska any day now.  And, no, none of it has to do with its current governor

Weekly Presidential Address:  Video with Captions plus the text of speech are available.  A good recap of goings on between Congress and the White House with a hint as to what we might see in the coming week of Presidential politics.

"And that's the word":  When I watch the Colbert Report, I spend most of my time laughing hysterically and the rest of the time shaking my head at the silliness.  Once in a while, the humor comes with a sharp bite that turns fits of laughter into more head shaking.  The clip below, one of his "The Word" segments, is case in point:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - The Audacity of Nope

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Paul McCartney Appearance

Funny Political Videos
More Funny Videos

Setting the tone for the weekend party

The movie "Twilight" looked a little too "geared toward teens" for my taste, so I have not seen it.  However, one of the songs from the soundtrack, "Full Moon" by The Black Ghosts, has started getting play on the radio.  Nice blend of the recent upswing in vocals with harmony and mellow techno-pop  (Click here for lyrics)

These women ROCK !

Just saw this article on Raw Story.  After a week full of politicians from Blagojevich to Boehner and all of their hi jinx, it was so uplifting to read and watch the stand which one Congresswoman and one homeowner are taking about the insanity of the flipping and chopping and repackaging of notes which lead to our country's economic mess.

Please play the video clip from CNN at the bottom of the Raw Story article to get the full flavor of the play that was made on the particular homeowner and how Congresswoman Kaptur is trying to address the issue which appears to be occurring more often to her constituents.

Here is the Congresswoman's web page with more information on what homeowners in her district can do to help themselves with mortgage/foreclosure issues.   Way to go !!

Arnoldbucks

Sometimes, the inspiration to post here just falls into my lap.  This one came by e-mail and, as I have a laptop computer, it's almost the same thing . .

Kudos to the Courage Campaign who is elevating the snark to new levels by sending out today a mass e-mail to supporters (thanks to the protesting of the passing of Proposition 8, I am one of those supporters) with a goofy 67 second clip with a dude trying to pass off "Arnoldbucks" as real currency to a liquor store owner, a vending machine and others.

Doesn't matter to me if the clip was staged (that's my bet) or an actual submission, the point it makes is quite valid:  If California's Legislature and Governator cannot pass a budget to make up a 40 billion dollar shortfall, the state will eventually issue IOUs instead of money   California has done this once before and I received them in 1992 as I get slightly more than minimum wage as an IHSS worker .  The banks in California accepted those and treated them as if they were real checks.  I may luck out this time around, it seems, but many who rely on state funding may want to prepare.

So, you Californians who voted for Schwarzenegger, how's the California Recovery Plan from late 2003 working out for you?