Hot Topic Part 2

Ever wish you hadn't been privy to some information? Wished someone hadn't told you something or pointed out something obvious you hadn't noticed before. What I'm talking about is not like when someone leans over and whispers that your fly is open (and instantly you recall that you'd forgotten to zip up after your last visit to the lil' girls room, about an hour ago, and you've been moving about visiting with a room full of people with your pink polka-dot undies flashing the entire place.)Slightly embarrassing but non life threatening. What I'm talking about is more like when a stranger points out that a tire on your car is dangerously low. You kind of wish in a way they hadn't said anything, cuz it's just so much work to get down there and change it yourself. You might not even know how, so you'd have to ask for help. Ugghh. Option #1. Just keep on driving on it. It's just low, right? The rest of the vehicle still works. You can still get from point A to point B. Heck, you can still even carry a load of kids and the groceries in it. Or... Option #2.Get down on your hands and knees and use the tools you have to fix it. Ya, you'll probably get a little dirty. Might even break a nail. It'll take a bit of time (ok, for me a lot of time) but you know it's gotta be done. Why? Quite simply - safety. That and you'd be burning nearly twice as much fuel which here in this country is an issue. As in option one, you really could go on driving on a flat tire, but somewhere along the way the safety of the vehicle's passengers would be in jeopardy. After a while it would start to wreck the stuff under the hood. (Sorry, I'm not a mechanic, but I do know that something would get wrecked...)And there's always that fuel consumption issue.

So where are you going with all this Dawn? you're asking. Well here's the skinny: Last post, I blogged, rather, ranted about some of the seeming dysfunctions of our modern day church here in North America. Sorry if I'd offended. It wasn't intentional. Recently a friend passed along a book called "Mega Shift" by James Rutz that has stirred my spiritual pot. A Lot. However, prior to that, friends of ours had challenged us several years ago to really take a good look at why we do what we do as believers and followers of Christ. Basically, the input of both sources, along with the Spirit's prompting I believe, have forced Michael and I to question a few things: why we (and the church, when I speak of the church I mean the corporate gathering that happens on Sunday mornings) cling so tightly to traditions and perhaps even theology that may be flawed by our own humanness? Are we living out our faith the way God wants to thru us or have we again put Him in a program filled box where we punch in our access code and wait for entry expecting to receive unlimited blessing with a lifetime warranty. Worse still, are we teaching our kids the pat answers we were told as kids instead of really searching the scriptures with them and praying them thru it. They ask a lot of crazy questions and pat answers are easier...like leaving the tire a little flat.

Which brings me to my final point. I'm not trying to be a heretic here, and I am well aware of these "new movements" and faith fads. But why is it that so many believers I have spoken with or read about or blogged along side of, why are so many desperately searching for answers on this very same issue. The issue of WHY we do what we do. Who was it that decided that the order, position of office, the content of "church" would be the way it is? (I know it's changed over the centuries and there are lot of groups doing fantastic work.) But as a whole, it seems like we've sort of left the Holy Spirit out of it, and in doing so have also been trained to live our lives that way. Unintentionally.