April 15, 2011

• {Guest Rant} & Fabulous Friday Give-A-Way

  It certainly is another Fabulous Friday!  Aren’t they always? Other than that we have had a serious drop in temperature and it is now cold and windy and possibly supposed to snow an inch or so tomorrow.  One the very day we are having friends over for a “cookout and campfire.”  Yup, might not be doing the campfire thing, but I think we will still grill.

   

  I had this rant sent to me and wanted to post it today. Please leave her lots of comments.  She’ll get good advice and you guys will have a chance to win a book this week!

  Thanks!

   

  CONSERVATIVE CONUNDRUM

  Our family finds itself in a unique spot:  since we recently moved, we are in search of a new church.  Surely, though, we are not the only ones who have ever been in this place and those of you with experience can toss some wisdom my way!  This church-searching is both exciting and exhausting.  Having no support, encouragement, and church family is tiring and lonesome, but being given the opportunity to pick a new set of friends and church standards brings excitement.

   Some of the time.

  I don’t know about you, but to me a perfect church would be one that is both contemporary and conservative.  Yeah, I know, that’s a good joke, right?  Seriously, though, without defining specifics, that looks like a church that holds to Biblical truths (ie: marriage is bet/ one man and woman for life), yet is less formal in worship and in interaction.  Why does that seem to be such an oxymoron?

  The problem I have in choosing amongst the variety of churches is this- what do I do with those churches that have standards that draw the line at a more extreme place than my husband and I understand Scripture to say?  For example, I understand the principle in Scripture is that women are to have long hair.  That does not mean hair that has never been cut, it just means hair that is long.  Or that the passage in I Peter 3 and those like it that refer to jewelry do not mean that none should ever be worn AT ALL, it means it should not be the defining factor of your outfit.  Now, churches that have standards along those lines are not wrong, in fact they have many valuable and inviting qualities, but their standards are extra-biblical. 

  Yes, I know there is value in obeying those in authority over us even if we don’t agree completely with them.  What I wonder, though, is why should our family deliberately choose someone to be in authority over us that we don’t agree with, if we have an option to choose another that may be closer aligned?  Do you get me?  And how would I ever teach my children to do such and such if I don’t honestly believe it myself?  To me, that’s just plain fake.  And there’s nothing that will turn our children away from the Truth more than not being real. 

  And, furthermore, those of you that have become less conservative- how do go up against the mentality that the conservative way is the right way and everyone else is wrong?  (At least those are the words I’ve given to the way of thinking I often see in those circles.)  Especially if you have family that doesn’t think the same ways you do? 

  Maybe this is too many questions at once!  Oh, and neither am I ignoring the fact that, although this post is predominantly about conservative issues, there are plenty that abound on the other side of the coin as well.  I am just not going to take the time or the space to write about them right now.  If you want to include some of those issues to be considered in the comments, that would be fine by me.

   

   

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  Once again, I will pick one lucky, random winner from the commenters on my blog today and I will send you the book of your choice from the list below, plus a little something extra.  Good Luck!

   

  Inspirations for a Mother’s Soul (Mostly verses by category…New Living Translation)
  Standing on the Promises – Susan Wales (Taken by a previous winner)
  Too Much of a Good Thing – Dan Kindlon
  7 Secrets of Successful Families – Jimmy Evans
  A Hand to Guide Me – Denzel Washington
  The Yada Yada Prayer Group – Neta Jackson
  Even God Rested – Kim Thomas
  The Heart of a Woman – Maya Angelou
  Meditations on Proverbs for Couples – Les and Leslie Parrott
  Esther…A Story of Courage – Trudy J. Morgan-Cole (Taken by a previous winner)
  The Wedding – Nicholas Sparks
  Putting Family First – William Doherty and Barbara Carlson
  From Baghdad, With Love – Colonel Jay Kopelman
  The Complete Household Organizer from Good Housekeeping (Taken by a previous winner)
  Sharing His Secrets – Vickey Banks
  Forgiving the Unforgivable – David Stoop
  Dinner with a Perfect Stranger – David Gregory
  Wake up Laughing – (Upbeat Devotions for the “Unconventional” Woman) – Rachel St. John-Gilbert
  Hugs for those in Love – Ron and Lyn Rose
  A Nickel’s Worth of Hope – Dr. Andre Vandenberg
  Dancing through the Shadows – Theresa Tomlinson
  Following Christ – Joseph Stowell
  The Calling – Brother Andrew
  John’s Story (The Last Eyewitness)  Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins
  What Happens When Women Pray – Evelyn Christenson
  It’s All About Him – Denise Jackson
  Story of a Soul – The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux
  The Thinking Chair – Audrey Brown
  Soul Talk – Larry Crabb
  Have a New Husband by Friday – Dr. Kevin Leman (Taken by a previous winner)
  The Partner – John Grisham – (Taken by a previous winner)
  Message in a Bottle – Nicholas Sparks
  The Letter – Richard Paul Evans
  Only Love is Real – Brian Weiss
  Cream and Bread – Janet Martin and Allen Todnem
  Dear John – Nicholas Sparks
  Broken on the Back Row – Sandi Patty
  Living Faith – Jimmy Carter
  The 5 Love Needs of Men and Women – Dr. Gary and Barbara Rosberg
  Simplifying Your Life – Mac Hammond
  Your Child Wonderfully Made – Larry Burkett and Rick Osborne
  Applause of Heaven – Max Lucado
  My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers daily devotional
  Capture his Heart – Lysa Terkeurst
  Letters to Karen – Charlie Shedd
  Men, Women, and Relationships – John Gray
  Official Rules of Card Games
  The Memory Keeper’s Daughter – Kim Edwards
  Tramp for the Lord – Corrie ten Boom
  To Love and Be Loved – Sam Keen

  • 7:35 am
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