What the Heck Do Lutherans Believe Anyway?

I've talked about my feelings on unity in the church on this blog before, but to make a long story short, I believe that the Christian community is called to facilitate unity within itself. In that vein, it's imperative that we start with communication and dialogue, because there ARE doctrinal differences across the different branches of Christianity. And that's okay, because (as a general rule), the differences don't negate the core of our faith. We're called to unity anyway...and I don't think it's in spite of those differences, but because of them. This post, which is hopefully the first in a series, comes with the motivation of facilitating unity in Christ by potentially dispelling any myths and misunderstandings, as well as by creating an opportunity for dialogue.

So, a few weeks ago, I was talking with a few of my friends, and one of them asked 'What are the Sunday services like at your church?' I started to rattle off words like "Creeds" and "Confession and Absolution", but as we talked more, I realized that the church she attends doesn't traditionally speak the creeds or do confession and absolution in the same way that the Lutheran church does, and so she had no idea what I was talking about. I thought that today I'd just lay out a sample service from our church as a starting point in talking about what Lutherans believe:

We Prepare Our Hearts
Opening Hymn: It is You (Newsboys)

Invocation
Pastor: In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen

We Confess Our Sin
Pastor: As we prepare our hearts and minds for worship, let us first confess our sins and be assured of His everlasting promise to forgive. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Congregation: But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Pastor: Let us confess our sins to God our heavenly Father.
Congregation: Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your holy name. Amen. 
Pastor: In the mercy of Almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake, God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ, he gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Congregation: Amen. 

Hymn of Praise: Children of God (Third Day)

Introit {this changes every Sunday, but is a piece of scripture spoken collectively, often from Psalms}

Kyrie
P: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy. 

P: For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy. 

P: For the peace of the whole world, for the well being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy. 

P: For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.

P: Help, save, comfort, and defend us gracious Lord.
C: Amen. 

P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.

Collect {This is a short prayer, often spoken collectively}

The Word of God is Read
Children's Lesson {then kids under 6 are excused for nursery}
First Reading/Old Testament Reading
Epistle Reading
Pre-Gospel/Alleluia Verse:Ancient Words (Michael W. Smith)
Gospel Reading

Sermon {related to one of the assigned scripture readings for this Sunday}
Sermon Hymn: The Heart of Worship (Matt Redman)

The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. 

(Note: You may recognize these words from the songs sung by Rich Mullins, Brandon Heath, and Third Day. I LOVE Third Day's version of The Creed and highly suggest it. Some churches may say the Nicene Creed instead. The church that I grew up at often said this Affirmation of Faith instead, which I still love.)

Offering & Offering Song: 10,000 Reasons/Bless the Lord {Matt Redman)

Prayers for All People & The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

The Benediction
Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious unto you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you His peace.
Congregation: Amen

Sending Hymn: Hold Us Together (Matt Maher)

.......................................................

Also, I think it probably goes without saying that "Lutheran" is an extremely broad term. There are ELCA Lutherans, LCMS Lutherans, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutherans, and probably even more kinds that I'm not aware of. Even within one of those groups of Lutherans, the way that church services are held will vary greatly. Some will follow the very traditional order or service, and some will follow a much more contemporary one. The church that we attend is an LCMS church, and utilizes what's called a revolving liturgy, which means that each Sunday is a different style of service ranging from traditional (sometimes even with the organ and all), to contemporary, as well as a mix thereof. This particular Sunday would be an example of the contemporary liturgy.

Whew. So there you have it. If there happen to be any other Lutherans out there reading, how does this compare to what you experience at church? For everyone else, does Sunday Service at the Lutheran church look like you imagined it would? Do you have any questions?

Today, I am...

{SO STINKING EXCITED} for our "big" ultrasound appointment tomorrow afternoon. Seriously. Kait offered to do a gender reveal photo shoot for us, which would have been fun, but I just didn't want to wait one more second longer than 2pm tomorrow afternoon! Sorry Kait, lol!

{totally exhausted} after a mostly great, but really busy weekend. The big children's event that Justin and I have been planning for church was on Saturday, and it's nice to be done! About half the people who signed up to run carnival game stations for us just didn't show up the day of...so that was interesting. And stressful. But, there was a giant inflatable obstacle course there, so I'm not sure that the kids even really noticed the craziness behind the scenes, or even that there were no snow-cones this year. Okay, so they probably noticed the lack of snow-cones, but hopefully had fun anyway!

{bummed} that in the midst of the crazy day on Saturday, our anniversary got lost in the shuffle. I don't think Justin or I ever even said "Happy Anniversary!" to each other. If it weren't for some awesome and thoughtful cards from family, I think it probably would have gone completely unmentioned! I hope we get to take some time to have a date soon, though I'm not sure when that will be, because we are booked every single night for the next week!

{hopeful} that I'll make a big dent in our laundry pile today. 

{loving} this Pinterest tip to use hot vinegar and Dawn dish-soap as a tub/shower cleaner. It totally works. Our shower was so dirty that I didn't even realize how dirty it was anymore...and this? Awesome. In fact, now that I know what sparkly-white looks like, I just may need to clean it again to get it 100% there.

Source: thecraftpatch.blogspot.com via Meredith on Pinterest

{giddy} that the library finally has Insurgent waiting for me to pick it up today!

{stumped} about what to make for dinner!

{marginally irritated} that Justin got summoned for jury duty again. He seriously gets summoned more than anyone I know. I know it's his civic duty and all, but for us it basically just means three days of him not getting paid, and for people on a budget like ours, that SUCKS. And considering the fact that he has been summoned every single year and I *never* have, it's a little irritating! I wish I could go in his place!   

{loving} snuggling with Lizzy watching Dora on this cloudy, rainy morning.

{excited} for Justin, and the early birthday present (his birthday is Wednesday) that he got from my parents. I don't think they knew this, but the toolbox that they got for him was exactly what I was hoping to get for him, but just couldn't swing this month.

Also, I'm pretty sure Lizzy was just as excited about the box it came in!

On Submission

On Saturday, Justin and I were watching a movie called "No Greater Love". It was a movie that I grabbed out of the bargain bin, but as it turns out, it was produced by a church. Essentially, the story goes like this--during a time of great turmoil in their marriage, the wife walked out leaving the husband with their 10 month old son, and wasn't heard from again. Several years and several cities later, the husband and wife accidentally bumped into each other. The wife had found God and stopped drinking, but hadn't been able to find her ex-husband and son. Eventually, she finds out that her "ex" husband is technically still her husband--he never officially divorced her after she left. Anyway, they decide that maybe they'd like to reconcile, but she is nervous because she is now a Christian and he isnt.

During one scene, she tearfully turns to a friend and says something to the effect of, "I'm supposed to submit to my husband, but what if he tells me to stop reading the Bible or stop going to church?!" Justin and I both groaned.

In the past couple of years, Justin and I have observed this line of thinking quite often--sometimes at Bible study (as a point of clarification,we attend a Bible Study at a church that identifies itself as a "Fellowship" church, while Justin and I both identify ourselves as being Lutheran. Occasionally, some differences in application arise, as would be expected), sometimes just in casual conversation with friends--this idea that wives are called to submit to whatever their husbands say, even if they disagree. Justin and I have talked about this at length, both amongst ourselves and with our pastor(s), and I'd like to share a bit about our beliefs regarding submission in marriage. As always, I understand that not everyone may share our beliefs, and that's okay.

The idea that wives should submit to their husbands comes from Ephesians 5:22, which is a verse that was prominently featured in the book Love & Respect (and the corresponding Bible Study) by Emerson Eggrichs. However, it seems to both Justin and I that that particular verse often seems to be taken out of context. Ephesians 5:22 itself reads, "Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as you do to the Lord." However, Ephesians 5:21 is often excluded, and gives us the context for the statement that comes after it. Let's look at them together:

(21)Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (22)Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as you do to the Lord.

In actuality, both husbands and wives are called to submit to one another. But interestingly enough, during the time that we participated in the Love & Respect study, verse 21 was never mentioned--this may have been specific to our particular leaders, so if anyone else has had a different experience, please chime in!

Taking a look at the Greek words used gives us an even deeper understanding of these two verses. See, the Greek word for submit, hupotasso,  is NOT the same as the Greek word for obey, hupakouo,  Paul does use hupakouo in reference to children obeying their parents, but does NOT use it in terms of wives obeying their husbands. Rather, the word hupotasso as used in both verse 21 and 22 roughly translates to mean "to line up under".

Essentially, the passage is framed like this:


Verse 21: Hey both of you--if you're going to do this marriage thing, you need to put each other first.
Verses 22-24: Wives, here's a couple of ways that you can demonstrate this idea to your husbands.
Verses 25-33- Husbands, here's a couple of ways that you can demonstrate this idea to your wives.

In other words, husbands and wives are both called to line up under the other--putting the other's needs above their own. It is not blind obedience, but an intentional desire to put someone else first based on a relationship that is hopefully rooted in love, respect, and trust.

How do you guys approach this pretty controversial passage?

Affirmation of Faith.

Note: I often receive emails asking what Lutherans believe. Asking if they're Christian. Wondering what they believe on this political issue or that. The truth is that there are multiple sects of the Lutheran Church, ranging from very conservative to quite liberal. I couldn't possibly aspire to give an accurate representation of what all Lutherans believe, but I can make an effort to continue to talk and write about what I believe, as I'm doing today. My intent isn't to tell you that I'm right, or that those who believe differently are wrong. My intent is to simply share a little bit more about my own life of faith--the struggles that I deal with, the joys that I find, little parts of what it means to be Lutheran, to me.

Growing up, I did not always enjoy attending the Lutheran Church. Sometimes it felt old. Stuffy. In fact, although I attended a Lutheran college, I don't think I went to church but twice in the year that I was there.  I longed to go to church with my friends who attended fellowship-type churches--to me, their churches felt vibrant, and alive with music. They didn't have to deal with the boring rituals of liturgy that felt lifeless and rote. I left feeling invigorated, and ready to approach the next week.

I still love the music and dynamic of those churches, but I have recently {within the past year} begun to appreciate certain things about the liturgy of the Lutheran church as well. Last night, I was thinking of one of the Affirmations of Faith that we said during service growing up:

I have faith in God, in response to overwhelming love. 

I believe that God created me and all that I have, and has given me gifts beyond measure. 

I have faith in Jesus, who emptied Himself out of His love for me. 

I believe that Christ died on a cross for my sin, conquered death and the power of evil, and was raised to life on the third day. His death is mine, His resurrection is mine, new life is mine because of Jesus’ words and work. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit in response to overwhelming love. 

I believe that the Holy Spirit is present here among us and lives within each person. The Spirit continues to call people by the Gospel and creates and builds the church of Christ. Through the power of the Spirit, I have power to stand in strength against all adversity. 

I believe that Jesus is gone to prepare a place for me and will come again to take each of us to be with Him. Amen.

 I was thinking of this text last night because we have sort of begun transitioning from bouncing back and forth between the church that I grew up at and the church where Justin's dad is the pastor. Both Lutheran churches from the same sect, but very different, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, as with any church. It's interesting, because at the church where Justin's dad is the pastor, I've noticed that we tend to say the Nicene Creed as our Affirmation of Faith, rather than the above text. One isn't more "right" than the other--there are many different Affirmations of Faith, and I suspect that each pastor selects the one that speaks most to them.

I love this particular affirmation of faith because I feel like it summarizes so clearly and succinctly what I believe in terms of my faith. Last night I was thinking about how I have felt God's overwhelming love in my life. I have stood through adversity, only through the Holy Spirit. This text is a blessing to me, because it inevitably causes me to stop and remember all those instances in my life. Overall, I just think that this Affirmation of Faith is a beautifully phrased, and I wanted to share it with y'all today in case you haven't seen this particular version before :)

Let's Talk About Religion and Governement.

I want to talk a little bit about religion today. I think I've been pretty clear on this blog that I'm a Christian, specifically attending the Lutheran Church. Not all of my friends--either here on the internet or in real life--share my beliefs, and that's totally okay. I daily try to walk the line between being transparent about my own beliefs and how they tie into the way that I live my life, without being condescending or judgmental towards others who believe differently. As a Christian, I don't believe that it's my duty to "save" others who believe differently than I do, but rather to carry myself in a way that demonstrates Christ's love as I know it, to the best of my imperfect ability. I am certain that sometimes I fail at this, but I try daily.

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I often feel frustrated within my faith in that there seems to increasingly be an expectation that all Christians share (or should share) a particular political worldview. And the fact of the matter is that I don't necessarily believe that there is a relationship between religion and politics. In fact, I'm not even sure that I believe that religion has a place in politics, except within the personal lives of those involved.

For example, I have often heard the war in the Middle East be justified through Bible scripture, and it always makes me pause. For a long time, I felt like I was one of very few Christians who took issue with this line of thinking. It was a hard place to be for me, especially since any time I vocalized this opinion, I felt like others believed that I was disrespecting the men and women who serve in our military. I have always felt like respecting those who serve, and taking issue with the way that the Bible is being used to justify the war are two separate issues. However, it's been my experience though that for many in my faith, they are completely entwined. Sometimes, I felt like I was one of the only ones who felt differently.  However, I recently read a passage from a book by Rob Bell, and I wanted to share an excerpt, because he summed things up better than I ever could:

"The Roman Empire, which put Jesus on an execution stake, insisted that it was bringing peace to the world through its massive military mights, and anybody who didn't see it this way just might be put on a cross. Emperor Caesar, who ruled the Roman Empire, was considered the 'Son of God,' the 'Prince of Peace,' and one of his propaganda slogans was 'peace through victory.'

The insistence of the first Christians was that through this resurrected Jesus Christ, God has made peace with the world. Not through weapons of war, but through a naked, bleeding man hanging dead on an execution stake. A Roman execution stake. Another of Caesar's favorite propaganda slogans was 'Caesar is Lord.' The first Christians often said 'Jesus is Lord.' For them, Jesus was another way, a better way, a way that made the world better through sacrificial love, not coercive violence.

So when the commander in chief of the most powerful armed forced humanity has ever seen quotes the prophet Isaiah from the Bible in celebration of military victory, we must ask, Is this what Isaiah had in mind?


A Christian should get very nervous when the flag and the Bible start holding hands. This is not a romance we want to encourage."

-From Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto For the Church in Exile, page 18. 

This passage was like a light bulb for me. It put into words so many things that I have been feeling about my faith and recent political events. For me, the last two sentences rang especially true, and have encouraged me tremendously.

But I'm interested to hear from you--if you're a Christian, do you feel like you're "supposed to" subscribe to a particular set of political beliefs? Regardless of your religious beliefs, what role, if any, do you think religion should carry in terms of Government? What are your thoughts, in general?

PS- It's 100% okay if you express opinions that differ from mine in the comments. I will not delete ANY comment for that reason. However, I WILL delete comments that are blatantly disrespectful towards the beliefs of others, so play nice.

Snippets and Photos

- Sunday was an interesting football day for our family--my dad is a long-time Colts fan, I'm a long-time Saints fan, and my sister is a long-time Vikings fan. Sorry Court, it's dad and I facing off for the Superbowl :)

-Holy COW, do my stitches ever itch all of a sudden! I've heard that means they're healing, but it's also just really uncomfortable and awkward!
 
-I really think Lizzy would sleep through the night if we were allowed to let her. Saturday night/ Sunday morning, the alarm went off to feed her. I woke up Justin, who was going to change her and bring her to me to feed her. I thought that he was up and awake, so I went back to sleep. Unfortunately, so did Justin. Lizzy never woke up or cried (in fact, I STILL had to wake her up for her next feeding). I kind of felt like a terrible parent though.

-On Sunday night, Justin was playing Playstation (aka my nemesis), and he kept rocking back in a chair that was most definitely not designed for rocking. And he fell over right on his butt. Twice. Ha!

-After seeing the baptism photos, I cannot WAIT to get my hair cut and colored. I haven't done either in a very long time (I can't even remember if I had it done while I was pregnant), and I hate both the cut and the color!  Logistically, I'm not sure how I'd make it work though I'd probably either have to pump or feed her in the middle of the cut and color. It's stuff like that that makes breastfeeding hard for me. Maybe that's a little selfish, but it's the truth.

Baptism Photos:

 

 

Holy Week Explained

This week is a busy week in the Lutheran Church--it's Holy Week, which is the last week of Lent before Easter. I thought I'd take a minute to explain Holy Week, since not all sects of the Christian church celebrate it.

Sunday- Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday. The church celebrates Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem just prior to the crucifixion. This special service includes a processional where the participants carry in blessed palm branches--again, a remembrance of the way that Jesus entered Jerusalem. See John 12: 12-19.

Monday to Wednesday- These days are considered "Holy Days", but no specific events happened. They lead up to the Last Supper.

Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday)- This day commemorates the Last Supper, and also the day in which Jesus introduced what we now call communion. During a part of the service called the Gloria, all of the bells (and sometimes other instruments) play vividly. At the last verse, all of the instruments stop, and are not played again until Easter morning. Sometimes, the pastor washes the feet of 12 men (to symbolize the washing the feet of Jesus and the Apostles). At the end of the service, the Altar is stripped (everything is taken off) while the Pastor recites Psalm 21. All crosses are either taken out of the church, or covered.

Good Friday- I've always thought the name was interesting, because there just isn't anything good about it. Good Friday is essentially a somber remembrance of the crucifixion. The first part of the service typically includes reading Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and segments from Hebrews and the Gospel of John. The crucifix (or the cross in non-Catholic churches) is typically displayed. Some churches pray at the Stations of the Cross. One of the churches we go to typically does the Stations of the Cross, the other typically does a shadow drama depicting the events leading up to and including the crucifixion. In many places, people don't go to work or school on Good Friday--the entire day is for prayer.

Between Good Friday and Easter: In the Apostle's Creed, we say "He suffered death and was burried, he descended into hell, and on the third day he rose again." His descent into hell would have happened during the time between Good Friday and Easter. It's important to note that some churches say "he descended to the dead"--essentially, the point that they're trying to get across is that at that time, " hell" is not how we think of it now. It was basically the world of the dead.

Sunday-Easter- Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and his ascent to Heaven. His resurrection reconciled us to our Creator. Our sins have been washed clean by Jesus' death on the cross. This idea is explained in the oft quoted John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

That's it--Holy Week in a nutshell!

Open the doors, see all the people...

I've been having a hard time with church lately. I feel like by splitting our time between two churches, we aren't really engaged in either one, and now that there are two services at one of the churches, I feel even less engaged. Justin plays music at the 8am service both of the two Sundays that we attend that church (don't get me started on this...that's another point of drama entirely). No more than 10 people seem to attend the 8am service--all of the fellowship events are directly before or directly after the second service at 10:30am. Now, if one service was a traditional service and the other was a contemporary service, I wouldn't mind occasionally attending twice the same day just to get to participate in some of the fellowship. But I have absolutely no desire to sit through the exact same service twice in one day. I keep hearing to be patient, and that eventually more people will start coming to the early service, but honestly, they don't even have childcare for the first service, so I'm not sure how that's realistically going to happen.

So Justin played the first service today as usual, and I was frustrated by the whole situation as usual. Ryan and Renee were planning to attend service at a completely DIFFERENT church at 10am to talk to someone who was potentially interested in being a drummer for the band. Coincidentally, it's the same church that J and I have been going to (yes, that right...we're up to THREE churches that we're regularly involved with). It was a blessing to go--the church felt so full of LIFE. There were so many young people our age the service was very similar to the Lutheran church that I grew up in--they typically started with 30+ minutes of contemporary praise music, and then went into the order of service. Only, this was a fellowship church, so they just went into a study of the word, and didn't do the confession/absolution, creed, or any of that.

The only problem? While it was a great blessing for me, it really wasn't for J. Even though we both grew up Lutheran, our churches were so completely different (J's was very traditional, and mine was very contemporary), and we both really enjoyed the churches that we grew up in, and look for things that we grew up with in order to feel spiritually fed. For me, being spiritually fed comes mostly from the praise music, having people our age to be engaged in Bible Studies with, and the outreach ministries. For J, it comes mostly with the rituals--the pastor wearing robes, having an actual altar, and the complete order of service. A few years ago, I took a Sociology of Religion class, where part of the class was going around to various churches in the area--J's favorite was the catholic church, my favorite was the fellowship church. Because we're so different in terms of our history and what makes us feel connected, it seems like no matter what we do, one or the other of us isn't being fed spiritually.

When we have kids, I don't want to be jumping around back and forth between three different churches--I want to attend one. However, I just can't see us attending ANY of the churches that we're involved with exclusively and having both of us be happy in terms of our faith. I don't know what to do. Justin is adamant that he only wants to attend a Lutheran church, but also doesn't seem open to visiting any of the other Lutheran churches in the area. I don't know what that means for me, unless we go to church separately...which isn't something that I want either.

ChaCha and Chocolate.

Some of you asked about ChaCha in the comments of my last post. Basically, they're a question and answer service. People text in questions like "What are the hours of the Wal-Mart in Orlando, Florida?" or "Who won the superbowl in 1990?" Their texts are then transformed into a computer question and sent to ChaCha guides, the position for which I applied, who research the answer provide a credible source, and send it back to the computer, who then forwards it on to the customer's phone in text form. Usually all within 2-10 minutes.

I haven't heard back as to whether or not I was accepted, but I'm really hoping that I was. It's right up my alley, and it would be a huge blessing to be able to make some supplemental income while watching movies or hanging out. So send good thoughts my way about that please, because I hear that once you've applied, you can't ever re-apply. Oye Vey.

Moving on...I have exactly one hour left of being able to eat chocolate candy for the next 40 days. Growing up, my church did observe Lent, and we were encouraged to give something up, even though we weren't Catholic. In our family, we considered Lent to officially begin at the Ash Wednesday service, which happened at 7pm at our church. This year, I think I've decided to give up chocolate candy. I am not giving up chocolate entirely, because I often have a cup of hot chocolate to unwind from work...which is a GOOD thing for me. It gives me time to acknowledge and then discard anything that was difficult to hear at work, and keeps me from breaking confidentiality. Not to mention, it's often just plain cold at our house and it helps warm me up. On the other hand, there's ALWAYS chocolate candy and cake at work, which I often eat mindlessly. I kind of feel like I'm being a flake by not giving it up all the way, and I worry that I'll just replace my mindless chocolate eating with mindless licorice eating. We'll see.

ETA: I did decide to go ahead and shoot for giving up chocolate candy desserts for Lent. I'm not giving up hot chocolate, as I don't see it as a vice!

Interestingly enough, Justin's family (who is also Lutheran...in fact, his dad is a Lutheran pastor), never gave things up for Lent according to Justin.

PS- How do y'all like the new layout? It isn't even a CBOTB layout...I did it all by myself in Photoshop! I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself!

Good Heart

So J and I have been doing the Love and Respect Bible Study. We're on the second session so far, and the crux is this: women need unconditional love, men need unconditional respect. The idea comes from Ephesians 5:33 "Nevertheless, let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband." It's certainly not politically correct, but it's very interesting. The one thing that really struck me from last night's video was the idea to trust that your spouse is coming from a place of goodness in his or her heart.

I know that sounds so simple, but I honestly don't always do that. Many times, Justin will say something, meaning one thing, and I'll interpret it to mean something else. In fact, this exact situation is what has caused me not to sing anymore. A few years ago, we were listening to a particularly bad recording of a Captive Free team. They just did not sound good at all. I commented to Justin, that sometimes I'm paranoid that I sound like that. Justin responded, "Well, when you're confident, you sound much better. But when you're not confident, you do sound like that." He was coming from a place of goodness in his heart--he was trying to validate me and entice me to be more confident. However, because he didn't express what he had to say in the most eloquent manner, and I didn't recognize that he was saying what he was saying with a good heart, all I honestly heard was sometimes you do sound like that. And since then, I haven't really sung around him at all (which is just a vicious cycle by the way, because after not really singing for over a year, my vocal cords are shot, and now I really DO sound like that).

Now, as someone who has grown up in a very liberal town, I've often heard that the idea that wives must respect their husbands is a way to keep women down--for men to assert a power over them that isn't real, and it's a power that lies at the root of domestic violence, the disparity between men and women's wages, etc. However, what occurred to me last night was that if you have a spouse that is coming to the table with a good heart, as sweet Justin is, I'm not sure that there IS a problem with wives striving to respect their husbands. It's kind of interesting because at first glance, I thought, "Oh, I already do respect Justin." But if you were to ask Justin if he FELT respected, I'm not sure that he'd answer yes. So, it's a really interesting Bible study with a lot of really great people, and I'm whole heartedly enjoying it.

On the other hand, I went to a seminar with Justin tonight at church. I had absolutely no desire to go, but the speaker was a long time friend of Justin's family, and I knew Justin really wanted to go. The topic was "Discovering Your Ministry Potential." I HATED it. First, although Justin's family is good friends with the speaker, he really made a bad first impression on me that I just haven't been able to get over--first of all, immediately upon meeting me, he reached out, grabbed my nose, and wiggled my nose. I have this BIG aversion to people that I don't know touching me, and that totally turned me off. Second, he has the habit of putting people on the spot during his seminars to finish a sentence...like, "And what did God say to Moses when Moses asked him to send someone else? Meredith?" And usually, I'm the idiot that doesn't know, and it's just uncomfortable. Consequently, because of those two things, I just don't enjoy going to hear these people speak because inevitably, my nose gets wiggled (yep), and I get put on the spot (not tonight, thank goodness!). I know, they probably have a very good message, but I just can't get over my intense discomfort around the guy, and end up disliking everything he says because of it.

I know, I should take my own advice and remember that he's coming with a good heart, but baby steps people! I'm not willing to overlook the nose wiggling just yet.

Quick Update

Apparently, there's virtually no place in town that has free wi-fi anymore. What's with that?

So, I only have time for a quick update before I have to take Justin to work. I've been going to the gym between dropping him off at 7 and when I have to be at work at 9. I've also been catching up on some reading. I've gotta tell you though--after all those years of rowing, I am NOT a morning person. I know that waking up at 5:45am is not that early in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like torture to me.

The headache is back. Lucky me.

Bible Study was fantastic last night--though I'll be honest, I'm not sure that the content matters much at all. It's just nice to have hope that J and I might actually have friends our age again someday. It was hard to go--K ended up with strep throat, and James had a meeting for his India trip, so we had to walk into it all by ourselves. But everyone was very welcoming and kind. We knew two of the couples (James' brothers and their wives) so that helped. Next week, I'll probably go alone since Justin has to work, but you know what? I think I will.

I am so ready for it to be the weekend--but also so not, because it may mean not seeing Justin for awhile. Still, there are great opportunities for him, both monetarily, and in terms of a possible promotion, and so I'm absolutely trying to support him (and respect! I keep forgetting about the respect!) 100%, even if it isn't the thing that makes me most happy in the world.

Love & Memories

I've had that song stuck in my head all day...anyway...

- The migraine is finally mostly gone. Wahoo! If it weren't for the fear of waking up with a hangover headache, I'd go for celebratory drinks!

-Tonight, J and I are going with James and Karla to a Bible Study called Love & Respect. While I really love the Simply Faith Bible Study, Justin's band is practicing again on Thursday nights, AND Megan is moving in March--the last thing I need right now is to get attached to something else that's just going to be leaving/ending. I hear that this group is young married couples and young families. I'm totally excited for it.

-Sunday, J is going out of town for a week. On one hand, I HATE being home alone. Especially since I know none of our neighbors. On the other hand, he will be making some SERIOUS money while he's up in Washington, which will be fantastic in terms of contributing to the camera fund, among other things. And since he's given a per diem for food and such, it will actually cut down significantly on food costs.

-Went to the gym this morning, which will become a regular occurance this week since I'm dropping J off at work. Man, it still KILLS my knee to do much of anything. My dang coaches ingrained in my head during high school the idea that if you're not drop-dead tired after a work out, you didn't really work out. So I sort of have been feeling like my biking is pointless, since I can't go all out yet. But, my heart rate is still well up in the "Fat Burn" zone, so I'm just trying to stick with it for now.

Thoughts & Sunday Song

J and I watched the documentary "Jesus Camp" tonight. I had watched part of it in my Sociology of Religion class, but had never finished watching it. I found it on YouTube, so I decided to finish it. I asked Justin to watch it with me because I wanted some feedback from him about the movie. At first, he had a few comments about how "that's kind of cool". I remember having the same feelings. But soon, he started having the intensely negative reaction that I remember having when I saw the movie for the first time. It's just so ODD to watch a group of people who classify themselves as being the same religion that I would classify myself (albeit different sects), behave so completely differently than I would. To say things, justifying them through faith, that I would never say. Personally, I have strong feelings about evangelism, and do not believe that evangelism should happen the way that it does in this movie. I also believe that just because I'm a Christian, I don't have to denounce the idea of global warming, as individuals in this movie suggest. They CAN co-exist. I do not believe that CHILDREN (nor anyone for that matter) should be forced to publicly confess their sins. Yes, confess your sins, but confess them in your heart, not publicly. And I'm sorry, but I absolutely do not believe that praying over and then compelling a bowling ball to make a strike before bowling is necessary.

Towards the end of the movie (the part that I had missed), they show Ted Haggard giving a sermon regarding the evils of homosexuality off his Palm Treo at his home church. He made several completely inappropriate comments during his sermon to the camera-man, including, "I know what you did last night. Give me $1000, and I promise not to tell your wife." Justin didn't immediately pick up on the irony of those comments, but when I told him that Ted Haggard has since admitted to his own homosexuality AND purchasing crystal meth (I know that he claims he didn't actually use it, but judging by the change in his facial structure, I'd beg to differ), J became pretty irate.

For me, the part that's so difficult about this whole thing is that for many, this movie is a portrayal of Christians, as a whole. I know that many people in my Soc. of Religion class didn't know or understand that the people profiled in the movie were a fairly extremist, though growing, sect of Christianity. And I'm sure that this movie repelled many a person from Christianity. Hell, it repelled ME, and I AM a Christian. Ugh.

So, without further adieu, the Sunday Song for this week is "Instead of A Show", by Jon Foreman. Now, I know that I just did a song by Switchfoot last week, and that's kind of ironic since I haven't been listening to Jon Foreman (who is the lead singer for Switchfoot) OR Switchfoot much recently. But, the lyrics to this one particular song kept popping into my head while watching "Jesus Camp". Taken from Isaiah 1:11-17 (A Message for Rebellious Judah), the lyrics say, "I hate all your show. Away with your noisy worship. Away with your noisy praise. I stop up my ears when you're singing them, I hate all your show. Instead, let there be a flood of justice."

This particular sentiment flies right in the face of what those in the movie portrayed. In fact, one little girl who appeared to be 9 or 10 suggested that God doesn't like to visit quiet churches. He only likes to visit churches where the worshipers are loud and 'on fire'--where people lift up their hands to praise Him. Sigh.