I sought out information about "Seeker Churches"

I'm constantly amazed at how to "do" church right these days, there must be a jazzy kids' club complete with microphones, rockin' music and nightclub-esque decor.

How there must be screens everywhere with song lyrics superimposed over streams or beaches so people can be more comfortable just looking up at the screen instead of fumbling for and using a hymnal. (Never mind that the music is never on these - so if you don't know the tune you're left to mouth the words 2 seconds after everyone else. Never mind that the kid that runs the Power Point got distracted by a text message on his cell phone and forgot to forward through the lyrics 3 verses ago. I could go on and on - do you sense a soap box here? ;-) )

Golf scrambles and talent shows and raucous applause after each performance, er, song. How if you don't raise your hands and sway at just the right time, there must be something wrong in your spiritual life. (No, I'm just fat and don't feel like subjecting people to that. If the Lord tells me to sway, I'll sway.)

As more and more churches turn to the "Seeker" style, I find myself becoming more and more uncomfortable with it. It seems to me that the church is being set up as a sort of spiritual wal-mart. That those who are seeking will come for the egg hunt and leave with Jesus in their heart. And don't get me wrong, that does happen. But I am having trouble justifying it with our imperative to "Go ye therefore..." - and when I can't justify actions with scripture, the actions lose.

I found these on youtube and liked what Mark Driscoll had to say. What say you? (Edited to add: I've looked around the net a lot this past hour at what makes Driscoll tick. I've come to the conclusion that while I agree with a lot of his theology, I probably wouldn't care much for his methodology. Like I said, though, I do agree with him on this:

It's deadline time!

Some of you know I'm a graphic designer. One of my clients is a monthly sports publication. Monday is deadline. That means (a) I will be only limitedly available and (b) I will be, well....

Except for the whole the guy in the cartoon is a guy thing.

This cartoon was found on the web. I was unable to find original atribution for it. If it belongs to you and you don't want me to use it, let me know and I will remove it. I just didn't have time (or this much talent!) to do one from scratch.

You say tomato, I say tom-ah-to...

What a fun time we had! Mrs. L and I chattered like a couple of jays. The chatter was replaced with squeals of delight when we saw the prizes below. And no - that's so not all of it!

I steeled myself to be strong before going by relaxing in a tub of hot water with coffee and my sadly worn copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette. (Here is the link to their web site, but most of the info there now is old: http://www.tightwad.com/ ).

I was good, but my frugal self could only stand so much. At least I kept it to vegetables and herbs. Only one ornamental. Okay, two. But they're the same kind and going in the same pot so it counts as one, right?! Right?! We saw so many wonderful, lovely plants. Like these:

See the chamomile? And asparagus fern? Oh, and the English Lavender to plant beneath my clothesline so my sheets will drape gently across it and lull us to sleep with its perfume? And the Big German tomatoes for BLTs? And the hot peppers that my son so loves to harvest?

And this absolutely adorable "Micro Tom" Cherry tomato plant. The tomatoes will be 1". And YES, it is FULL of blooms!

What? can't see the blooms? Of course you can. Look a little closer.

Of course, I couldn't leave out my own babies...planted lovingly by hand a couple of weeks ago. Introducing (drum roll) my baby brussles sprouts!

Brussels Sprouts...um...sprouting! ;-)

And last, a scene from my kitchen. And no, I don't have a problem. Lots of people are addicted to herbs. And gardening. And tea pots. I can quit any time. For a while.

Pots, Herbs and Kindred Spirits

I'm as excited as a kid on the first day of camp! Giddy as a schoolgirl! Happy as a lark! Okay, so you get it. I'm so excited I'm smiling despite only having had 1/2 cup of coffee.

Today, my new friend and I will head over to the Mennonite Gardens about a 30 minute drive from here. I've never been, as I didn't know the best places...or times...or..............okay, so I didn't have anyone with whom I could go. I do now!



Mrs. L's children attend the same gymnastics center as my son. We started talking and I found out she's Christian. Then I found out they homeschool. Then we got to talking about gardening, homesteading and chickens. We talked and talked and talked...and she and I are definitely kindred spirits! So Mrs. L and I are venturing forth.



I'll share the herby goodness of it all later.

Spring Cleaning in Progress...

When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along

written by Harry Woods part of "The Jolson Story",

and recorded by Al Jolson has also been recorded by Mandy Patinkin

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob bobbin' along, along,

There'll be no more sobbing when he starts throbbing His own sweet song.

Wake up, wake up, you sleepy head,

Get up, get up, get out of bed,

Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red,

Live, love, laugh and be happy.

What if I've been blue,

Now I'm walking through fields of flowers,

Rain may glisten, but I still listen for hours and hours.

I'm just a kid again, doing what I did again, singing a song,

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob bobbin' along.

Yes, I've been gone.

I'm sorry. I've been battling a deep dark blue-funk. Depression. Not the most severe of cases, but enough that I just wanted to sleep. I won't go into the reasons, but the night sky was absolutely impenetrable. It was bad enough that my husband brought me flowers. For no reason. (I really did frighten him!)

About 2 weeks ago the stars began to wink reassuringly at me. Hinting that Mr. Moon was just behind a cloud. Then out he popped and my world was a little brighter. Here lately, the moon has reclined his sleepy head and I can see a hint of the sun just over the horizon. It was there all along. HE was there all along. I just needed that earthly healer - time. The sun is coming up, and here I stand to face another day.

My question for you today is this: "Have you ever wanted to leave your church? Did you? If not, why?" Mind you, I'm not talking about leaving the faith...just the particular group with which you have affiliated. I'm muddling through some things in my brain and would really love to hear about your experiences. Then we'll discuss.