Ok, I'll answer a few of your questions, and maybe even vent a little...
I am more perplexed than angry.
My dear wife has an aversion to attending in person. She understands the need for fellowship, but is much more comfortable watching online, so our physical attendance is down. For myself, I have attended and been blessed in a variety of churches, but feel it is important to attend with my lifes love.
It's not that we don't need to attend church, it is a matter of overcoming personal hesitancy.
My wife and I are alone together. Yes we could use Christian fellowship, but we are where we are. Forcing the issue doesn't overcome it, only makes it more acute.
Of course He knows. He also understands where our hesitancy comes from.
I tend to gravitate to churches with very fundamental doctrine. For the most part, I am in full agreement with the foundations. But I do have believe in a few things that are in starkly incompatible with church doctrine (I have mentioned before my stand on evolution).
And, much of the Christian right take political stances that I feel are contrary to living for Christ.
To vent in this regard: the Christian Right seems never to have read Matthew 25. Or they do not see how it applies to immigrants. They also seem to do all they can to make it difficult for the poor who are citizens to have a voice in society.
All this does not cause me to break fellowship, but sometimes I have to really work hard to control my tongue. The scriptures according to Siloam would not be a good basis for doctrine.
I sometimes get anxious or a little upset, but not angry. This happens when there is an important point that a brother seems to be missing. If I do get anxious, the problem is with me regardless of wherever truth lies, and I sometimes have to 'walk' away and not post or even read other posts for a while.
There have been times when I did not even know I was arguing, but when I read my own posts and remember how I felt, I realize how bad a witness that is. That this is in a public forum makes it particularly something to feel shame about.
About two weeks back, I was looking up the origin of the phrase "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness". The best evidence is that it is from a sermon entitled "The Invincible Strategy" by W L Watkinson and published in 1907 with other sermons in "The Supreme Conquest and other sermons Preached in America"
As far as the phrase, It is much better to find even a small way of alleviating a problem than to sit and stew and be angry about it. I have apologized a couple of times for being intemperate on this forum, and strive to do better.
As far as the sermon, I find it very refreshing. In this era of take-no-prisoners arguing about back and forth. It is much about looking at ones self and making sure that we are good examples of what a Christian is rather than shouting at all around us how they should be.
I am more perplexed than angry.
My dear wife has an aversion to attending in person. She understands the need for fellowship, but is much more comfortable watching online, so our physical attendance is down. For myself, I have attended and been blessed in a variety of churches, but feel it is important to attend with my lifes love.
It's not that we don't need to attend church, it is a matter of overcoming personal hesitancy.
My wife and I are alone together. Yes we could use Christian fellowship, but we are where we are. Forcing the issue doesn't overcome it, only makes it more acute.
Of course He knows. He also understands where our hesitancy comes from.
I tend to gravitate to churches with very fundamental doctrine. For the most part, I am in full agreement with the foundations. But I do have believe in a few things that are in starkly incompatible with church doctrine (I have mentioned before my stand on evolution).
And, much of the Christian right take political stances that I feel are contrary to living for Christ.
To vent in this regard: the Christian Right seems never to have read Matthew 25. Or they do not see how it applies to immigrants. They also seem to do all they can to make it difficult for the poor who are citizens to have a voice in society.
All this does not cause me to break fellowship, but sometimes I have to really work hard to control my tongue. The scriptures according to Siloam would not be a good basis for doctrine.
I sometimes get anxious or a little upset, but not angry. This happens when there is an important point that a brother seems to be missing. If I do get anxious, the problem is with me regardless of wherever truth lies, and I sometimes have to 'walk' away and not post or even read other posts for a while.
There have been times when I did not even know I was arguing, but when I read my own posts and remember how I felt, I realize how bad a witness that is. That this is in a public forum makes it particularly something to feel shame about.
About two weeks back, I was looking up the origin of the phrase "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness". The best evidence is that it is from a sermon entitled "The Invincible Strategy" by W L Watkinson and published in 1907 with other sermons in "The Supreme Conquest and other sermons Preached in America"
As far as the phrase, It is much better to find even a small way of alleviating a problem than to sit and stew and be angry about it. I have apologized a couple of times for being intemperate on this forum, and strive to do better.
As far as the sermon, I find it very refreshing. In this era of take-no-prisoners arguing about back and forth. It is much about looking at ones self and making sure that we are good examples of what a Christian is rather than shouting at all around us how they should be.
