weekly post from April 14, 2007

Hello friends & loved ones,

Another week has passed and another Friday the 13th is behind us. I'm not a believer in Friday the 13th bringing bad luck; I believe our reactions to life and what it throws us can be considered our luck. Some of us think the Gods are conspiring against us and some of us think that life is just a road with curveballs around every bend. I've no idea what the hell I'm saying except that life is what we make it.

I'm a firm believer in doing things that are outside our comfort zones and I did just that today. I was raised Missouri Synod Lutheran (feel free to look it up). It's more conservative than Evangelical Lutherans and they are definitely not gay friendly. Today I went to St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Hilton with Cathy (hey, Cathy) a friend of mine and my spouse. We had lunch with her today and she and my spouse were discussing the interim pastor at her church. I had no idea who the guy was and part of me wanted to see him and hear him preach. I'm also a firm believer in staying current (that includes knowing what other "closed" churches are doing) and I wanted to experience another Lutheran service. It had been a while since the last one. As soon as I walked in the doors the memories came flooding back from my childhood. The board that lists the hymn numbers, the lamp that indicates the presence of Jesus, the rote readings of scripture, the heavy perfume of the old ladies, the lack of a real community greeting and the solemnity of the parishioners. At the Open Arms church (where I go), we are sometimes quite raucous and we have no problem calling out as the spirit moves us. At the service today, I kept wanting to interject little things such as "yes", "praise", and "alright." Things that you might hear at a Pentecostal church. I had to reign myself in because it was not THAT kind of church. I was surprised that while reciting the Confession And Pronouncement Of Forgiveness and The Apostles Creed, I remembered (by heart) a line here and a line there. Not the whole thing but just enough to make me think, "Whoa!" I'm glad I did it but after being a part of an open and affirming church (a real one), there's no going back. What did you do that was uncomfortable this past week?

Until next week....Stay safe, stay happy, and stay healthy.

paul