I am still feeling greatly disappointed and hurt by two separate incidents which occurred last week.
In one incident, my mother reneged on an offer she'd made to me on two separate occasions. That kind of thing is typical of her. She forfeits credibility, to my way of thinking, when she does such things.
In another incident which occurred on that same day, I learned that the church I'd been attending had such an extreme view with regard to the subject of "submission to authority" that I could no longer attend that church in good conscience. It had begun to feel more like a cult than a church.
As a result, I am now estranged both from my mother and from that church.
Yet, things could be worse. The weather could not be better here in Chicago today. The skies are fairly clear. It's neither too cold nor too hot. Humidity is only 51%, according to Weather.com. This comfortable weather is a blessing, since I have no air conditioning in my apartment.
In my imagination, I imagine that the weather in heaven will be similar to what the weather here is like today. Of course, the air there will be much cleaner.
After going over to the Starbucks on North Avenue in order to apply for a job, I walked over to the Chicago History Museum (run by the Chicago Historical Society), where I browsed a bit in their gift shop and bookstore. Then I walked out back behind the building and sat on a park bench, enjoying the sight and the scent of the beautiful garden planted directly in front of a tall statue of Abraham Lincoln. It was a fantastic setting in which to pray, so that was what I did.
In about a week, I will turn 51 years old. There have been times during the past few years when I didn't think I'd make it this long. There have been times when I wanted very much to die. Yet, here I am nevertheless.
Satan tries to plant seeds of negative thought in my mind, telling me that I'm a loser who is bound to fail. But I am trying to fight those thoughts by countering them with positive affirmations of God's love for me. Jesus said that one ought not to take thought for tomorrow. I don't think that he meant that one ought not to plan. I think he meant that one ought not to worry. That's much easier said than done, for me at any rate. But I am doing my best.
With the grace and love of God, I will prevail.
Showing posts with label City Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label City Church. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
When Church Becomes A Real Circus
When it comes to clowns, the Church has had its share. (Jim Bakker and his former wife Tammy Faye Messner come to mind, particularly when I think of all the makeup for which Tammy Faye was infamous.) So I guess it should come as no surprise that some churches should seek to attract attention by imitating other aspects of circus performance.
On Sunday night, during the service at City Church here in Chicago, Pastor Kent Munsey made a short presentation pertaining to the fact that it was Father's Day. Then he mentioned that his father, Steve Munsey, had joined us in order to present the Father's Day message. Kent said something to the effect that we might smell the odor of lion and bear. I didn't smell anything particularly odd, so I thought maybe it was some kind of inside joke pertaining to his dad. Then I noticed the two large cages on the state, covered with sheets. The cage on the far side of the stage wasn't entirely covered, however. Looking more attentively, I saw that one of the cages contained a small black bear, which was pacing back and forth. I couldn't see anything inside the other cage, but I assumed (based on the size of the bear) that they must have a very young lion inside the second cage.
When he took the stage to deliver the message, Steve Munsey began to talk about King David, and about how David had persuaded King Saul that he was able to defeat Goliath when none of the other Israeli soldiers were willing to fight the Philistine giant. Previously, as a shepherd, David had fearlessly protected the flock from a bear and a lion. So he was ready to take on Goliath. Saul was persuaded, and we all know the rest of the story.
Considering his youth, Kent Munsey is a fairly confident preacher. But this was the first time I'd ever heard his father speak. To say that Steve Munsey is a dynamic preacher is an understatement. He could aptly be described as a blend between a preacher and an entertainer. He likes to use dramatic presentations in order to drive home the points of his sermons. Some would say that that's a bad thing. Others would say that in a world where the Church is often dismissed as irrelevant and boring, a little bit of risk taking is needed in order to shake people up and make the message of the Bible more accessible to people.
During a suitable point in his presentation, Steve pulled back the sheet in order to reveal the small black bear inside. Later, he did the same thing for the lion cage. I was surprised to see that the lion was full grown. He was physically magnificent, with a full mane which was well groomed.
It was clear that the lion had spent a lot of time in front of human audiences. He was silent throughout most of the presentation, even though the Praise Team played its usual rock music. The only time that the lion got visibly upset was when a couple of actors dramatized the confrontation between young David and Goliath. The dwarf playing the part of David approached the "slain" Goliath, fake sword raised high, in order to pretend to cut off Goliath's head. When he got close to the lion's cage, the lion apparently (and not surprisingly) saw the upraised sword as a threat. He lunged for the dwarf. We were all glad that the bars of the cage stood between the two of them! Otherwise, I shudder to think what the newspaper headlines might have said. ("Lion Mauls Dwarf In Chicago Church Service", probably.)
When I was young, my maternal grandparents lived in St. Louis. It was almost unheard of for our family to visit St. Louis without taking at least one trip to the city's excellent zoo. Consequently, I'd seen quite a few lions in my life
During one of our visits to the zoo, my mother and brother and I were all standing just outside one of the lion's cages. Suddenly, my mother cried out in a startled tone of voice. One of the big cats had relieved itself, shooting a potent stream of urine right into my mother's face!
On Sunday night, I couldn't help but be reminded of that earlier incident. Nevertheless, despite my awareness of what could potentially happen to anyone standing near a lion cage, I went up to the stage after the service ended in order to get a closer look at the lion. He was very beautiful.
Later on, I was walking down the stairs towards the stage when my foot somehow got wedged between one of the seats and the floor, sending me sprawling in a most undignified manner. In addition to the embarrassment caused to me by the incident, my leg got severely bruised, and hurt for a couple of days. It's still a little bit sore. But it could have been much worse. The lion could have gotten loose and turned me into cat food.
On Sunday night, during the service at City Church here in Chicago, Pastor Kent Munsey made a short presentation pertaining to the fact that it was Father's Day. Then he mentioned that his father, Steve Munsey, had joined us in order to present the Father's Day message. Kent said something to the effect that we might smell the odor of lion and bear. I didn't smell anything particularly odd, so I thought maybe it was some kind of inside joke pertaining to his dad. Then I noticed the two large cages on the state, covered with sheets. The cage on the far side of the stage wasn't entirely covered, however. Looking more attentively, I saw that one of the cages contained a small black bear, which was pacing back and forth. I couldn't see anything inside the other cage, but I assumed (based on the size of the bear) that they must have a very young lion inside the second cage.
When he took the stage to deliver the message, Steve Munsey began to talk about King David, and about how David had persuaded King Saul that he was able to defeat Goliath when none of the other Israeli soldiers were willing to fight the Philistine giant. Previously, as a shepherd, David had fearlessly protected the flock from a bear and a lion. So he was ready to take on Goliath. Saul was persuaded, and we all know the rest of the story.
Considering his youth, Kent Munsey is a fairly confident preacher. But this was the first time I'd ever heard his father speak. To say that Steve Munsey is a dynamic preacher is an understatement. He could aptly be described as a blend between a preacher and an entertainer. He likes to use dramatic presentations in order to drive home the points of his sermons. Some would say that that's a bad thing. Others would say that in a world where the Church is often dismissed as irrelevant and boring, a little bit of risk taking is needed in order to shake people up and make the message of the Bible more accessible to people.
During a suitable point in his presentation, Steve pulled back the sheet in order to reveal the small black bear inside. Later, he did the same thing for the lion cage. I was surprised to see that the lion was full grown. He was physically magnificent, with a full mane which was well groomed.
It was clear that the lion had spent a lot of time in front of human audiences. He was silent throughout most of the presentation, even though the Praise Team played its usual rock music. The only time that the lion got visibly upset was when a couple of actors dramatized the confrontation between young David and Goliath. The dwarf playing the part of David approached the "slain" Goliath, fake sword raised high, in order to pretend to cut off Goliath's head. When he got close to the lion's cage, the lion apparently (and not surprisingly) saw the upraised sword as a threat. He lunged for the dwarf. We were all glad that the bars of the cage stood between the two of them! Otherwise, I shudder to think what the newspaper headlines might have said. ("Lion Mauls Dwarf In Chicago Church Service", probably.)
When I was young, my maternal grandparents lived in St. Louis. It was almost unheard of for our family to visit St. Louis without taking at least one trip to the city's excellent zoo. Consequently, I'd seen quite a few lions in my life
During one of our visits to the zoo, my mother and brother and I were all standing just outside one of the lion's cages. Suddenly, my mother cried out in a startled tone of voice. One of the big cats had relieved itself, shooting a potent stream of urine right into my mother's face!
On Sunday night, I couldn't help but be reminded of that earlier incident. Nevertheless, despite my awareness of what could potentially happen to anyone standing near a lion cage, I went up to the stage after the service ended in order to get a closer look at the lion. He was very beautiful.
Later on, I was walking down the stairs towards the stage when my foot somehow got wedged between one of the seats and the floor, sending me sprawling in a most undignified manner. In addition to the embarrassment caused to me by the incident, my leg got severely bruised, and hurt for a couple of days. It's still a little bit sore. But it could have been much worse. The lion could have gotten loose and turned me into cat food.
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