Week 3 In Review

Week Three already?? Time flies when you teach all day and rehearse all evening I suppose. It's a gorgeous day, and I have to go to the store later, so I might pick up something to do that involves being outside (because it's January and it feels like May).

So, if you forgot, the theme was "You Were Formed for God's Family."

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How is "being committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ" different from the way most people understand "fellowship"?
Most people think of fellowship as just hanging out or having a meal. While these are circumstances where fellowship can (and often) happen, fellowship is about our relationships with one another. It's about how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ, how we interact with them, and even what we do when they are not around (do we pray for them? Are we sending them notes of encouragement when we're home from work? Do we give them a call every now and then? Are we talking highly of them to others, or do we gossip about them or put them down?).

What are the barriers that keep us from loving and caring for other believers?
Prejudice, stubbornness, being busy, ignorance (whether intended or not), distrust, fear, need I go on?

What would make it easier for you to be able to share your needs, hurts, fears, and hopes with others?
I prefer a medium that is not my own voice. I think that's one reason music is so great for me: I can express things through it that I don't want to or am unable to say. Even when I'm teaching music, I sort of come out of myself, and while I am opening up vocally, it's not about what I'm saying as it is helping other people get to "speak" music better. It's no longer about me and my life but about other people. That's why, when I introduce myself, I often don't say much (or at least I don't like to talk much). If I go try to talk to someone about myself, I freeze up; hat's why I like to type out my feelings in a blog or via e-mail or something. I get overwhelmed easily when the emotional focus is on me and my life; when it becomes about something else, it's WAY easier.

What are the most common excuses people give for not joining a church, and how would you answer them?
I feel like a lot of people are either intimidated or afraid of the church, or they have been burned before and are gun-shy. For those that are intimidated, I would say you just need to find a congregation of people that are friendly and open (if you find you are ignored as a visitor) or one that lets you be when you first come (if you find that churches are too up-in-yo-bizness when you visit). For those that are gun-shy, we need to remember that no one church is perfect because every church is filled with imperfect people. Again, it's about sampling and finding the place where you will fit in. As Pastor Dan said this morning, it's not where you worship but that you go somewhere and worship!

What could our group do to protect and promote the unity in our church?
I think we (meaning the SS class) are already doing a lot of great things. We meet regularly, share concerns with each other and pray for each other, get involved with different areas of the church (from the choir to nursery duty to Upward to MOPS and so on), and support our leadership. There are always places for improvement, but most importantly we need to not let go of the things we are doing well.

Is there someone you need to restore a relationship with that we could pray about for you?
The one that lays heaviest on my life right now is the relationship with my parents. There was a breakdown of communication the past few years and things aren't great, but they are improving. I won't go into details, but this is one that I need a lot of help with.