Anyway- not much substance here at Paradise, written, as of late... maybe I'm more conscious of what I write now that I know I have an audience... I guess I will write about one thing tonight though... I didn't go to church yesterday... Sorry God... I will say this... when you are in your 30's, single and looking for a new church home it really sucks trying to find one... well, it doesn't really suck, it's just an awkward transition finding a place that you can just be yourself and be real at... without coming across as, well... single. I swear, singleness sometimes feels like a disease. Churches are so family oriented, and finding commonalities with married people who you don't have a previous connection to is difficult. I mean, all the guys I work with, it's easy getting along with them because, well, we have a lot in common beyond the family thing... even though 95% of them are married with kids... but when you go to a new church and don't know anyone, it just feels so awkward as the single guy... and then you go to like a 'singles group' and you just feel like you are hanging with a bunch of socially inept weirdos... well, that's not always the case... of course... I'm probably overlooking the fact that I am a socially inept weirdo... but that's beside the point. I don't know... I guess I'm just trying to assign some blame for a reason why I haven't found a church home here in Honolulu. But not having one for the last three years in Japan probably didn't do much for that whole habitual church-attendance thing. Although I do know that Christ still loves me... and I really love Him... I'm just really good at finding excuses on why I haven't found a church home here yet. Anyway. That's reality. Reality, written.
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Dog Park and Church...
So Murph and I ran to the dog park tonight... I normally (and always) like to run through Waikiki, because the scenery and vibe is very pleasant... nothing like stopping on the beach for a break... but I also like taking the Murphster to the dog park... just because he gets to get a fix of chasing other dogs... or more like being chased by other dogs mostly, and he doesn't have to be on the leash. So tonight, instead of running through Waikiki, we ran the 1.6 miles to the dog park... it was good, but he was at a disadvantage, because he was kind of tired when we got there... and he's so lanky right now with his super long legs and skinny body... that it's pretty easy for other dogs to just knock his legs out from under him... combine that with him being tired, and he was most of the bigger dogs' play toy for a little bit. Anyway- it's all good. We ran back home through a park next to the Ala Wai, (the canal that goes through Honolulu) and were practically attacked by a small herd of ankle-biters... no offense to you ankle-biter owners out there, but sometimes I can't stand little yippy dogs. Murphy tolerates them, but I don't really dig them... especially when their owners pander to their every want and desire and they think they own the world. Yuck. Big cities are havens for small dogs with big egos.
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3 comments:
I know what you mean - yippy dogs are annoying. And also about how being single makes you feel out of place in some churches. Maybe it is just an excuse, but it's unfortunately an all too common reality nevertheless. Don't give up though - the church needs someone with your resources and energy. Praying God will lead you to the right place.
Echoing Janice's comments. Hang in there. The church (as an organism) is given to us by God as a gift and is for our good. Don't let the difficulty keep you away. Here are three churches on Oahu that might be worth checking out...
http://www.citychurch-honolulu.org/
http://www.trinitycentraloahu.org/
http://www.mangopulpit.com
These are all churches in the denomination in which I minister. Check out the websites and join them some Sunday morning. I don't know what to tell you to expect except that they will offer you a historical and orthodox expression of the church. You aren't likely to find a fun house atmosphere in any of them as is so prevalent in so many of our American churches today. But you get "fun house" the rest of the week, don't you? I hope you're able to find someplace to worship and be in great relationship with other believers.
Thanks JJ and Matt... your thoughts and words are appreciated greatly. For some reason I'm reminded of college when we would skip church (my college actually required it) and say we went to 'Bedside Assembly with Pastor Pillow and Sister Sheet...' I don't know why I just thought of that, but it just struck me as funny! Anyway- hope to see you guys at the Orlando gig this summer.
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