Email: Faith and ministry [Su]

I am open to experiencing different denominational settings. I try to learn and experience as much as possible, since I don' believe any one denomination is it. (Jesus wasn't a Catholic or even a Lutheran, heh heh.)

I used to believe you couldn't have too much religion or Christian ministry in your life; now I realize there are limits and unless we are the Pope or Mother Teresa, our faith needs to be in balance or equilibrium with the rest of our life. Church should never cause us to shirk our own parental responsibilities and privileges. Family always comes first.

I may be different from many in that I [now] see a difference between (personal) faith life and (communal) church life; I believe the one informs and feeds the other. Just as you do not come to a potluck meal without bringing something from your home, I believe you find your strength in the Lord primarily through your personal relationship with him and come to church to share your life in the Lord with others; on the contrary, many Christians today attend church to receive an emotional (which some think spiritual) "battery charge" from attending weekly (or daily) worship services. I think these believers confuse "the herd mentality" with "the great cloud of witnesses." Our faith is only as strong as it has been tested, and generally our desert of trials comes in the form of solitary prayer and supplication before the Lord.

I can empathize with your feelings about wanting to understand and resolve a turning point in your life. I realize we need to seek a partner out of strength, not weakness; out of equanimity ("I could go either way") than need.

Houston is all right. It has a good arts and museum scene and a lot of wealth. It's near the ocean and has a tropical climate (palm trees too). No snow! ;-) The air isn't clean and the roads aren't well managed but I can wear a short-sleeve shirt and sandals outdoors almost every day of the year.