What is the Church to me?

What is the church to me? 1. Used to be a magical place that empowered my every movement. 2. Used to be a place I spent time massive volumes of time. 3. Used to be the hub of my very existence 4. Used to be where I loved to go 5. Used to be where I bowed my knees in prayer and raised my hands in worship. What is the church to me now? With tears I admit the church is nothing to me now. The church now is a place were less than 10 people I currently know who are the real deal try and transform culture on the backs of unrepentant unholy church “members” I now recognize the church as a place where I put my faith. I trusted the church more than I trusted Jesus. Not the church’s fault per say. I think they are just doing what they “feel.” Pastors are standing teaching/preaching the Word, but we the people are not accepting and implementing the training. What is the church to me? It is a place that produced deep scars and continues to re open wounds that most likely will never heal. What is the church to me? A meeting place for people that have shared vulgar secrets that are entrusted with me till death yet enjoy the anonymity during worship because their secrets are hidden from their peers. The same folks abuse, shun and betray those with exposed secrets abandoning them and exiling them to shame and defeat. What is the church to me? It is now a place I drive by and remember the good times and good friends I used to have before I became an outcast. What is the church to me? It is where my friends sometimes have funerals. When or if I attend to show my respects, I’m met with whispers and shunned by those I was once loved by. With sadness and regret and shame and anger I admit that the “church” the building and the meeting mean nothing to me. The Church that Jesus died for and sacrificed everything for helps me keep perspective. My anger and sadness toward the church is really not even worth mentioning when I think that Jesus really died and suffered shame and took my sin on his body. And the little feelings that I expressed before are really not even worth mentioning. We did it to Jesus first. So who am I. I do think we could do better at loving one another and being real and putting down our cloak of fake holiness one day a week and admit that we have struggles and we fail.

Daylight and Dark

I love photography. I’m an absolute amateur, but I love it. I have memories of my cousin having a Polaroid Instant camera. My family had a Polaroid 110 and sometimes we purchased a flash cube for those extra special occasions. Following the 7-10 day wait and the poor image quality I remember picking up our freshly developed pictures at the local drug store and racing home to pass the pictures around to our family and friends. Forty years later I sit on the banks of the Tennessee river waiting for the perfect moment to snap a pic of the sunset. Then a few months later in my backyard I was able to capture a picture of the super moon. The moments captured and the pictures instantly uploaded to my phone for my inspection AMAZING! The difference in the past and the present is as different as Daylight and Dark. Life is filled with changes. We are all trying to navigate and be happy. I started this blog in 2006 halfway through a career in full time ministry. Today I’m three months into a new career as funeral staff. I’m still the same Brent. I have some new friends and some new opinions. My perspective has been altered quite a bit, but I still believe in truth and right and wrong. I would love to go back to the “good old days” but that is impossible. I live in a fast paced cruel and crazy world. I’m excited to use this blog as a medium to share my opinions and perspectives. Enjoy, and take lots of pictures.

Michelle Malkin on Parenting.

Michelle Malkin, columnist and television commentator wrote:
As a mother of a 4 year old girl and a 8 month old boy, I am increasingly dismayed by the liberal assault on the decency, the normalization of promiscuity, and the mainstream media's role as shameless collaborators....{excerpt removed}
When conservative women say,'have some self-respect' liberals in the media call us self-righteous. When conservative women say promiscuity is degrading and self-destructive, liberals in the media call us prudes. When liberal women raise their voices, they are praised as "passionate." when conservative women raise their voices, we are condemned as "shrill."
Her comments are concluded with a last bit of advice for parents:
Be "prudes." Be "rude." Be "shrill.". And never feel ashamed for asking out loud, "Have you no shame".

Quote taken from pg. 11 Bringing up Girls, James Dobson.

Awards Day

Yesterday I had the honor of observing my sweet girl receive rewards for highest average in her class in most every subject. I was filled with pride when she was given each award. Following the program Mandy and I walked with Abbey back to her classroom. It was there Abbey received the highest honor of all. Two people shared with Mandy and me about our little girls sweet Christian attitude. Good grades will only take one so far in life. What will separate you from the rest of the scholars is the goodness of Christ Jesus living inside us. If we are good it is because Jesus is good. If we speak a kind word it is because Jesus is kind. If we have compassion on someone it is because Jesus is compassionate. Christ in us is the hope of Glory.