Sleep has been alluding me. Blame it on my raging pregnancy hormones, my racing mind, or my enormous over-sized 34 week belly. I have been a bit cranky and certainly very tired. And what have I done about it? Well, like any normal person, I have continued to stay up way too late and wake up annoyingly early.
I used to sleep like a champ. Dead to the world. No siren, or street noise, no ringing phone or door slamming could wake me. Now however, it’s as if I awaken when a fly lands on a piece of paper three rooms away.
So, as I dream of someday achieving that kind of coma-like sleep again, my Favorite (Sleep) Things Friday will hopefully inspire and encourage beautiful nights followed by even more beautiful days.
Over the weekend the hubster and I watched the indie documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, which films various street artists, (also known as graffiti artists) in their quest to cover cities with their artwork. The most infamous of the street artists is the elusive Banksy, who also happened to produce the film.
Banksy has pulled off some of the most genius/risky/devious pranks and art displays among all street artists. He appears in the film with his face blacked out, voice disguised–still an enigma. No one knows who this mystery man is but, his creativity and talent are undeniable, even if you disagree with his mode of operation.
Last week I shared with you some of my thoughts following a 4-day conference I attended discussing organic churches. Many of you had questions regarding the actual model and structure of an organic church.
I thought I’d try my best to address those questions. Firstly, let me state that while I tend to use the terms “house church” and “organic church” interchangeably, many who take part in organic church do not. The distinction they draw is that house churches are usually just shrunken, smaller versions of a Sunday morning service. Organic churches, on the other hand, are something all together different.
For starters organic churches do not have a pastor. That’s right. There is no one guy and no one leader. Sound weird? Well, it is.Continue reading The Organic Church Model
So, I cried…a lot. I don’t cry that often. There was a time when I went years without crying and was sadly proud of this fact.
I sat in bed crying while my husband slept. It’s not his fault. He just happens to sleep like a coma patient. I should add too that he had nothing to do with my crying.
It was all me…well, all me and my enemy. I have failed lately. Failed in relationships. Failed in discipleship. Failed with sin. Failed to run to God. It seems failure is all around me and I’m to blame.
I have tried to not write too much about the fact that I’m pregnant because, well Modern Reject is not a baby blog. It’s not even a mom blog. But, I happen to be a mom who is having a third kiddo.
As much as I’ve tried to avoid the “pregnancy posts” this one was inevitable. This post is actually not just Favorite Things, but also least favorite things–of which there are many during these torturous nine months.
I’ll start with the things I love, like shopping for baby clothes. Then I’ll share the things I don’t love, like creepy older women touching my belly without permission. My Favorite (Pregnancy) Things for Friday…. Continue reading Favorite (Pregnancy) Things
The term “soul mates” has been around a very long time.The concept of having one person in all the world with whom you share great love, closeness, and connection (mentally, physically and spiritually) is a notion that has penetrated popular culture.
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato is believed to be the first person to write about an “other half,” the missing person in one’s life. From his concept came the great loves we have grown up reading about: Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Ken and Barbie.
The movies are filled with stories of people searching for their one true love and never feeling fulfilled until the moment their soul mate appears. Now, I’m a romantic and I love hearing stories of true love. Hearing about the couple who were engaged on their first date because they “just knew” makes me smile.
But is there really only one person for everyone? Do each of us have a soul mate? Or is it a Hollywood tale of love not rooted in reality? Continue reading The Myth of Soul Mates
Today’s guest post is from Darrell Vesterfelt whose blog is called This is Me Thinking. Darrell blogs about blogging, the creative process, and its relationship to the church. He also happens to be a pastor. I am also guest posting over at his blog about the “affair” I once had. Check it out.
Growing up a lot of little boys have heroes they look up to. Whether it is a famous athlete or their favorite musician, most young boys idolize someone, wanting to be like them when they grow up. For me, it was neither an athlete nor musician; it was my pastor.
I started volunteering at my church (willingly) in my teenage years. It was during that time that I decided that I wanted to be a pastor. Deciding on post-high school education, I applied for schools where I could study formal church ministry. I was accepted into a school in Minnesota where I studied Church Ministries for four years. While in Minnesota, pursuing that degree I accepted several staff leadership positions at churches in the area. Two months ago, I accepted my first official job as a pastor at a church plant in Palm Beach Gardens, FL called Shoreline Church.
In all these years of experience with the church, I have learned an awful lot about being a pastor. First of all there is a lot more responsibility, then I initially realized. I also realized that even though pastors generally have a lot to say, and aren’t afraid to spend a lot of time talking about the things they believe in, there are a lot of things that a pastor wants to say but cannot without the scrutiny from their members.
Over the last few days my husband and I attended an organic church (house church) conference, THRESHOLD, in Orlando. Despite being sore and tired both emotionally and physically from the car accident, we boarded a plane, knowing God had something for us there…and He did. I have so much that I hope to share and write about on Modern Reject over the next few weeks, including today’s post…
Growing up I used to love Chinese food buffets. I loved the variety, the endless row of choices. I would gorge myself of crab rangoons and sweet and sour chicken. My single mom liked buffets because they were cheap and easy. She could feed her growing girl for half the price.
The traditional Sunday church is very much like an all-you-can-eat buffet. There are 3 reasons, in fact, why Sunday morning church as we know it resembles a buffet: Continue reading The Buffet vs. the Potluck
Last Friday was my son’s 3rd birthday. The next day was when we planned on celebrating with family and friends. I woke up Saturday morning a little behind schedule. I ran around the house trying to get myself and the kids ready. Little did I know my rushing was in vain.
My husband, kids, and I piled in the car. We were headed to a local pizza spot and arcade around the corner–any 3 year-old boy’s dream birthday location.
There we sat at a red light waiting for it to turn green.
My son suddenly said, “Daddy, your seak belk.” Translation: seat belt. My husband had left the house without putting it on. “You’re right, buddy. Thanks,” he said as he reached down and clicked his seat belt into place.
Hello and welcome to Modern Reject. If it is your first or 1000th time here, allow me to say thank you for stopping by. I’m glad you are here. You look fabulous, by the way.
Since it is Saturday, a usually meh day around here seeing as I don’t usually post on Saturdays, I thought I’d spice things up. A dash of pepper. A pinch of humility. Thus, today is Shameless Promotion Saturday–a day for you to pimp yourself and for me to do the same. Continue reading Shameless Promotion Saturday
