worship surprises

I’m sitting at home waiting for delivery on some furniture (our first real hardwood bed frame), and listening to some traditional (pre-60s style) worship music from Family Radio on the web.. and then after the furniture comes, I’ll get to an alternative church service, at an alternative time. It’s thrilling for me to see all kinds of churches meeting at all kinds of times and places, and it’d be a dream for me to be part of a church where every Sunday’s worship is a fresh and creative experience, with possibly different worship styles, different orders of service, liturgy, spontaneity.. after all, few people want to go see a movie or read a book that’s predictable, worship could be unpredictable and have many more elements of surprise and creativity. After all, God is the most creative of Creators, why is it that churches are known for being routine, repetitive, and the same every week?

I’ve been re-thinking on the back burner what it means to be an “ePastor” as I’ve designated myself on this web site, and what I put myself out for is as a listening ear, not so much a confessional (and believe you me, no one has yet offered confessions here), but as a pastoral counselor. After 5 years of hands-on pastoral ministry, and now 2 years removed from it, I found myself gravitating in the past decade from being a pedantic doctrinal cognitive teacher of content, to a fellow human being who desires to walk alongside of people through the journey of life and faith. As I walk along side, I blur the boundaries of pastor and parishoner, okay, I eradicate it, and consider each person as my friend. And as such, at the moment, that’s where I am. My journals will usually not contain profound thoughts of spiritual insight nor dispensing devotional sound bites nor quoting Bible verses, but more of my personal sharings of what’s happening in my life below the surface. I suppose the words themselves may convey little of what’s actually happening, particularly if you’ve never met me in person, but it remains my desire to be open and transparent with who I am, and what God may be doing in my life.