C.W. Hopper said...
"So when we meet as strangers, even when friends look like strangers, it is good to remember that we need each other greatly you and I, more than much of the time we dare to imagine, more than most of the time we dare to admit." [Buechner]

The sad thing that happens when you feel you no longer need God is that you also begin to feel that you no longer need people, or worse, that people no longer need you. Like Tom Hanks’ character in the movie, Castaway, a life of survival - merely trying to stay alive - is not living at all. To be alone, dependant only upon yourself, relying only upon your thoughts, believing you have nothing to contribute, is a painful existence. It was only when Hanks’ character constructed a crude raft, and set sail on the high seas with little hope of success, that he began to live again. It was a huge risk, one that almost certainly would end in death, yet it was worth it for he longed for adventure, and more importantly, knew that adventure is so much sweeter when shared with others. Who is God? God is us … and we are God!
However heretical that may sound, I believe it. God created this world to experience all the thoughts, feelings and emotions that were within God. When we choose to reject God, we reject others. God is not some powerful, bearded figure on a throne that offers love and freedom, yet banishes those who reject his offer to a life of eternal torture. God is Talon and Lisa and Mike and Becky and … me. Even the Bible calls us the body of Christ. Yes, we do need each other you and I (Buechner’s words), but we don’t need the traditional institution of church. In most cases, church is not community, for real community is made of different kids of people, with different attitudes, understandings, and even beliefs. Real community includes tolerance, and there is very little of that found in church. As I look forward to 2009, I am still seeking god/spirituality, but not through some organized religion. I believe what I’m looking for is not that far away, and it’s not in some after-life, and it doesn’t include some spiritual “Door # 3” where you can lose the prize you just won and get an eternity in hell instead. God is in every person, in all of nature, in our conscience and sub-conscious mind – God is all around us – we just have to realize it.

The Paradox

An exerpt from "The Hungering Dark" by Frederick Buechner
The paradox is that part of what binds us closest together as human beings and makes it true that no man is an island is the knowledge that in another way every man is an island.
Because to know this is to know that not only deep in you is there a self that longs above all to be known and accepted, but that there is also such a self in me, in everyone else the world over.
So when we meet as strangers, when even friends look like strangers, it is good to remember that we need each other greatly you and I, more than much of the time we dare to imagine, more than most of the time we dare to admit.

"church" Leadership

"Ministers today can't see this mysterious or theoretical body of Christ, and therefore do not feel compelled to find their place as a member (body part) of that mysterious living organism that exists without walls, neatly defined parameters, or organizational structure. They do feel compelled to be the head of something, and that something is often called "a ministry" or "a church", and it's usually an organization, rather than an organism. Rather than finding their place in the body, with macroscopic vision, seeking the health and well-being of the whole, they become extremely microscopic in their vision. They can only see, and therefore are supremely concerned with, their ministry, their church, or their organization. They are often too focused on building their ministry to really build the body of Christ. "

"I believe that Jesus can lead His people without a religious hierarchy... I believe the place to start is to begin to look rather warily upon those who love to have the preeminence, and especially upon the system that forces that preeminence upon men who would not choose it for themselves, had they but known that what we've seen as church leadership for centuries is not God's will after all."

from: Mark Frost

from Keith:
heres my thoughts after reading this....
"but I’m learning that knowing God’s will is not the point- but to Trust Him." thats interesting i was just thinking today, that its seems like God's main desire for his children is to learn to trust him more and more. not nessecarily to have power or understanding.
another thought: i agree with Jacobsen’s crusade against the church "institution" and "the religious veneer". but thats not a new idea to me. i've always been repeled but those things. so i've heard u talking about these concepts and they just aren't revolutionary for me. but i am curious.. what have you found is good for you? in regards to replacing institutional church? just hanging out with Christians?

Mom said...
Hi, Finally figured out how to type into this thing. I'm techniquely challenged. Anyway, I am thrilled to have a place to pour out my thoughts and receive some wisdom and confirmation from others going through this. ("This" meaning the unsettling lost feeling of not 'going to church' anymore.) After 35 years of involvment in church activities, I'm completely at peace with God, but have a sense of loss concerning the fellowship and sharing aspect of the body. I cried as I read Talon's blog and Claude's response. This is just what I need. Love, Mom