Well, I guess this is a blog?

I have been in church since the day I was born, you know the kind...born in the nursery. My life was full of Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, VBS, etc. When I was young we attended a very small church and I remember us taking our turn to clean the building and mow the yard on a Saturday. Its just what we did. Everyday brings me a little closer to the big 4-0. Lately I have spent a lot of time self-evaluating. I had heard it was a good thing to do, not sure who came up with it but I would like to punch him in the neck! My self evaluation has led me to also evaluate the way I was raised both in the home and in the church building. I will focus now on my early thoughts about my church life.



My earliest memories of church are all about learning what not to do. All the "sins" I was not to commit. Don't drink, cuss, smoke, or chew and don't hang out with the girls that do... That pretty much sums up my early Christian education. Don't do this, don't do that. But, one memory always has stood out from the rest...it was a poster hanging on the door in our children's Sunday school class. It was a picture of some strange man with a hinged skull. Kind of like a hatch for easy access to the brain. Well lemons are just pouring out of the sky and into the trap door in this guys head. Then out of his mouth flows a fountain of the tart yellow stuff and I am sure you have guessed the quote on the poster: "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade". Wow! Deep stuff huh?



One problem, no one ever told me what these life lemons were and if they are good are bad. Also, they never told me what to do with this lemonade when I get done making it. You see, when all you are ever told is what not to do then you tend to be limited in the what to do area.



Now the only reason I talk about this now is because I have not seen a lot of change in the church even to this day. Church is known in our culture by what it stands against and almost never what it stands for. Most recently, the majority of the churches of Lubbock have let it be known that they are against expanding alcohol sales. Other times we are known for being against abortion, against homosexuals, against dancing, Mormons, Muslims, etc. Maybe you are saying "what's wrong with that?" While questioning my Christian raising I decided to read the words of Christ and His ministry on Earth. What I found might surprise you! He was "for" way more stuff than he was "against". I would like to cover more of that a little later. But, for now I encourage you to read the gospels and spend some time listening to the words of Jesus. Warning: to do so you will probably have to put out of your head a lot of what you have been told while growing up in church. Just empty your head and heart and let Jesus' own words fill them back up. Warning #2: It is pretty heavy and awesome stuff. Way better than lemons and lemonade.