Five Minute Friday: "Gather"

Our Mistress of Ceremonies for the Five Minute Friday is Kate over at Heading Home.  Hope you link up with us and join the fun.

 

 

GO!

 

Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?

 

-Lyrics by Robert Lowry

 

WARNING:  This may take longer than five minutes...

 

Lately the Lord has put me in the path of several of my Christian brothers and sisters who have given up gathering in fellowship with family of God.  It wasn't my place to ask why, though a few gave reasons unprompted.  Whether it be from pain or disinterest, knowing they are going it alone hurts me.  I've been praying for reconciliation and healing for them.

 

Hey, I've been there a couple of times.  I know how easy it is to get hurt and offended.  Church would be perfect if it didn't have people involved.  It would also be very lonely and boring.

 

I gave up the gathering during my years of undergraduate school.  I could lie and say I was too busy with school to attend, but the truth was that I didn't go because I had my knickers in a knot.  Those were some of the darkest, loneliest, and most painful times of my life.  Those were the times when suicide wasn't a mere passing thought, but a call to action that failed each time.  So I simply took to slowly trying to eat myself to death...

 

STOP!

 

I warned you...

 

Several years ago, I had to make a very painful Church transition.  It would have been easy to stay home, eat popcorn and watch Whose Line is it Anyway on the 'net, but that wasn't the answer to the pain I was enduring.

 

Neither I, nor the Bible is saying that one can't go to heaven if he doesn't go to church.  However, it's very hard to enjoy the trip alone. 

 

So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.

 

Hebrews 10:24-25, The Message

 

As I said, I've been there.  People hurt each other, whether intentional or accidental.  However, we who are followers of Christ are a family.  Every family tree has its nuts and squirrels and every sheepfold has to fight off wolves.

 

OK, enough generalities; let Auntie give you some advice:

• If you don't gather because of offense or hurt:  First, pray for the offender.  Second, if the hurt is so grievous that you can't yet be in the presence of the offender, gather at an alternate meeting.  Why?  It's much easier to make staying away a habit than regularly attending.  It's easier to keep a fire going than to start a new one from scratch.  Third, seek godly counsel from someone not involved in your hurt. That way, you won't be "gathering to yourself teachers, having itching ears"(II Timothy 4:3).  In other words, don't get advice from someone who's going to simply tell you want you want to hear.  Good counsel can help you sort through whether the hurt was intentional or not.  Praying helps you make godly decisions based on the truth of God's Word, rather than our own pain.
• If you don't gather because of sin, strife, or corruption in leadership:  First, pray; always pray.  Second, wipe the dust from your feet and move on.  Don't "cast your pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6) and don't "give offerings to the dead" Deuteronomy 26:14.  There are so many more good gathering places than bad ones.
• If it's simply a matter of personal preference, as in "they ain't runnin' this place to suit me:"  Put on your big boy/big girl panties and suck it up.  I've had this conversation with many people over the years and I've had to have this argument with myself a few times.  My answer is always the same:  First, why are you bringing this to me?  I don't have any pull or say so in anything and I don't really want to hear it.  Second, if you don't have the balls to go to the person you're mad with, reconciliation is not what you want;  division and keeping strife stirred up is all you want.  Therefore, you are the problem.  Proverbs 6:16,19 - "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him...he that soweth discord among brethren."

No, this stuff isn't easy, otherwise everyone would be doing it and churches and Bible studies would be full.  Take it from someone who's been there, it's worth it.  A word of caution:  There's no such thing as the perfect gathering this side of heaven, so please don't hunt for it.  You won't find it.  Auntie's not getting on to you;  I miss you.

 

 

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

 

II Corinthians 3:17 (King James Version)

A Dusting of Grammar: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Want to join the party?  Go on over to From This Side of the Pond  for the Hodgepodge link-up!

'In like a lion, out like a lamb'...does the first part of this saying describing March weather ring true where you live?

Does that answer your question?

 

March 4th is National Grammar Day. What common grammatical error bothers you the most? 

Adding apostrophe's where they dont belong grinds my nerve's.  See what I did there?

What bothers me is that people don't care about proper grammar and mechanics anymore.  Errors are going to happen.  Typos are going to happen.  However, to not care enough to correct them is inexcusable.  OK, cue the music.

William Arthur Ward says- 'The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.' Which one are you?

I work hard to be a realist/optimist.  Seeing the positive side is much healthier to the psyche than harping on the worse case scenario.  However, pessimist is my default setting and I'm working to change it.

What's something you need to 'march forth and conquer' this month?

Oh lawd, don't get me started.  I know that my blog is about my struggles in my journey to health, but I fear y'all are getting tired of hearing about struggles.  You're ready to hear about victories.  Quite frankly, so am I.

 

 

An ongoing debate around here...do you dust first, then vacuum or vacuum first, then dust? Of the two routine household chores, which do you dislike the least? How's that for wording? 

I vacuum and dust when needed.  I usually need to vacuum more than dust.

According to thrilllist.com, the ten most photographed sites in the U.S.A. are- Cinderella's Castle in Orlando, Southernmost House in Key West Florida, The Space Needle in Seattle, The Site of the Boston Massacre in Boston, The Bellagio Lake/fountains in Las Vegas, The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Coit Tower in San Fransisco, The Art Institute of Chicago, Niagara Falls, and snagging the number one spot-The Guggenheim Museum in New York City. How many on this list have you photographed? Which on the list would you most like to visit and photograph?

 

Out of all those listed, the Lincoln Memorial is the only one I've personally photographed.I took this photograph in 1990 on a band trip to DC.   I would really like to go back and take the DC tour again, plus I'd like to see Niagra Falls.  Other attractions not on the list I'd like to visit and photograph:  the Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Bryan-Denny Stadium...oh wait.

Fifty years ago Monday (March 2, 1965) The Sound of Music premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in NYC. Have you seen the film? Do you own a copy? On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love it (or not)? Ten=best movie ever. If you're a fan, what's your favorite scene or song from the movie? 

I've not viewed the entire movie.  I've tried several times to watch it, but never made it far enough to even know what the movie's plot.  Sorry, but I'm not very fond of musicals.  Quite frankly, I've never made it past "The hills are alive with sound of..."  *click*

Insert your own random thought here.

Yes, this is selfish, but I pray that the weather forecast for tomorrow is wrong.  Our community band is having their winter/spring concert Thursday night.  There is a slight chance of freezing precipitation.  Our part of the country freaks out when freezing-anything is mentioned.  I would like to have large attendance and a successful concert. 

Live Long and Prosper: The Simple Woman's Daybook

If you would like to join in and post your own Daybook, please head on over to visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today:  Sunday, March 1, 2015
 

Outside my window … The first day of meteorological spring looks dreary and not spring like at all.

I am thinking... about things I can't write about here. 

I am thankful... that the week is over.  It wasn't the best of weeks.  So, let's try this again.

In the kitchen...  I'm at that point again where no matter what I eat, it's wrong.  I don't know what to eat anymore.
 

I am creating... I'll be heading back to the Workshop this week.  I took the month of February off to rest and regroup.  My business wasn't very successful last year, so I'm hoping this reprieve has stirred up some better ideas.

I am going...  to try harder.
 

I am wondering... If I should stop doing the Five Minute Friday posts.  I haven't done one for a while because the word prompts seem to bring out more pessimistic depressing writing from me; longing for things I cannot have or remembering things I wish I could forget.  No, I'm not blaming the word choice; I can make it whatever I want.  I'm simply saying that my mind isn't going in the right direction with them.  Yes, it's cathartic for me but may not be adding value to the reader.
 

I am reading... I finished The Daniel Plan.  See my review here.  This week, I plan to read The Interceding Christian by Kenneth E. Hagin (part of my correspondence course curriculum) and start The Blessing of the Lord by Kenneth Copeland (I may be in this one a while).
 

I am hoping... to have an awesome week, to have a good fun run at the 5k on Saturday.

I am looking forward to... The community band concert on Thursday.  I'm looking forward to good weather and getting out on the porch. 
 
I am learning…  or should I say, attempting to learn, to pity those who overtly oppose my efforts to get well and make something of myself.  It's a shame that people would rather hurt others than do what it takes to help themselves.

 

Around the house...  a little straightening up and working in the workshop.

 

I am pondering...  on how to stop being a bully magnet.  Unfortunately, being an adult doesn't make it stop.
 

A favorite quote for today... 

"My folks came to U.S. as immigrants, aliens, and became citizens. I was born in Boston, a citizen, went to Hollywood and became an alien." - Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)

One of my favorite things... Star Trek.  I became a fan of Next Generation in college.  That led to my "discovering" the original series.  I liked Deep Space Nine, but got tired of Chakotay getting naked in Voyager and never watched Enterprise (Scott Bakula?  Really?).

A few plans for the rest of the week:   Other than running a few errands and the 5k Saturday, I don't have anything spectacular planned.

A peek into my day...  It wasn't an "eating stupid for breakfast" day like last Sunday, but it was still a very hard day.  Everything was such a struggle today.  Instead of going walking like I'd planned, I went home and slept.  I've got to do better than this.