When your spouse is treated badly.

[Dr. Shane]

I do not foresee anything that would drive me away from God's remnant church.  I was sharing with a fruend in a 12-Step group that I am an Aventist.  He shared that a friend of his visitted the Adventist church and liked it. The next week was potluck and she was asked to bring a vegetarian plate so she did. However at potluck one of the members talked down to her saying she wouldn't eat the dish because it had cheese. So she left and never went back.

i confessed to my friend that sounded like something that could happen because there is a small minority of self-rigteous folks in every church. Before I could finish the story, my friend agreed and commented that self-righteous folks are not just limmited to the Adventist churches.

I went on to tell him of a Mexican family that visitted a church in Minnesota where I attended college. When they brought chicken to potluck, our pastor sat at their table and ate their chicken with them.  The self-righteous folks were ready to hang the pastor for hearosy.

[Gail]

Hear, hear!

[Sojourner]

Greetings all,

Its been a couple of months and I decided to simply take some time out of church in general and try and clear my thoughts, not simply about just this but some other issues also.

Last Sabbath I went back and attended church there on my own because my wife and children did not want to come along when I gave them the option. I did not really enjoy the meeting and pretty much just felt uncomfortable being there. I collected the items from my overflowing pigeon hole and left after the meeting ended. I have spoken to one of the Elders and the Pastor and they are great people who clearly understand what the issues are, yet the simple fact is that these people are currently putting out spot fires in various places. Currently they are down to a guitar and a piano for 'worship' because the two kids that played the drums have been criticized so often over their drumming being 'disrespectful' that they and a number of young people have left the fellowship altogether. 

The realization that I have come to however is that I have lost none of my passion nor my interest in the Adventist Church. Yet I realize that I need to fellowship at an evangelical post modern styled group if I am to include my family members and actually enjoy being a part of the local fellowship. I don't think that there is any chance that I will ever again be involved in a fellowship like this Adventist Church. Whilst I may embrace the doctrine of the SDA, my background is growing up in the Salvation Army where its intensely evangelical and where all people are made welcome, my experience in visiting other Evangelical and Pentecostal groups that the same ethos is there as well. I know there are plenty of good SDA churches out there, and the challenge will be simply to find one and transfer across to it.

On the positive side, for no particular reason I happened to come across the daily show by TD Jakes on cable, I have been getting a massive amount from his messages and it has been something that has challenged me to get back into church again and to be focused on God and what He is saying. My feeling is becoming more and more that God isn't as hung up on which local church we belong to as we are. Time will tell I suppose, this weekend I am looking forward to fellowshipping at my old church for the Easter Program and I hope to begin visiting some more fellowships in the weeks to come and will simply see how that goes! Thank you all for your support and advice, it is very much appreciated!

 

[GayatfootofCross]

When i was selling books as a very young naive christian man i came across a former Miss Alabama who's life went really bad

Years before i met her ..the love of her life was doing something with his gun and accidentally shot himself in the gut and she watched him die.

i invited her to my cute lil country church and told her we had vegetarian potluck every week

i told her she didnt have to bring anything

well the night before we went together to church i went over there and there was white flour all over her and she was a bit manic making a giant  A GIANT pot of chicken and dumplings

I didnt know what to say seeing she has been slaving all night

... so the next morning we went to church

and im just praying

didnt know what to do

i did know one thing for sure

if i told anyone what was in it that dish it wouldn't  been touched and she would have been crushed

so i said nothing

i was so embarrassed and soooo protective of her

well we are sitting together with the elder's wife who i really didnt know and she was gushing to my guest how tasty her dish was

she asked what's it made out of and i looked at her sheepishly and told her it was chicken

her smile froze and then recovered quickly and smiled wider and said it was wonderful

i will forever to eternity be grateful for that moment