When a Church Starts Eating Its Members

I have seen a sad thing today. I have seen a church that has ceased to be the Church. I have seen a group of people that I used to respect turn on one of their own. I have seen them behave in hateful ways. I have seen more than I ever wanted to see... and I am angry.

I am angry that we forgot what it means to be "be the family of God in this place." I am angry that we forsook our promise to each member. Today we beat down one of our own. The promise we made to her eighteen months ago seems long since forgotten.

"We pledge ourselves to be the family of God for you in this place. We offer you our love our care our kinship and our hopes. We hope to learn from you, give to you, and receive from you by Gods grace."

In our effort to be swift and political we lost our heart and the love of Christ. Where was grace today? Where was unconditional love? Where was Paul's admonition to confront one another in love first one-on-one and only later with a "posse"? It was far from my church. And quite frankly it makes me sick inside to think that I tithe to this cannibalistic collective.

Yes, there is no perfect church. I am not that disillusioned. But I am also not going to wear rose-colored glasses and claim that all is well. Since our head pastor left we have turned on one another. It almost reminds me of Lord of the Flies. We have truly lost hold of the reality that we only survive if we remain in authentic community.

It is a sad day indeed when a church starts eating its own members.

No News is Good News?

I am in that intolerable period called waiting. I am not very good at it. There is some freedom in naming and claiming the fact that I am inpatient and faithless. I have trouble seeing God working in this, but I know He is. I just got a call from Mercer today letting me know that I am still in the running for their Res. Life position. That was a shock! I hadn't heard anything from them since I applied in the end of February! Now I am faced with deciding if we are interested in potentially packing everything up and moving to Macon, GA. There is a seminary connected to Mercer (McAfee in Atlanta) but I am pretty sure my position would be in Macon (1 1/2 hrs away) which doesn't put us in a better position than waiting it out around here. I need to pray about this for awhile and see if that gets me any clarity. In the meantime I wanted to give you all an update. I haven't heard from Baylor on my various positions yet... but as the adage goes, "no news is good news." Right? :) God is good. Waiting is hard. :)

Mercer v. Baylor :)

The Cutest Cutie

Just wanted to post a brag. Look at my adorable buddy Josiah! He is my "nephew by choice", in other words, my cousin Andy and Sara's son. My Mom made him these rad (did I just say rad?) overalls with Thomas the Train! If anyone wants a pair I can forward your name on to my Mom. :) Isn't he cute? :)

Life in the Fast Lane

Life has been a little crazy lately...with my job search, assistantship, and my crazy final semester. I guess you could say I've been a little depressed at times. I hate being down. Quite frankly I am also very bad at it. I just wish I could get a hold on peace and never let go. It seems like I spend most of my days chasing it around the room instead of stopping to let it catch me.

While I firmly believe God is leading others it is so hard to turn that around and believe it about myself. Your prayers are coveted. Thank you to those of you who are already in constant prayer for Marc and I as we transition into "Carrie's post-graduate school life." And now on a happier note.

Here is a picture of Syler, Ryan and Kristen Richardson's adorable babe. He has the greatest personality--just like Isaiah Patterson--all smiles and giggles! It makes me miss home even more. The good part is that I get to see this little guy every Monday (and sometimes more often) so that tides me over until I can hit up the big city of Sioux Falls! Here are some pictures of Syler and my friend Marly who is moving to Costa Rica to study Spanish.

May the Lord bless you today as you go about your Wednesday!