Great Good Newses
I. The sermon went well. I felt comfortable and relaxed, and also felt like the message got across clearly; also that I could be kind of humorous (but not making jokes, just in a way that's natural for my personality) and casual and preach as myself. So, all's well. Of course, it's hard for me to really trust all those people that come up after you preach to tell you how fabulous you are and what a good preacher and how fabulous your sermon was. I just don't really know whether to trust it, because it seems like people say that to all newish preachers just to be encouraging. So, for all I know maybe the content was really awful and the tone of my voice grated on people's ears. But I felt good about it, for all that's worth.
II. A great healing has occurred for my step-father, and it's looking like he doesn't need open-heart surgery at this point. So, he might get to go home in the next couple of days! It's really wonderful news; especially since he's had 2 open heart surgeries already in his life (he was a premie, and has had heart problems since he was a kid).
III. Related to II....that means I'm not going to be traveling to be with my family (until this weekend), and I get to go to Patty Griffin tomorrow night! Soooooooooo excited. I am prepared for my internal world to be rocked.
IV. There are two topics I'm going to mention here, just so I can remember that I want to blog about them in the future. a) My friend Michelle and I were talking about whether we connect more to people through their happiness or through their sadness. I want to explore this, and see the diversity of viewpoints. b) I have a friend (not the aformentioned Michelle, I love you darling) who in the past few times we've hung out has taken every opportunity possible to scrutinize the moral dimensions of every comment I make (even the totally unserious jokey comments)--and then proceeds to try to "challenge" me and teach me all these lessons so I can have a better way of seeing/feeling/viewing things. His moral arrogance and superiority angers me to no end. So, I just want to explore the role for these kinds of moral challenges within a friendship--and how it can be good, and when it can be very very very bad.
II. A great healing has occurred for my step-father, and it's looking like he doesn't need open-heart surgery at this point. So, he might get to go home in the next couple of days! It's really wonderful news; especially since he's had 2 open heart surgeries already in his life (he was a premie, and has had heart problems since he was a kid).
III. Related to II....that means I'm not going to be traveling to be with my family (until this weekend), and I get to go to Patty Griffin tomorrow night! Soooooooooo excited. I am prepared for my internal world to be rocked.
IV. There are two topics I'm going to mention here, just so I can remember that I want to blog about them in the future. a) My friend Michelle and I were talking about whether we connect more to people through their happiness or through their sadness. I want to explore this, and see the diversity of viewpoints. b) I have a friend (not the aformentioned Michelle, I love you darling) who in the past few times we've hung out has taken every opportunity possible to scrutinize the moral dimensions of every comment I make (even the totally unserious jokey comments)--and then proceeds to try to "challenge" me and teach me all these lessons so I can have a better way of seeing/feeling/viewing things. His moral arrogance and superiority angers me to no end. So, I just want to explore the role for these kinds of moral challenges within a friendship--and how it can be good, and when it can be very very very bad.
Labels: family, friendship, patty griffin, preaching
posted by bethany at 10:37 PM
2 Comments:
Hey B!
Actually, the word on the street is that you ROCKED IT when you preached on Sunday! Some friends that I met last night specifically mentioned how much they enjoyed hearing you speak. So the rumors are true!
I've been thinking about that connecting though happiness/sadness thing too. I think that people connect both ways, but there are special ways -- I think? -- in which people connect through sadness. I could go on for a while about this, but post 9-11 is a good example. I can't think of anything else that brings people together (for at least a while) quite like a tragic experience. Of course, needing to connect through pain can be quite unhealthy...and I have definitely been on the receiving end of that before! =-(
As for the other friend...that one's tough. Does S/he know that s/he comes of as totally condescending? Is that something that you can address with that person or no?
Hope you enjoyed the Patti Griffin concert & let's hang out soon!
-dana
So glad you could preach as yourself and find a way to be the humurous person you are in sermon form.
I've been struggling with communicating this type of thing to my lay committee. A few individuals in the church would love for me to be just like their pastor. He's a great guy, a good preacher, a wonderful minister, but he's not me and I'm not him.
So I get some of the same comments from folks everytime I preach. Because there are some things I do that aren't like the pastor does. And it's hard to keep hearing those comments, but I also don't want to cater to the people. Guess this is why ministry can be hard work for "people-pleasers."
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