Reflections on visiting churches
I hate to say that we are 'church-shopping'. It sounds so consumer driven and materialistic. Maybe this is more like God teaching us a life lesson entitled 'How to discern the place God wants you to serve'. But that is really to long to say and 'church-shopping' is so much more catchy.
We visited a church today that is 37minutes away from our current abode. That in itself is a big negative to me, but didn't throw it out of the running considering we could always move closer. We drove into the parking lot and were shuttled like so many lost sheep (no Christian pun intended) by parking attendants past the rows and rows of full parking spots to one of what appeared to be the last three parking spots available, back in East Buffoo Slacker/Late People Parking Land. Our journey then played out as follows:
1.Wrestle two small squirmy children out of the car and attached all of their accompanying acoutrements to any available parental appendage and commence the trek across the blacktop desert to the front door.
2.Cross the threshold into the sanctuary of the building where believers gather only to be greeted by row upon row of chairs set up in the lobby? Sorry, this showing is sold out, come again? No, just kidding, they didn't turn us away, but apparently we did show up for the 11:00 BYOCBTSIF (bring your own chair because the sanctuary is full) service.
3. Settle down on 'waiting outside the bathroom' style benches plopped down in the middle of the lobby so that you can have a view of the service televised on the available screen. Crane neck to peer between the people seated in front of you (who are unfortunately sitting on bar stools, and so you have an unnaturally clear view of their hindquarters).
4. Try to occupy RAFM (run away from mommy) disordered child with various small and possibly dangerous items dug out of diaper bag because child cannot go to the already horrendously overpacked child care area as there are no more spots available. Quite literally, no physical spots.
5. Mid-service before mentioned RAFM child decides it is 'make a break for it or bust' time while mommy is breast-feeding small portable child. RAFM child throws hideous tantrum when apprehended by daddy and decides to hide from daddy where she will never be found, under mommy's nursing cover with portable child. Funny how the whole point of the nursing cape/cover is to hide momma, not function as a fun lift and look toy for RAFM child. sigh.
The moral of the story is: I cannot possibly form an opinion about this church based on this one experience. Surely this has got to be a fluke.
We visited a church today that is 37minutes away from our current abode. That in itself is a big negative to me, but didn't throw it out of the running considering we could always move closer. We drove into the parking lot and were shuttled like so many lost sheep (no Christian pun intended) by parking attendants past the rows and rows of full parking spots to one of what appeared to be the last three parking spots available, back in East Buffoo Slacker/Late People Parking Land. Our journey then played out as follows:
1.Wrestle two small squirmy children out of the car and attached all of their accompanying acoutrements to any available parental appendage and commence the trek across the blacktop desert to the front door.
2.Cross the threshold into the sanctuary of the building where believers gather only to be greeted by row upon row of chairs set up in the lobby? Sorry, this showing is sold out, come again? No, just kidding, they didn't turn us away, but apparently we did show up for the 11:00 BYOCBTSIF (bring your own chair because the sanctuary is full) service.
3. Settle down on 'waiting outside the bathroom' style benches plopped down in the middle of the lobby so that you can have a view of the service televised on the available screen. Crane neck to peer between the people seated in front of you (who are unfortunately sitting on bar stools, and so you have an unnaturally clear view of their hindquarters).
4. Try to occupy RAFM (run away from mommy) disordered child with various small and possibly dangerous items dug out of diaper bag because child cannot go to the already horrendously overpacked child care area as there are no more spots available. Quite literally, no physical spots.
5. Mid-service before mentioned RAFM child decides it is 'make a break for it or bust' time while mommy is breast-feeding small portable child. RAFM child throws hideous tantrum when apprehended by daddy and decides to hide from daddy where she will never be found, under mommy's nursing cover with portable child. Funny how the whole point of the nursing cape/cover is to hide momma, not function as a fun lift and look toy for RAFM child. sigh.
The moral of the story is: I cannot possibly form an opinion about this church based on this one experience. Surely this has got to be a fluke.
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