Time Remaining

The journey of searching for a church to call home is taking a little longer than I first anticipated. We have been attending a place that is fairly typical for the south; big [1000] a heavy emphasis on kids, somewhat of an edgy sermon, hip songs played by a 'rock band' in contrast to a typical choir, but found myself annoyed by the standard lingo that is vomited from 'pulpits' all over the south! The teaching had little to do with understanding the cultural backround with which it was written in, and had absolutly nothing to apply to the current reality as a Christ-follower. The talk was 'salt and peppered' with things like...'We love you unconditionally but...if the church is not growing then its dead....' Which are fairly easy things to say in an upper middle class america. My issue with the church was I....
A. Don't want to constantly have to correct in my mind misguided information. Healthy living begins with right information.
B. Chances are that the next church we call home is going to be the church my kid learns about Christ, and I want my kid to be brought up without having a negative experience with Jesus from an early age at a church. Plus going back to point A, of constantly back stepping back making comments like 'what the talk was trying to say...'
C. I feel a true sense of deep sadness for the people that are being produced by misguided information, bad parenting choices and a lack of a place that will accept them for just as they are.

My fear is that a healthy place like that doesn't exist in close proximity to my daily home. Which in part opens another conversatin about 'doing life with your community' what is requird to live out your values? At the end of the day I believe this is all I want...a healthy place to call home. I don't care about the non essentials of hymns vs. Songs or Sunday vs. Tuesday or liturgical vs. Laid back. I seek a place that maintains a missional lifestyle locally and globally, a place that is 'surprised by hope' each week, a place that understands the culture of people it is becoming as the redemptive story of Christ is being played out, a place that that accepts you just as you are.

Its a strange combination to have an amazing amount of hope and fear at the same moment for something that seems like a myth. My hope is that a healthy place to call home is right around the corner but my fear is that I am just following sign post into the fog.

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