Posted by Dena on August 18, 2003, at 18:49:56
In reply to Wow » Dena, posted by rayww on August 18, 2003, at 16:02:21
Thank you, Raywww for your kind words. And I'm sure that there are many similarities between your faith, & mine. Thanks for the mini-education of your faith.
We do try to maintain an atmosphere of reverence in our services, but we have a time & a place to "cut loose" as well. During the praise & worship music time, most of us break into dancing (though we don't "strip down" as King David did!) - & the children all grab banners, flags & tambourines to join in the festivities. We start with the upbeat music, then usually drift into music with a more Hebraic feeling (still dancing), & then end with slower songs of worship, with most of us ending up on our knees or faces out of reverence. During the times for prayer, teaching, Eucharist, etc., of course we aim for solemnity. However, as the Mom who has the most children in our church, I can almost always count on one of my little ones to shatter the reverence with a dose of childish reality... like a burp, a squeal, an out-of-place "Amen!" or a louder-than-necessary announcement about having to go pee-pee!
Still, we try to remember that Jesus Himself said, "Let the little children come unto Me.", & He certainly knew the nature of children - spontaneous, guileless, honest to a fault... In fact, He told us to approach God like a little child. It's comforting to know that God knows me, inside out, & yet loves & accepts me as I am (while promising to transform me, step by step, into the whole person He designed me to become). I've heard it said He loves me as I am, but loves me too much to leave me this way!
How wonderful that you have five children, & that you've been blessed with 14 grandchildren! I'm so envious that you all live so close together! I live in Virginia, & all my relatives live in Oregon (where I was born). I have in-laws about an hour away, but they're not very involved in our children's lives. So, my church, especially our priest & his wife, are very much like family.
I honestly don't know how I would've survived the past week without their love & support, not to mention my faith in a loving God (who sometimes doesn't make sense to my feeble way of thinking).
Losing my baby doesn't seem worth it, but He is worthy.
Shalom, Dena
poster:Dena
thread:251749
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20030530/msgs/251945.html