Saturday, August 30, 2008

Is Church Shopping a Sin?

I need to preference this by telling you that I have been struggling with the topic of this post for many months. My husband is a restaurant manager and works most Sundays. Whether it's my place or not, I feel a great responsibility for the spiritual direction of this family.
Over the past five years we have moved to three different states. There are many factors to take in consideration when moving. Wanting to find a nice safe home in a good school district is usually on the top of the list for many. Fortunately, being homeschoolers, we haven't had to worry too much with location.
With our first move to Orange Park, Florida we didn't have a problem with what now plagues us. We found a wonderful church home. The Sunday school class we ended up in was young, energetic, and very welcoming. After being members of what I considered to be the ideal church in Hattiesburg we felt very comfortable in this church family.

Less that two years later, my husband's job transferred him. We ended up in what I fondly refer to as the armpit of the south; Monroe, Louisiana. We look for a new church home and settled on a church that had a rotational Sunday school class program much like the one we were involved in, in Hattiesburg. The adult programs were lacking, to say the least. I attempted to start an outreach program for single parents and was told by the other members that they simply didn't have time to do out-reach, but they'd be glad to write me a check.
Fortunately my husband took another job and we relocated to the Natural State. At first we drove 45 to a wonderful church in the Pulaski Heights District of Little Rock. The drive really started to be too much so we started look for a church closer to home. The church we first attended was supposed to have a rotational children's program, but apparently it fell apart during our transition. The minister who had been at that church for 16 years was moving and the members of that church were struggling. I threw myself in to volunteering. I worked in the after school program, taught kids Sunday school, and volunteered at VBS.

Skip ahead two years, there were only two children's Sundays school classes. Attendance was down and budgets weren't getting met. I did anything I could, but I started to feel drained. I wasn't getting refilled.
Through much though, prayer and discussion, we decide to visit some other churches. I actually waited until the pastor left (he resigned his position) because I didn't want to feel like I had jumped ship, given up, like it appeared everyone else had.
Since the Nazarene Church and the Methodist church are very similar in their teachings we visited a Nazarene Church that one of my homeschool friends attended. I loved the people of the Church, but I felt the Nazarene beliefs were a bit to evangelical for my taste.

Last last week we visited another Methodist church. If I could go on a " feeling" I would have joined after that first sermon. As it turns out, in talking to the pastor, his family, and several other members in that Church homeschool too. We plan to return this Sunday, but I think we may have finally found a church home.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Green Bag satisfaction


The broccoli in the green bag looks fresher than the shriveled up broccoli that was not in the the bag. I going to have to give DEBBIE MEYER™ Green Bags®
two thumbs up.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Being Green

There was a time that the three R's were readin', riting' and rithmatic, but those time have long since past. Do you know what the three R's are now? Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. We are told to Reduce the amount and toxicity of trash we discard, reuse containers and products; repair what is broken or give it to someone who can repair it, and to recycle as much as possible, which includes buying products with recycled content. Being green is big business. Not that I'm complaining, I think we need to be more aware of the way we treat mother earth. I just hate that it cost us to be earth conscious. We have moved around over the past several years and I can tell you some states/communities are much more conscious (or should I say they are more green) than other places.




One thing that's really easy is to use cloth bags instead of plastic or even paper when you go to the store. I workied at a home decor store and was sickened at the amount of packaging required to ship merchandise. Trust me when I tell you that that company did not recycle. Each week they received 300 + boxes of merchandise wrapped in plastic and styrofoam.



I think composting is another way to to decrease the amount of garbage and it helps out your backyard garden too. My parents gave me this counter top compost keeper that has a filter in the top that keeps the stench out.

Does you community have curbside routing?




Go check out the World Environmental Organization here to learn how you can reuse different household items.


What are you doing to help out the environment?

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” mahatma gandhi