Sleeping in On Sundays--Can the Institutional American Church Compete?

During the past three or four months, Evelyn and I have decided to take off one Sunday during the month.  There was never a moment that we said, "Hey, let's take one Sunday a month and skip the Sunday morning show," but that has become the case without a long-range plan. 

And, it's a habit that will be hard to break.

One of those Sundays we drove about an hour to visit Ev's brother Dave's church so we could hear him, uh, preach.  His is the only sermon we've heard in longer than you can imagine.

But, on the other Sundays, we did what most Americans these days do.  We slept in and simply lazed a good part of the day. 

Ironically, joining the people of the world, we Sabbathed.  We rested. 

And, I have to tell you that those lazy Sundays were the most healthful and enjoyable times I've spent doing anything in years.

Over the years, there were a handful of Sundays that I didn't "go to church." But not many. 

Since I was a boy, going to church has been an important duty in my life.  So, on those Sundays that I didn't take in a Sunday morning show, there was always at least a dull pang of guilt--and never the joy I've experience in recent months when I skedaddled from the Sunday morning show tradition.

It took a long spiritual journey for me to be able not to "go to church" and also feel no hint of guilt about it. 

It took a ton of Bible study and meditation on the Word to realize that attending a Sunday morning show is, in no way, a form of righteousness that pleases the Lord.  But, clearly, that realization has now taken hold in my life.

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Now that I've gotten point that I can not take in a Sunday morning show and be guiltless, I realize what a formidable task faces institutionalized American churchianity.

Not going to church is a wonderful way to live!  It can be one of the few positive addictions a person can fall prey to.  It can be a profoundly positive spiritual lifestyle!

And, here's the point:  Now that I've tried it, I can't see the church competing with not going to church.

And, I'm guessing that, in the era in which so-called millennials' values are becoming increasingly dominant, the Christian movement is going to have to adapt and define being a follower of Jesus in a more biblical way--than assuming that church attendance is central. 

This Middle Ages notion of Christianity--rooted in attending the Mass/Worship Service/Show--no matter how attractional the event may be, is, very likely, a thing of the past.

It will not, in the future, be able to compete with simply sleeping in--even for a geezer like me!

APE Rape

I'm including on this blog a link to fellow prophet Dan Horwedel's blog post, APE Rape.  Click and check it out if you have the spiritual courage.

This is powerful stuff and, I believe it is genuinely prophetic.

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A few comments about Dan and this post:

1.  These days Dan appears to be growing in his prophetic gift at an exponential rate.  He is a genuine blessing to me.

2.  Dan's image takes my own "Shepherd Mafia" image and makes it seem like Dick and Jane stuff.

3.  I believe that Dan's rape image is from the Lord and that it is consistent with the powerful messages and the images that the Lord spoke through His prophets in the Word.  If this vivid image itself offends you, you need to read the books of the prophets in the Word.

4.  You should ask yourself:  Who are the APE rapists among us?

5.  You also need to ask:  Am I an APE rapist?

6.  While Dan doesn't claim to be a victim of APE rape, I think he is one and, further, that he is a victim of gang rape and, beyond that, that his rapists need to apologize and make restitution to him and to confess their sin to the Lord and to the church.