Just thinking...

I should probably write something... but I just don't really know what to write. It's not that I have nothing to say, necessarily, but I am trying to be more positive about things and some of what I feel like saying isn't real positive. Not a lot, but some.

MISCELLANEOUS:

- I had tomato soup for lunch today. And I didn't even ruin any pans in the process. The last time I tried to make it I had a little trouble.

- I am just about ready to switch this blog to Blogger Beta. I have been messing around with a test blog and I 'think' I have it almost the way I like. I'm still not sure, but Blogger is telling me it's time to start thinking about it.

- I haven't been reading much lately. I'm kinda just burned out on reading right now. My mind is weary. It's difficult to hold together too many different strains of thought at the same time. Plus I haven't been feeling the greatest. My leg is bothering me again - probably from all the driving the past few weeks. The rainy weather is doing a number on my sinuses too.

MARK DRISCOLL

- I've been following some of the discussion about Mark. I have been tempted to jump into some of it, but... I dunno. I'm not really up for a fight right now. Besides, I am having a hard time seeing either side as being completely right or completely wrong. For those of you who might be unaware, Driscoll wrote a post about the Ted Haggard Scandal HERE, and it has caused quite a stir regarding his comments about women. He mentioned something about wives who "let themselves go and don't keep themselves attractive can add to a husband's temptation problem." He even said they're not 'responsible for the problem', but that it "doesn't help."

You know, I am not defending Mark, and I don't agree with him on gender roles in the church, but the truth is... I think there is some truth to what he is saying. I have known some women who, when they got married, they no longer took care of themselves because they believed it was their husbands responsibility to love them no matter what. And... I have known many husbands who have done the same thing to their wives. And the real truth is... it has nothing to do with keeping yourself looking "hot" for your spouse; but it has more to do with ATTITUDE and LOVE towards your spouse. We are not our own.

Driscoll has since written a response to his critics HERE. And... surprise, surprise... that hasn't helped many of them because what many of them really want is for him to apologize for his beliefs (because they think his beliefs are wrong). Again, I don't agree with his views on gender roles either, but I don't believe it's my place to make sure that Mark Driscoll agrees with my views. Some people just plain don't like Driscoll, and in my opinion, that is THEIR problem.

I guess that's an area where... I dunno... maybe I've grown complacent. Or... maybe I've matured, and I just don't feel the need to defend every-little-thing against those I disagree with anymore. Whichever the case... whatever.

OCCUPATION:

- Another thing I've been thinking about: My old job. This is one of those days when I kinda wish I were still seam-welding pieces of sheet metal. I used to run a machine where I welded together 42" tall round sections of (mostly) 20 gauge stainless steel to make chimney sections. It was pretty repetitive; it involved a fair amount of manual labor - even though the machine was actually doing the welding; but it wasn't a bad job.

You know, I almost feel like I made more of a difference for the kingdom when I was a welder than I do as a pastor. I just feel like I don't really do anything anymore. But when I worked in a factory, I was also on the church council, I helped with the junior high group, I was a Sunday School teacher, I was in a Bible Study at church, Jane and I had a small group every Friday night in our home, and I was constantly talking to people about Jesus and inviting them to church and doing things for people, and so on and so on.

I guess I just don't think one's occupation really has all that much to do with the extent of one's ministry. I think my kids (and most people in high school and college) are all worried about "what they're going to do." And I just don't think the job we choose really matters all that much. It's more the kind of person you become; it's how you do your job; how you interact with others; stuff like that.

Some days I really wish I could go back to the factory. But... I also remember my last year there... When I felt like I was supposed to go to seminary and I said "no." It was a bad year. So the important thing isn't what you do - it's doing what you feel the Holy Spirit wants you to do. And that may or may not have anything to do with your occupation.

Sorry for the long post. More later.