BonnieBon
10-30-2002, 12:42 AM
so yeah... i know im procrastinating, but its more than that, beause i cant send the dreaded email until i can formulate the words the way i need to. UGH
okay, back to the actual topic of this thread.
This is probably the biggest thing i would never be able to even bring up. Christians often talk about God being your top priority. One pastor I know of often speaks about how the "Lord" of your life is the thing you think about the most. Basically his concept is that everyone has a Lord, and he makes people question whether their Lord is Money, Sex or Jesus.
The way that they seem to approach the God being the top priority thing: 1-- time. Everyone attends Church on Sunday morning, about the time i stopped attending there were even pre church prayer meetings. Tuesday nights was/is VCM meetings for the college crowd people. Actually, there was the UCLA bible study (VCM) that was tuesdays, and im sure it still goes on...everyone shows up for that. Now there is a CSUN VCM, which is probably an additional night of the week. Then there is Friday night prayer meetings.
So far we have established that a great deal of these people spend Tuesday nights at bible study, an additional weeknight at bible study, Friday night at a prayer meeting and Sunday morning at church. God is worth the time for sure, but that isn't the point. And if they want to do that, fine, let them. But I don't think devotion to God is measured in the amount of time we spend in bible studies.. and these four days in the week are in addition to a prescribed one hour of reading the bible every day (preferably morning I'm told)
Spending all the time they do in chrch and VCm meetings is fiine, but especially with people who ar ebasically 18-25 years old, you'd expect some life, some passion... some...interests.
I mean, I have always been overflowing with things i want to do.. Improv, theater, even the amount of work i've put into working out over the past few years... I just see a lack of passion in the group..
Okay, actually that isnt the right way to put it. They are full of excitement, passion, conviction--- but only for God. I mean, i dont think i've ever seen them truly get excited about anything that isnt about God.... am i the only one who sees a problem in that?
I guess i shouldnt put this down. I respect that passion, i admire it..but its like...dont you have anything else you like to talk about?????
But i think if one of those people even knew i was thinking that , they'd justify it as putting God at the top of their priority list.
My argument (though it is an argument in a discussion that would never take place) is that is not my definition of putting God at the top of my list. Especially because i am not able to attend church, I have to believe that there is another way for God to be at the top of my list; With that in mind, i think, whethere i am attending church or not, that doesnt say whether God is at the top of my list.
And also, on the whole thing about interests and having interests other than God, that bothers me to.. My friends would say God is at the top of their list. They could even show you by their schedule-- the reading the bible daily, the 4 days a week of prayer meetings and bible studies..
They could probably make you a list to prove it. It might look something like !) God. 2) Evangelism 3.) School 4) Friends...
This troubles me. My way of thinking is so far froim that. That is not what it means to me, the putting God at the top of the list.
For me ,if i made you a list of my priorities, i probably wouldnt even include God in my list. I dont think God belongs in the list with school, and work and working out.... I dont think school is in the same league as God. I think of him more like inclusive in who i am.... Like, your conscience pays a big role in your life, but do you include "listening to your conscience" in your "list' how about "maintining your morals" NO... i dont include those things in my "list" They are too big for that.
As for actual time put into pursuoing God, church... all i can say to keep myself content on that issue is that going to church is not the only way to have God's presence in my life.
:werd:
okay, back to the actual topic of this thread.
This is probably the biggest thing i would never be able to even bring up. Christians often talk about God being your top priority. One pastor I know of often speaks about how the "Lord" of your life is the thing you think about the most. Basically his concept is that everyone has a Lord, and he makes people question whether their Lord is Money, Sex or Jesus.
The way that they seem to approach the God being the top priority thing: 1-- time. Everyone attends Church on Sunday morning, about the time i stopped attending there were even pre church prayer meetings. Tuesday nights was/is VCM meetings for the college crowd people. Actually, there was the UCLA bible study (VCM) that was tuesdays, and im sure it still goes on...everyone shows up for that. Now there is a CSUN VCM, which is probably an additional night of the week. Then there is Friday night prayer meetings.
So far we have established that a great deal of these people spend Tuesday nights at bible study, an additional weeknight at bible study, Friday night at a prayer meeting and Sunday morning at church. God is worth the time for sure, but that isn't the point. And if they want to do that, fine, let them. But I don't think devotion to God is measured in the amount of time we spend in bible studies.. and these four days in the week are in addition to a prescribed one hour of reading the bible every day (preferably morning I'm told)
Spending all the time they do in chrch and VCm meetings is fiine, but especially with people who ar ebasically 18-25 years old, you'd expect some life, some passion... some...interests.
I mean, I have always been overflowing with things i want to do.. Improv, theater, even the amount of work i've put into working out over the past few years... I just see a lack of passion in the group..
Okay, actually that isnt the right way to put it. They are full of excitement, passion, conviction--- but only for God. I mean, i dont think i've ever seen them truly get excited about anything that isnt about God.... am i the only one who sees a problem in that?
I guess i shouldnt put this down. I respect that passion, i admire it..but its like...dont you have anything else you like to talk about?????
But i think if one of those people even knew i was thinking that , they'd justify it as putting God at the top of their priority list.
My argument (though it is an argument in a discussion that would never take place) is that is not my definition of putting God at the top of my list. Especially because i am not able to attend church, I have to believe that there is another way for God to be at the top of my list; With that in mind, i think, whethere i am attending church or not, that doesnt say whether God is at the top of my list.
And also, on the whole thing about interests and having interests other than God, that bothers me to.. My friends would say God is at the top of their list. They could even show you by their schedule-- the reading the bible daily, the 4 days a week of prayer meetings and bible studies..
They could probably make you a list to prove it. It might look something like !) God. 2) Evangelism 3.) School 4) Friends...
This troubles me. My way of thinking is so far froim that. That is not what it means to me, the putting God at the top of the list.
For me ,if i made you a list of my priorities, i probably wouldnt even include God in my list. I dont think God belongs in the list with school, and work and working out.... I dont think school is in the same league as God. I think of him more like inclusive in who i am.... Like, your conscience pays a big role in your life, but do you include "listening to your conscience" in your "list' how about "maintining your morals" NO... i dont include those things in my "list" They are too big for that.
As for actual time put into pursuoing God, church... all i can say to keep myself content on that issue is that going to church is not the only way to have God's presence in my life.
:werd: