It's Just Money

While we were out of town this past March, we got a Life360 alert that one of our kids' phones experienced some sort of sudden stop, and that one of the things this could mean is an accident. (This is a really lame experience, by the way, especially when you've already been through it once before for real.) Anyway, when we finally got hold of them, we found out that our son had left his phone on top of the car and it ended up going on its own, final adventure. Then,

1. We reported it to Verizon.
2. This lowered our bill by a good amount.
3. We told him he wouldn't be getting another one until he could pay for it.
4. Life was good.
5. Then,

We got an email from Verizon shortly thereafter informing us that, with only three phones, we would be losing whatever bundle discount we had. Ok. Cool. How bad could it be? Then,

I got the latest bill today.

$460.

For THREE phones!

So I've been calming myself by reminding myself that it's just money. It comes and goes. And really, what else can you do about something you never seem to have enough of? Besides, it's not like it's oxygen, or love. Those would be really bad things to never have enough of, right?

So, yeah. It's just money.

It's. Just. Money.

IT'S...eh, I'll let you know how it goes. (No, we won't be paying that.)

Why I Left My Church of 30 Years

As is almost always the case in situations like this, there are multiple reasons.

First, it's very much the same people doing the same things in the same ways as they have for the last 40 years. There is a soul-numbing lack of depth.

Second, they use the language of "family" but they are not. It is Corporate America dressed up as a church. Have genuine friendships developed? Of course. But "coworkers" is a better comparison when looking at the bigger picture:

• People sit in the same place, with the same people, having the same conversations. 
• You matter if you contribute to their bottom line, and you do not if you don't.
• There is a clear "org chart" hierarchy delineating who matters more.
• Questioning leadership will almost certainly not end well for you.

(Their bottom line, though irrefutably intertwined, is not primarily financial; it is growing the church. And while God obviously wants everyone to be with Him in the end (2 Peter 3:9), they mistake God's Prime Directive for theirs. We are called to love Him and each other increasingly well (Mark 12:28-31) and let Him make the fruit grow (1 Cor 3:7). It's almost as if they actually believe He needs our help!)

But for many of us (yes, many of us), the final reason goes much deeper. It is about hurt and harm that has come from abuse, justified by their focus on "the mission," and swept under the rug. Hopefully I can be sensitive to friends and others who have lived this literally(!), but it seems very much like finally admitting you are married to a racist, sexist, abusive narcissist, and you just can't do it any more. In fact, you should not.

I hear some say we should fight to keep the world/local culture from creeping into the church; more and more are realizing it started to do that a long time ago. We have historically prided ourselves on being diverse and not like the world; however, while our membership has been diverse, our leadership and culture have been (and largely continue to be) White, conservative American patriarchy. Again, Corporate America dressed up as a church.

The real problem, though, is that most seem okay staying on this path and definitely NOT okay with owning our mistakes and harm and truly working toward healing and real growth.

And this is why I (and yes, again, so many others) have left / are leaving / will leave.

Baptism

Few doctrines have been and still are as contentious among Christians as baptism.

• Immersion or sprinkling?
• Baby or adult?
• Necessary or optional?
• Work or obedience?

"Unfortunately, the proper role of baptism in conversion has been lost to most of the Christian world since the early 400s."

God's plan of salvation is not complicated, but it is ordered (which makes sense, as He is a God of order). Think of it like making a cake: all the right ingredients, no wrong ingredients, added in order, and then baked in the oven. Baptism is like the baking part.

It is important to understand that the mere fact that every single ingredient isn't listed every single time it's addressed does not make any single ingredient any less vital. If Gordon Ramsay addresses the lack of salt in a contestant's dish, he is not negating all the other ingredients. God addresses faith in some places, repentance in others, and baptism in others still (Acts 2:36-39, Colossians 2:11-15, Romans 6:1-5 for starters).

In short: Baptism is not just an outward sign of anything. Full-immersion water baptism is a vital part of God's plan of salvation; it is, in fact, the point at which we (1) participate in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection; (2) receive the promised Holy Spirit who indwells us (which is very different from an outpouring of the Spirit); and, (3) receive the forgiveness of our sins. Needless to say, one must be mature enough to understand the basic truths of the Gospel and the commitment being made.

And that's just the beginning! I personally found the book, Born of Water, a simple yet incredibly helpful tool in understanding baptism.

Here are some more resources for those who want to go even deeper:

• What the Bible teaches about baptism
• Baptism in the New Testament
• Baptism: The Believer's Wedding Ceremony
• Down in the River to Pray
• Martin Luther on "faith alone"

My hope and prayer are that we can all come back fully to God's will regarding this holy and beautiful practice!