As I said in my post “Professionalism” a few months ago, one of the things I’m tired of with church is the lack of professionalism. Amy and I have been doing different things church-wise over the last few months, and while it’s been a good time of decompression, I think it’s time to find a church that can fulfill our needs and do so in a reasonably professional manner.

I’m fairly familiar with the churches in the area, and have decided that Overlake Christian Church is the place we need to be at this stage in our lives. They have enough service times, parking spaces, and worship leaders that we finally will not have to worry about any of those things.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about making this shift in my ecclesiology, and have concluded that bigger is better. A church like OCC can achieve economies of scale in ways that smaller churches can’t. It’s the best of both worlds - no wasted resources, and professional services.

I’ll also be relieved to be attending worship services again. God wants us to attend worship services, as 2000 years of church history have clearly shown. It’s humbling to only realize this after so long a journey.

See you at OCC on Sunday. We’ll be in section 3, row M, seats 55 and 56.

Mike Morrell from The Ooze says:

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Thanks for your interest!
Mike Morrell

Mike’s sent me some great books. If you’d like to get the hookup, email him as it says above.

I finished reading Ron Rolheiser’s excellent book The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality yesterday. Rolheiser is Catholic, a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and is clearly a fan of Henri Nouwen.

Rolheiser begins by making a case for certain essential elements of a Christian spirituality. I didn’t buy everything he said in this section, as some of his points were unsupported assertions that assumed a shared theological background, but I enjoyed his chapters on the roots of spirituality in the incarnation of Christ.

There’s an excellent chapter on social justice, and despite Rolheiser’s celibacy, he has a remarkably insightful and comprehensive perspective on human sexuality in the latter portion of the book. While reminiscent of the writings of Henri Nouwen, The Holy Longing strikes a balance with the average person that Nouwen - who, like Rolheiser, led a deeply contemplative life - never did for me.

The core of Rolheiser’s argument is that spirituality is about channeling our desires, our passions, in life-giving ways. If these desires are either out of control or dampened entirely, inflation or depression - explosion or implosion - inevitably occurs, leading to a fractured self.

In an age when arguments for or against a particular practice on strictly moral grounds seem tired or antiquated, The Holy Longing masterfully links time-honored mores with an insightful analysis of the influence on the self that these practices have. It’s not a book about morals or spiritual disciplines per se, but about nurturing a spiritual life that is truly life-giving.

If you’ve read dozens of books on spiritual disciplines, or are just getting started in the topic, The Holy Longing will be worth your time for its refreshing perspective and readable, almost meditative prose.

I’ve maintained for some time now that a Sunday service does not validate or invalidate a church, and in principle, I still believe this.

Yet I can’t seem to shake the feeling that a church isn’t a church without a Sunday service, or at least a replacement service of a similar format at some other time. We still do our theological book groups on alternating Tuesdays and Film Night on alternating Saturdays, which have varying degrees of impact on my life.

It’s been a few months now since we stopped meeting on Sundays, and while we went to a few great churches on Sundays for a few weeks, we haven’t gone anywhere in a while. I’m thinking of going to a Presbyterian church (maybe U Pres) on Sunday.

I think we need a level of involvement and activity that’s higher than what we’re doing now, but not necessarily as high as we grew up with. Of course, there are many factors that give church attendance a different role in the life of faith. But I’m not sure exactly what those are right now.

Still figuring it out. Peace.