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The View from the Back Pew - 8/5/2008 8:03:16 PM
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backrowbaptist
Posts: 440
Joined: 6/7/2008
Status: online
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So here goes...in case you've missed it, I'm one of the guys everyone ('cept revbob and some girl who pm'd that she loves me!!??) is mad at over in forums.
It's not that I'm a bad guy, it's just that after years of hangin' out in the back of my Baptist mega-church, I feel I have certain insights that those if the front pews (ok, plastic chairs) may not have picked up on. How could they? They've got their eyes closed and hands in the air.
All the action is in the back of the church, anyways. Us Back Row Baptists the only ones who get to see who's coming in late, who's taking their disruptive brats outside, whose arm is around the back of whose chair, and who's peeking during prayer. We also get to study body language, fashion trends, clique formations, etc. We can assess the stewardship values of the faithful by examining the fullness of the offering plates, and once in a great while, we'll hear a panicky pastor chewing out an usher or someone on his staff for some aspect of the service that is not going as planned.
Of course, when you're in the back row, you're also secure in the knowledge that there is no one behind YOU, making the same judgments about YOU'RE clothes, YOU'RE kids and/or YOU'RE tithing.
But most significantly, the back row gives one the full view of how a worship program and message are coming across to the whole congregation. The back row is far enough away to minimize the impact of the pastor’s looks or personality. The dazzle of the multi-media effects are a little weaker, and the volume of the worship team is a little lower.
The front row faithful don't know what they're missing, and too often they don't WANT to know.
So join me, if you dare, in the back pew, and take in the view. We serve a great God, who has blessed us with a flawed, dysfunctional but wonderful family of believers. Will this blog will be at all helpful in the building up of these saints and/or the church? Only time will tell. It will also tell whether or not this endeavor is the best use of my time and resources. You're attention and input will help in this assessment.
Thanks for listening,
Joel
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Any of this gettin' through to you, son?
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RE: The View from the Back Pew - 8/12/2008 5:48:38 PM
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backrowbaptist
Posts: 440
Joined: 6/7/2008
Status: online
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I just returned from a train trip up the SoCal coast to celebrate the first anniversary of marriage to my lovely bride. While most of the time I was captivated by her beauty, I managed to sneak a peek around San Diego, San Clemente and Santa Barbara, and couldn't help but notice the absolute decline in public civility in modern culture (or SoCal culture, at least). It seems to be mostly driven by gang culture and hedonism. And alcohol. LOTS of alcohol. The fedora hat has made a comeback with young men, usually combined with fat sunglasses and tattoos, lots of tattoos. Tattoo sleeves on women are getting trendy, also. It all seems to be aimed at coming across as hard-core, a rejection of manners, decorum and/or civility. With it comes, at full volume, a flood of profanity. It projects a narcissistic attitude that says "I'm out for my instant gratification, and if you don't like it, #@%&* you!"
All of this is to say, what will the church project to reach this emerging, hard-core culture. We have an emergent church that embraces much of its post-modern appeal, but is it compatible with the gospel and the fruits of the Spirit? How do older, supposedly wiser Christians influence any outreach? Should we try?
ps - I've opened up a 'Personally for You' post in Community Lounge, if anyone wants to respond. It's called 'Back Pew Review'. All constructive contributions are muy appreciado.
BRB
_____________________________
Any of this gettin' through to you, son?
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RE: The View from the Back Pew - 8/23/2008 10:34:08 PM
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backrowbaptist
Posts: 440
Joined: 6/7/2008
Status: online
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Okay, pet peeve time. WHAT is with the names people give their children these days? My new bride and her late husband picked solid, biblical names for their (our) two beautiful children. However, most of the other parents of kids at our school, church, little league, brownies, etc., have given their kids trendy, new-agish names like Madison, Hunter, Caedin, Talon (TALON!), Jade, etc. One couple's especially troublesome choice was hung on a little girl in my daughters first grade class; Allura. Honestly, do parents nowadays view their children as status symbols and/or novelties? Are they on the same level as pets? Is naming a child a personal statement of one's chic-ness, a way to out-do your neighbors? What ever happened to solid, biblical names like Jonathan, David, Stephen, Mark, Timothy, Mary, Sarah, Deborah and Rachel? How 'bout Faith, Joy, Hope or Grace? A biblical name gives a child an anchor of identity as a child of God as they journey through life in a world that is increasingly ambivilent, if not hostile, to Judeo/Christian values and faith.
There may be hope, though. In doing a little research for this post, I found this article that says Biblical names are making a comeback, even with celebrities.
http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/baby-names/themes/biblical-baby-names/;jsessionid=A0EXTSCLSWMILQFIBQNR42Q?page=2
If it's true, it's a welcome trend. Maybe this is one way the Lord keeps a remnant of His people.
_____________________________
Any of this gettin' through to you, son?
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RE: The View from the Back Pew - 9/7/2008 10:51:59 PM
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backrowbaptist
Posts: 440
Joined: 6/7/2008
Status: online
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Here's a post from the "She Says" forum. It was in reply to an OP I put up to get women's opinions on men who never grow up. It stemmed from this article in Newsweek called "Leaving Guyland". http://www.newsweek.com/id/156372
I shared my experiences as a young 'Peter Pan", to which someone asked;
quote:
Wow - your statement is fascinating. Let me ask you - what made you want to change? Was it meeting the "right" woman for you - was it a restlessness inside - or something else? And in what ways are Christian women resisting? Also, can you share some concrete ways in which women can be supportive? I think for myself and many other Christian women, Peter Pan guys are kind of annoying because they kind of waste your time - you know? But that is probably not the right attitude to have since we are supposed to love one another? Also, why did you remain in that "Peter Pan" phase? Why do other men? I hope I'm not asking too many questions here - I don't want to hijack your thread ...
My response;
I can’t say any one thing made me want to change. It was more a maturing over time. I had always wanted to marry, but kept putting it off until (I thought) it was too late. A lot of it had to do with being too picky, in a typically shallow way. This girls legs were too skinny, I didn’t like that one’s laugh, she’s not athletic enough, or whatever. But, I’ve got to say, a lot of women I did like said similar things about me. What it really stemmed from was a couple of relationships in college that I was naïve and immature in pursuing. They ended badly, and I think I used them to rationalize not getting serious, mostly out of fear. With a lot of guys it’s fear. Fear of intimacy or fear of failure. I think a lot of guys prolong their adolescence so long that they don’t think they have the ability or maturity to be a responsible husband and father.
In my mid-thirties I finally woke up and decided I needed to get serious about finding a wife and starting a family. Unfortunately, my old habits resurfaced and I chose to pursue another unhealthy relationship. By that time I was struck by the realization that once you get to my stage in life, the prospects of meeting someone compatible are pretty slim. So many women I went out with had a lot of anger and mis-trust of men in general. I met so many divorced women who were at war with their x-es (one had a restraining order on hers, a meth dealer who’d threatened to kill her – I thought it best not to pursue). Then it became a question of whether, at that point in life, it was better not to marry than have a bad marriage. After all, it was clear that if I did get married, it’d most likely be my last, best shot.
Early last year I reached a point of resignation. I saw a lot of single women of my age range who were far too dysfunctional and high maintenance for marriage and parenthood (and I was sure I projected the same to them), along with a lot of divorced women with too much of the above-mentioned baggage. I concluded that unless God brought a young widow, with small children, who was looking for a guy exactly like me to help raise them, who I would find attractive enough and respect enough to want to marry, I was going to go on the mission field or some such endeavor, to have something of eternal value to show for the last half of my life.
I prayed to God exactly that, not expecting anything to come of it, and started looking into missionary possibilities. Two weeks later I was matched on eHarmony with two widows, both with small children. One didn’t seem to be a match, but the other certainly did. We started up a communication thread, decided to meet and pretty much knew from the start that we were what the other was looking for. I’m now married to the strongest, most faithful Christian woman, who for three tears raised her young son and daughter through the trauma of their father’s accidental death. They have graciously welcomed me into their family. I thank God daily for his blessings, even for the regrets, frustrations and loneliness of singleness. Without them, I wouldn’t be the man I need to be for my wife and family.
_____________________________
Any of this gettin' through to you, son?
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