The Integrated Church

We've heard before that 11:00 A.M. on Sundays is the most segregated hour in America. But in actuality, Sunday mornings are no more segregated than any other day we choose to be around friends and loved ones. Of course, demographics plays a part, but is a truly integrated church possible?

I'm not the engineer my husband is, so I will not use statistics or data, just opinions...That could be dangerous, but it's my blog, and I mean no harm. This is just something I think about. (Let me reassure you, my sole reader, I definitely put my self closer to the creative side than the intellectual side of the spectrum, so this post will be a minority in styles of posts. But let me say this and I'll drop it... for now.) I believe the church benefits and grows when the church is integrated. The hard part is loving and befriending people who are not like us. This is inconvenient and requires investing in those around us we may not be initially drawn to. We just have to believe its worth it.

First Snow...Ever!

This is the first snow for 2/3 of my kids and it only lasted a few hours, but they loved it.  We woke up this morning with a few inches of really good snowball snow.  I don't think Noelle has dressed so quickly ever.  Samuel seemed a little shocked that it was so cold, but he acclimated and was making a snow man with Noelle before breakfast.   Noelle asked me for a carrot and two black olives for the snow man's face.  I had a carrot but said she'd have to find something else for the eyes.  

Don't Make Me Count to Three

I'm reading and loving this book.  My cousin, Carolyn, recommended it a few weeks ago and I just now was able to get it from the library.  It is very similar to Shepherding a Child's Heart (Ted Tripp) , but more straightforward.  It also quotes The Heart of Anger (Lou Priolo), but seems better for parenting younger children.  The author, Ginger Plowman, also has a book called Wise Words for Moms...I think this one may make the permanent shelf in our book closet. If you're not familiar with the titles I compared this book to, Don't Make Me Count... is a book that equips moms (and dads) to apply Scripture to go beyond the outward behaviors of our children to really get into the issues of their heart.