The Organ of Meaning

As I read and learn more and more about the history of the basic branches of the Protestant church I find that the pattern of too-hard - too-soft - just-right in almost every run down of their distinctives and doctrines. There are issues of the “real presence” in communion, baptism (both child and believer’s), church political structure and its interaction with the secular politics, defense of the doctrines (or dogmas), the interpretation of the Bible, the nature of God, the nature of salvation and election… I find truth and different kinds of “missing it” in all of them.

Am I Goldilocks with my theology? Will I find the high Papa Church always too big, and hot but with the right firmness? Will the Mama church always be too soft and cold, but the right size? And the infantile church “just right”? And will I find myself thrown out of the house altogether?

Maybe the metaphor of the story breaks down around here - finding the extremes too much but comfort somewhere in the middle. It’s as if I’m looking for the medium sized, hard and cold… and not all of them go with the same system (Papa, Mama, Baby)…

Is it that I just find myself uncomfortable in every house but still welcomed… as if the bears welcomed Miss Locks into their home to stay.

[1/19/08]

It is both fortunate and unfortunate; the occurrences of the past week.

I really feel that within the past week that Carrie and I really have started to connect with and develop some friends in the area that are totally outside of our team. It has been a bit depressing with all of the people that we usually hang out with gone (or at least we didn’t realize that they were still around - sorry Craig). But there were a few things that happened that have helped to maybe remedy that…

First off, honestly, is Twitter. In the past week or so I’ve connected on there with a good number of people that we attend church with or are in a small group with. I figured out the best explanation of its value also… when my wife’s family gets together for dinner or just to spend time they talk mostly about the every-day minutiae of their lives and that is wonderful because they are able to see each other every day because they all live within 15 minutes of each other and talk all the time. It’s very different in a city and especially when you work a job in which you don’t have normal and diverse coworkers (yeah, we interact with college students as well, but I’m really looking at peers) which really prevents you from developing a lot of friendships outside of a small team that you work with. Also, it’s just healthy to have friends who do something different than ministry when you’re in ministry - that’s just reality, but it can be hard to find those friends. Honestly, Twitter has helped. (If you’re on Twitter, find me. I’m at twitter.com/jaysonwhelpley.)

The other things that happened were just plain having fun with people from our small group. A couple had a small cookout and we went and had fun and met people and got to know those friends better. Then tonight small group was really small (including 4 people who were at the cookout) and we just hung out. In addition to all of that, we’re having the cookout couple over for dinner on Tuesday. It’s sad and funny that it’s taken us almost a year to get to this point, but I tell you the job makes it a little harder too… I promise.

The sad thing is that as of Thursday we’re pretty much out of town until about 3 days around the end of July and then gone again for a week or so. So we’re kinda cutting this off right as it’s starting.

On the whole I am socially encouraged. I really am glad to find some people that feel like real friends. I’m hoping the trend continues! The sermon today on community was very well timed.

Two weeks ago our pastor spoke a bit on setting life goals. As I’ve worked on them as well as some year goals, quite a few of them have turned out to be quite nerdy. One of my goals for this next year is to post something of substance at least once every other day.

I’m not sure if this post counts.

I wrote a few weeks ago about how much I am enjoying the new church here in DC. Today took the cake.

They did the last of the “Elephant in the Church” series and finished, appropriately enough with “The End: The Apocalyptic Elephant” and they included the one of the most amusing videos I’ve seen in a long time, and definitely the most entertaining one I’ve seen in church.

Check it out here, the entirety of the final apocalyptic battle between the angelic and demonic elephants. Little did we know that the final blow would come at the throw of a halo.

The Apocalyptic Elephant Video