Exploring the Roots of Church Practices

I know it's been a while since my last blog, but I've got some great ones in the works. Currently I am reading a book called "Pagan Christianity", and it is awesome. Basically it breaks down current Christian traditions (that many churches claim are from the "Word of God") and sheds some light on their origins. Which if you can't tell from the book's title are all based in ancient paganism. Each week I will give you a "Cliff's Notes" version of each chapter and my thoughts. I know some of you may find history boring, but if you just bare with me over the next few weeks I may be able to challenge your thinking and maybe teach you something that you can use next time some one says that we're supposed to dress nice at church because the bible says so (which it doesn't). So check back in a few days for my review of chapter 1, it is all about church buildings and architecture.


Peace

Updates and other stuff

So, things have been crazy lately so the best thing I can do is try to catch everyone up on what's been happening.

• We successfully re-financed our house,...money!

• We got had another ultrasound to check on the baby and everything is cool.

• I am super busy at work with our annual Symposium coming up next month.

• I am super busy with church work. I am finishing up our next series entitled "Masterpiece" and I am already working on the one after that called "Game Time" and the one after that called "Playlist... Finding God in your Ipod".

• I had a blast playing the guitar solo on "Hit Me With Your Best Shot".

• I am excited to see Dusty play a Keytar this weekend on "Working For The Weekend".

I think that's all the biggies, here are a few fun links for you to kill some time with.

List of bad baby names cataloged in our great state of Georgia.

My favorites are... Badger, Chlorine, and Guitarist

Candidate Matchmaker from Fox5 Atlanta

My top three are John McCain, Duncan Hunter, and Mike Huckabee

But I only line up with 58% of my number one

I thought this was cool too.

An invisible bookshelf.

Peace.

How To Melt Faces One Day

For those of you that attended Avalon’s Christmas services you witnessed one of the greatest musical moments in my life and I just wanted to say a few things about it.

 

I had the privilege of playing “Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on the guitar with a Mr. Dusty Beach. I was so focused that week on learning my stuff that I didn’t really have time to let the whole thing sink in of what I was actually going to be doing. But now that it’s over I’ve had some time to think about it.

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about when I first started playing guitar and how frustrated I was to not be able to play the things that I wanted to play. I remember the hours and hours I would spend practicing in my room, much to the discomfort of my family’s ears. I remember when I first learned to play “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana or “Today” by the Smashing Pumpkins and how I would just wear those songs out because I was so exciting that I actually learned a song. And a few years later I crossed over to the bass and learned that it can be just as fun to back up really good guitar players as well as be one. I am always excited when I get to see someone wailing on a solo and I’m standing in the back thumping away at a tight rhythm and they get to do their thing. I think I just like being a part of something big. Part of it too was that I never really thought I would be a good guitar player, because mediocre guitar players can make great bass players, and I was fine with that.

 

After we played the TSO songs for the last service I had this memory flashback of when I was sitting in my room trying to stretch my hand to form chords and being very discouraged at my ability that everyone kept telling me was a “God-given” talent. If God has given me this talent, why is it so hard? I would ask myself. Well I got my answer. If I had just immediately picked up the guitar and was able to shred an melt faces then I wouldn’t have been so humbled and thankful to be a part of that service.

 

Newsflash!!! God is smarter than we are.

 

No matter what you are going through and what may seem very discouraging and tough. If you’re being stretched or if literally you’re stretching your hands and fingers, God has a reason for it. Only when we take the time to stop and look around do we see why. And I know it’s a hard pill to swallow at the time, but when you look at it in the grand scheme of things it makes so much more sense.

 

What are you hoping for, what are you struggling with, what is discouraging you? Just tell yourself, God is smarter than I am and do I trust him. If you do, then it’s all going to work out. It may take 13 years of playing guitar, or it may happen sooner than you think, just remember where you came from when that times comes.

 

Peace

 

Denomination Test

A friend at work sent me this test that you can take to determine what Christian Denomination you best line up with.

Take it yourself here.

I took it the first time and was shocked to find out that it said I should be a Seventh-Day Adventist!? I went back through the test to see why and realized that one of the questions asks if Sunday is the preferred day of worship, and if you answer no it will mark you as SDA. I think preferred is a bad word to use, it's really just tradition.

Since I wasn't happy with that answer, I took it again and got Southern Baptist as my number one answer. Needless to say I was devastated.

I took it again three different times with varying degrees of answers and I keep getting Reformed Baptist. So I guess I'll have to settle with that. Here is my top five.

#1. Reformed Baptist

#2. Church of Christ

#3. Southern Baptist

#4. Seventh-Day Adventist

#5. Presbyterian Church USA

Peace

I'm Bringin' Funny Back

Sorry for the long boring posts, i'll put the funny back in soon...

"Scrumtrulescence"

Peace

What is in a name?

Since we found out that Katrina is pregnant again, we’ve been going through all the usual activities. Like, deciding what OBGYN to use and where we’re going to put the nursery and what names we like for boys and girls. This has gotten me thinking a lot about names and what weight they carry, or rather weight they should carry. I don’t necessarily mean the biblical/super-spiritual thing where a child’s name means “God with us” or whatever. I mean more in the heritage part of it.

Let me try to explain better.

Since as far back as I can remember, I have been engrained with Scottish pride. I don’t know why, but my Dad and that whole side of the family have always had a passion for being of Scottish descent. We have records and stories of our ancestor’s journey to the states. They are also proud of the fact that not only are we Scottish, but we are McDonald’s, of the clan MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, from the Isle of Skye. “Be proud of your heritage, son!” is what I’ve been told since birth, I imagine. Don’t get me wrong, I love Scotland and I love my heritage. The “heritage propaganda” worked well on me, maybe too well.

Here is my point.

What is heritage? Your family’s roots and origins, right? And what is pride for your heritage? Being thankful for something that you had no control over? No, it’s embracing the struggles, the successes, the lives, and the history of your origins. And how is that pride carried on? It is carried on through family.

Here is my question.

The McDonald sides of my family are the most dysfunctional, disconnected, and spiritually disoriented people that I know. Plus, my Father only wants to have a relationship with my family and me when it works for him. So my question is, if familial pride is such a huge part of who they/we are then why do they neglect the “family” that they’re so proud of. I can’t wrap my mind around that rationale. It’s contradictory to say the least.

In conclusion.

I haven’t spoken to my Father (note the use of the word “father” not “dad”) since Nov. 2, my birthday. We didn’t see each other or speak over Thanksgiving for reasons that are too stupid to even write about. I know I am not totally innocent in the faults of our relationship, but I’m tired of playing his game. I look forward to the day when I can pass on the story of the McDonald heritage to my children and when I can pass on a love for all things Scottish. However, I pray that it will be passed on through my love for them and not just passed on through meaningless words.

Peace

Proud to be Protestant

Unfortunately a co-worker of mine passed away last week and his funeral was on Tuesday at a Catholic Church in Stone Mountain. Here are a few of the awesome things that I experienced while I was there. Keep in mind I have never been to a Catholic funeral much less even stepped foot into a Catholic Church before. To say it was eye opening would be an understatement.

Let me also state for the record that I have nothing against Catholic people or the Catholic Church (unless you count the hundreds of years of oppression, forced conversions and murder in the name God) barring that I have no problems.

Anyway, a lot of the stuff I saw I thought was only on TV. Here is a list…

• “Smokey Ball On A Chain” - You know the priest swings it down the aisle like he’s fogging for mosquitoes. Well it smelled like hippie’s B.O. Someone should have told me it was going to burn my nostrils! How can you enjoy a service when there are foul odors? Right, Kelli?

• “Golden Bucket and Dipper” – It’s kind of like a magic trick, he pulls this golden stick out of bucket and only when he flicks it does water… excuse me “holy water” fly out of the end of it. He slung “holy water” all over the casket. Why, you ask, I don’t have a clue. Maybe because he’s the priest and he gets to do whatever he wants.

• “Weird Homely Chick” – We had the privilege of having this weird looking girl lead us in some songs. Well songs may be the wrong word. I don’t know what the term is for completely annoying and high-pitched singing with organ accompaniment. One helpful bit was that she would let you know when it was our turn to sing the chorus by doing the “Miss America Parade Wave” and that was also how she kept us in time. Very resourceful.

• “Stand, Sit, Kneel” – I was actually expecting the church aerobics. This one is pretty standard or so I’m told. I just wanted to yell, “You’re out, Simon didn’t say!” There was a very convenient little padded bar that you could put your knees on. I tried it out, but I still prefer to just pray straight from my heart. Oooh, burn!

• “Catholic Stand and Shake” - The “en vogue” thing to do in church services these days is the “stand and shake”, spreads community I guess and germs. Well have no fear; the Catholics have not let this trend slip them by. The exception is you have to wait until the priest reads a specific scripture, then and only then can you stand and greet your neighbors, but you’re only allowed to say “Peace be to you.” Even if someone has a booger hanging out you can’t tell them you just have to stare at it and say, “Peace be to you, booger… I mean brother.”

There was so much more that I don’t have the time to go into it all.
It has been said that Catholicism is a more intelligent way to worship, well if that is true then I’ll just stay an idiot.

Peace (be to you)