Reality

Reality has a way of not letting you forget that it is present.  This past Tuesday we had a check-up visit with Bobby's neurologist.  Bobby has been seizure free for almost two years so the visit was a celebration.  Then reality came back to visit on Friday as Bobby had three seizure in the afternoon/evening plus one during the night.  I've several clients who don't like their reality and will go to great extremes to deny, avoid, rationalize and/or blame someone else for their situation.  Most of these folks are what my Granny would call "whiners."  Whiners were not tolerated well in my family and whining got me no sympathy. My Dad would say, "When you are finished whining, you let me know so we can figure out what we're going to do."  Sometimes reality shows up due to some physical issue, such as Bobby's epilepsy.  Sometimes reality shows up due to someone else's decision(s), the consequences of which are mine or ours to handle, such as when the Counseling Center's Board changed the client fee structure. Sometimes reality shows up because of a decision that I made.  For example, there are often times that I schedule too many clients in one day and, then I often remark to my colleagues, "What idiot did this to me?"   Yes, I make my own appointments.  Often we didn't get our wish, so we have to deal with the reality that is ours.

Church?

As I read the Gospels, it appears that Jesus went to "church", which would have been the Temple, Synagogue, etc. at least three times.  When he was twelve and his parents had to come back to get him.  When he read the scripture in Nazareth, his hometown. When he cleared the money changers and animal sellers from the Temple.  It appears that whenever Jesus went to Church, he got in trouble.  Perhaps, this says more about what we say and do at Church, than it says about Church.  Jesus didn't seem to say much about the Church as buildings, programs, finances, community influences, social ministries, etc.  I've been involved in Church all of my life as a child, teenager and a Pastor for 21 years.  Perhaps a better image of "Church" is to consider what Jesus said and did along with the disciples as they walked, talked and met folks.  They related to everyone and anyone. They appeared to not do so well with the religious folks who were in positions of authority and influence.  They met people wherever the people were.  They didn't seem to expect people to come and find them.  They also told stories that were about life's circumstances but left you thinking "there's something more in that story.".  They practiced acceptance of everyone and pronounced forgiveness.  I overheard a person wonder if Jesus were to come back would he come to their church.  I wonder if Jesus were to come back, would he even go to church or would he just walk the streets of our cities?