A place for us
- Does your geographic location have any influence on your faith? - No. Not positively anyway. You can have any faith outlook you want to in Jefferson City, as long as it's Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran or evangelical, pretty much in that order (not that there's anything wrong with that, if that's your thing).
- Does your faith "fit" in the place you live? - Absolutely not. Of course, neither do my politics, philosophy, life experiences or anything else.
Well, that was a depressing exercise. Not that the answers weren't predictable.
6 comments:
Well, then Go West! There, That was an easy answer. The *left* coast isn't called that for nothin'. In Portland you can self-identify as a CathoBaptoLutherPagan and still be respected.
Or, as the comments on my post indicate, you can also move to Wales or Melbourne.
Seriously, I'm sorry you feel that way, Jim. For most of my life as an evangelical, I have felt lost and isolated here in PDX. But as I've changed, that has changed as well. It's only been 3 years that I've begun to feel as though I fit in spiritually and politically. But I'm still far into the conservative spectrum compared to many Portlanders.
Jim, I much identify with your thoughts here. I have a few close folk around me that I can say I can relate to and share life in Christ with. But for the most part it seems that the Lord has much of us scattered around the globe.
The message I keep hearing in my brain though is, "Go! Get out there and find others to spend time with, whether they be believers or not." When I do this I find God shows up in surprising places. My tendency however is to live in my own wishland.. . wishing for some nice community of real Jesus seekers to show up at my front door.
I feel your frustration.
Dave - often feeling alone in Rhode Island!
Erin,
I actually lived in the SF Bay area ca. 1994-5 and hated it. HATED it. Too many people, and too "left". I actually feel more at home in the libertarian inter-montain West (west slope of the Continental Divide out to the east slope of the Sierras/Cascades) than I do anywhere else. And some day it would be nice to live there. But for the next decade or two family has us in central MO and that's how it has to be.
If I were going to move overseas it would either be Amsterdam or NZ.
Dave,
I would take a few people that I could simply relate to, and let God work out how that will be part of His plan for fellowship with me.
That said, yes, I need to get out more. I think a lot of my issues with fellowship come from the fact of feeling isolated politically and spiritually (so I can't open my mouth and be me) coupled with having all the typical workaday stuff to handle - work, kids to school and other activities, dinner, yardwork, housework, gardening, etc., etc., etc. At some level I am a homebody bitching about how I can never meet anybody because nobody comes by my home. :o)
Jim,
Growing up my parents took me to several denominations before moving to Dallas and Southern Baptists.
Somehow I wound up bouncing around from there to Episcopal to Bible Church (sounds funny, doesn't it - Bible Church?) aligned with Dallas Theological Seminary. But I consider myself non-denominational Protestant.
My faith fits this area, D.C., because there's a place to put it to work - "ecumenical" alliances that seem to help alleviate the pain of those who suffer around here if not eliminate poverty, etc...
You know about the body I worship with already and their car care ministry/program/thing.
Funny thing is I found a blogger here (in D.C.) this summer from a church in Sedalia in part to study how his church can help the homeless.
-Sam
Well, I was actually kidding about moving...there is much wrong with the left coast too, for sure...but it's hard when you don't feel like you "fit", wherever that is. I know from experience.
Erin,
I keep thinking maybe that's how it's supposed to be. Like the following second century passage I posted the other day (which I lifted from Dan's blog):
They dwell in their country, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country and every country of their birth as a land of strangers.
Sam,
I wish there were more of that around here. Can you point me to the person's blog?
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