The Wandering Reverend

Half

2010-06-29T22:12:00.000-04:00

Man, this place is dusty. . . looks like it hasn't been used in a minute.

I want half. Right now there are just too many of them, duplicating and re-duplicating the work of others. A lot of times, they're doing it right across the street from each other.

Of course, I'm talking about churches.

I love (read: hate) when you come to an intersection in a town and as you sit there, there are 4 churches in eyesight. Probably 3 right there at that corner! How did we get so many churches crammed into such a small area?

Yes, yes, I know. It's because of disputes of theology, doctrine, blah blah blah. Look, I don't care. Get over it. Is the filoque really what's keeping you apart? Salvation at baptism or before it (or after)? If so, get over yourself. Sheese.

Here's why I want half the number of churches.

1. Unity. Showing the world that we're not a bunch of children arguing about where a comma should be placed, but a body of Christ followers devoted to loving and serving the world just like Jesus taught us and prayed for before he was hung on a cross. Are you a Methodist or a Christian? Are you a Catholic or a Christian? Are you stupid or are you a Christian? Get it?

2. Money. It makes the world go round (and some say the mo you have, the mo problems). What if two churches decided to join up and close the other facility. Bango bongo. You just got double the funds. That youth pastor you wanted to hire, congrats! You now have the money for it. Or maybe you wanted a small groups leader, or an outreach pastor, or any number of staff positions. You got it! But as it is now, you got First Church of the Lame trying to "win" more townsfolk than Second Church of the Lame. All the while they're destroying themselves from the inside.

3. Love. Love, baby. Lovey dovey. How will the world know we follow Christ, if we love each other. The Man said it himself. So why don't we do it?

So, I know I'm being sort of curt (not Russel). And I know I'm being way too naive about how much some doctrine matters. But a boy can dream, can't he? Maybe it won't ever happen. But as someone smarter than me once said, the journey is the destination.

Rev.

SFC - Phase III

2010-06-06T15:05:00.000-04:00

Wow. I'm only on CD number 2 and man, have I found a good one. A special shout out to Naterob for getting me hip to these guys.

If you know me, you know I like my rap underground and old school. None of this ring tone rap that they have out now (definition: ring tone rap - rap who's music quality is equal to what you would find defaulted on your cell phone). The first hip hop that I can remember truly liking was A Tribe Called Quest. Smooth lyrics, jazzy beats, all mixed together to form something that you could jam to while cruising the boulevard.

Would you, in your lifetime, think that you would find something Christian that is on par with Public Enemy or Eric B & Rakim? Probably not. I most certainly didn't.

Bring on SFC's album, Phase III.

SFC stands for "Soldiers for Christ" apparently (finding any information about these guys is tough). This piece of awesome came out in 1993 and as far as I could find, this is their only record. What happened to them after this is a mystery to me. So the only thing I have go off of is the record itself.

Have a listen:

If you recall, I was looking for some Christian music that I could jam to in my car and not feel weird or chumpy. Also, I want good music. Not music that is "good for being Christian music".

I think SFC fits the bill and then some.

Some people might flinch at the following song because it uses the N word. And rightly so. It's a word that is degrading and inherently wrong. When white racists use it, they're telling black people that they're lesser people. When black people use it, it's promulgating the ghetto mentality that being ignorant and "gangsta" is something to be proud of. Both are demeaning and bring people down.

Oh, and not to mention, it's a great song. Beat is awesome. I love how they switch beats when they switch subjects.

So that's a taste of SFC. If you like, I highly recommend seeking out the whole album. There's an instrumental track with their DJ, DJ Dove, breaking it down proper old school style. I love it.

Kickin' it old school,

Rev.

Dear Mama

2010-05-23T14:47:00.000-04:00

I've had a few things I've been wanting to write about but just haven't had the time. Here is the first of a few. This was back near Mother's Day.

When you're a kid, you're parents were the best. Your dad was stronger and smarter than other kids' dads, and course, could beat them in a fight. Your mom was the best cook and was the most beautiful woman you've ever seen.

Then the teenage years hit and as you gain perspective on yourself, you also gain perspective on your parents. Not only is your dad not smart, he's actually not that bright at all. He's made bad decisions with his money, causing the family some struggles. He is definitely not the strongest, with his pot belly showing from the bottom of his shirt. Your mom wears too much make up because she's insecure and that food? Well, it's barely fit for prisoners.

Usually a little later in the teens, you get a little more bitter with the 'rents as you realize that a lot of the faults they have are passed along to you, causing no amount of angst and anger towards them. Armed with the knowledge that most of the problems you have in your life is being caused by your parents, you are quite bitter with them.

Soon enough your 20's come along and you start to see your parents as real people, instead of the enemy or the hero of your youth. Sure, they caused you problems but really they're just people trying to make it like everyone else. Dad's not that bright but hey, not very many people are. And mom, well, she's old. No wonder she's not that pretty. Your folks are regular schmucks just like everyone else is.

However, if you're lucky enough and smart enough, hopefully you'll take the next step. Where you see that despite all their flaws and insecurities, despite being bad with money and losing a job, and despite not being able to cook worth a lick, your parents tried their best to raise you and to love you. And it's because of their effort, despite their short comings, that you love them back.

Suddenly, dad is strong and mom is beautiful again.

Christian Music To Do List

2010-04-15T16:12:00.000-04:00

So, to really get into this Christian music scene, I think there are a few things I need to do. What are they, you ask? Well if any of you know the Reverend, and most of you do, you know I think in lists.

1. Keep reviewing CD's. I still have quite a list of music I want to check out. In fact, I just ordered a CD today off of Amazon. I'm going to check out the old stuff (Stryper!) as well as the new stuff (Casting Crowns, etc.). Not to mention up and coming artists (my homey's in Chasing Chariots).

2. Apparently, Cornerstone is the Christian music Mecca (like how I mince religions?). A special shout out to Steph for getting me hip to it. It's in Bushnell, IL (where?). Luckily, my beautiful assistant and girlfriend, Robyn, loves to travel and likes live music. So this little shin dig is a must.

3. I need to read this book (again, shout out to Steph). Rapture Ready: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture. As the title states, it's an exploration into the world of Christian pop culture. From Christian music, to Bible and Creation museums, Christians books, and all things Christian media. I'll be getting this from my local library soon. I'll let you know when I'm done and will report back.

4. I'm tempted to watch that movie, Fireproof. No, I'm not married (I'm sure Robyn is happy to read that) but I'd like to see a Christian movie. I've heard people tell me about it (good message, bad acting). But I'd like to see it for myself. Pop the popcorn, Robyn! We got us a moo-vee to watch!

Whew! Sounds like a busy schedule! But I'm excited to check it out. Deep down in my heart, I know there has to be something in all this mess for me. You know, that CD I can keep in my glove box and not feel like a cheese ball for putting it into the stereo.

Did Robyn know this is what she signed up for when we started dating?

Rev.

Free at Last - DC Talk

2010-04-14T09:05:00.000-04:00

Before I can start this review, we have to go back in time. Think back to 1992. If you're a white guy, you had lines shaved in the side of your head. My black friends had boxes. Ladies had that 6 inch poof ball in the front of their heads. Maybe you wore an IOU sweater with your Bugle Boy jeans. Maybe you're still wearing them, in which case, please update yourself.

If you were a young Christian who liked rap, then you listened to DC Talk. . . wait, no way. I most certainly did not. Dude, Dr. Dre's The Chronic came out that year. That's what I was listening to. Not that cheeseball stuff.

Alright, alright. I need to be less biased. I, also, need to remember that it was 1992.

For this music review I need to take off my "hard core hip hopper" hat and put on my "I like pop music that I can dance to" hat. It's a dirty, gross, stinky hat but sometimes a man has to take his lumps.

It's with that in mind that I present to you DC Talk's Free At Last. A pop/rap album that came out in 1992, when C+C Music Factory was giving you things to make you Mmmmm and Mark Walhberg was Markie Mark. And it's in that context that I review this CD.

Within those bounds, I have to say, it's not that bad. The beats are right on par with what Markie Mark was doing. You know, that rap mixed with R&B mixed with techno beats.

Check out their Jesus is Just Alright song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqCccV6Y31s
(they wouldn't let me embed it. Lame).

Musically, as I said, it's standard early 90's studio beats. That organ beat, the yelling voice samples, and the stock scratching sounds. The funny thing is that in that video shows a band playing. . .um, yeah, I don't hear any band playing here.

The lyrics aren't too bad. A little corny because they're "religious". But I challenge anyone to listen to any pop music from 1992 and tell me it's not completely lame flavored cheese. So I give them a pass on this.

I do want to point out that this Toby Mac guy is actually quite a good rapper. Remember, this is coming from a guy who listens to Jurassic 5. I think he's a solo artist now. I might have to check him out. Soon. . .

I also liked this track a little. I've always had soft spot for that neo-gospel sound:

They also do a cover of Lean on Me by Bill Withers that sounds a lot like that other version done by Club Nouveau. Personally, I hate all covers of this song. The original was too good. Oh well.

Would I ever in my life buy this album and play it? No, I would not. However, if you like 90's pop and you're looking for something Christian, well, I will point you here. You won't be disappointed.

Personally, my search continues. There has to be something out there for me.

Reverend

Christian Muzak

2010-04-13T17:33:00.001-04:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Christian music sucks.

Wait. Does it?

Well, as far I've heard, it does. Everything I've heard been either contemporary (boring!) or just some knock off of whatever is popular (lame). I remember being at church when I was kid and some of my church friends talked about DC Talk. I think I heard one song and almost vomited in my mouth. After hearing the likes of Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, and Wu Tang, these weak Christian rappers didn't stand a chance. How could they compete? Not to mention, they talked about "not having sex" and "Jesus" where these other guys were talking about guns, drugs, and women. You know, exciting stuff.

A lot of Christian music is just a knock off of popular music. To some people, that's good enough for them. If the singer is good and it's got a good beat, they like it. But for a music snob like me, I need something more. I need new, creative, innovative, eclectic, and interesting.

I remember seeing that chart in church that said "If you like this band _____ then you'll like this Christian band _____" Yeah right. I'm sure if I like Nirvana then I'll love Stryper. Do they take me for a fool?

But I do feel a certain sense of guilt for not listening to Christian music. I feel like I should listen to it.

Also, I love finding and listening to new music. Anyone who knows me knows that I take a lot of pleasure in listening to things that no one else has heard of (ever heard of Buffalo Daughter? Didn't think so!).

And that leads me here: I'm going to be exploring Christian music. I'm convinced that if I look hard enough, dig deep enough, and really set my mind to it, I can find some good Christian music. Music that I could actually put into my CD player and not feel weird listening to it. Music that my secular friends would turn an ear to .

Even now, I have found one group that I might like. But you'll have to wait to hear about them.

The Wandering Reverend wanders into the land of Christian music. It'll be scary, weird, and most certainly corny.

Rev it up!
Rev.

Jesus Makes Great Booze

2010-04-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

It seems like this has been coming up in my conversations a lot lately, so I figured I'd take some time to write out some thoughts on this subject.

The subject, you ask? Jesus, booze, and freedom.

This is a subject that's been debated for centuries and I'm certainly not going to it settle here. But I do think that this debate brings up a bigger topic which I find interesting.

A little background.

There are some Christians who believe that having any alcoholic beverages is wrong. I think the reason they believe this because drinking too much eventually leads to getting drunk, which is bad. And on that point, I agree with them. Getting drunk is not a good thing and the Bible clearly forbids it.

However, not all drinking leads to getting drunk. I know for me that I can have at least two beers and not feel anything. Some people can't do that, or maybe they can do more. It's different for everyone, which is the point I'm making here.

Being a Christian isn't about following a set of rules, it's about your relationship with God. Sure, there are definitely things we shouldn't do but one of Jesus' main points throughout his entire ministry was that it isn't about checking off a list of do's and don'ts, it's about the love you have for God and your fellow man.

To be clear, there is such a thing as sin and we should avoid doing them. But what Jesus made clear in the Sermon on the Mount is the heart of the rules, not the letter. These rules were put into place to help you please God and to help you live a happy and decent life. For example, if you're married, you might have never had sex with another woman, but at the same time, you could be looking at other women and wishing you could have sex with them. Well that, as Jesus said, is the same thing as having an affair! Just not doing it doesn't make you good, it's also defeating that desire to want to commit it.

Keeping and knowing the heart of all those rules it the hard part of being a Christian.

Back to drinking, it's definitely wrong to get drunk, but perfectly fine to have a few drinks within your limit. But it goes further than that. There are times when I should check my freedom at the door. What if I'm hanging out with a recovering alcoholic? Should I have a beer then? No way! Conversely, what if you have buddies that like to hang and have a few beers? Would it be good to meet up with them for a beer and have a meaningful conversation? I think it would be.

What about seeing naked girls? Is that a sin? Well, again, I think it has to do with how you see them, not if you see them.

There is an awesome organization called XXX Church. Their specific ministry is to witness to those who are involved in the pornography business: porn stars, strippers, and prostitutes. Not only do they go to these places, they even set up a booth at their annual porn conventions!

Just as in drinking, where it's necessary to know how many you can have without getting crocked, you'd want to know just how tempted you'd be around a bunch of naked people. Personally, I'd need to stay away. My mind would turn quickly from the reason I was there. However, the men and women at XXX Church have been called to do this and are much stronger in this area than I. I'm sure that after being at one porn convention, they've seen enough naked people for a life time!

Gambling? Same thing. Know your limits. Can you go in, lose twenty bucks, and then walk away. Or would you be hitting up the ATM to go and "win it back"?

As the bumper sticker says, "Freedom ain't free" and it is most definitely true in a Christians case. Our freedom was bought at a price by Jesus and his sacrifice. And at the same, we need to be responsible with our freedom. Most importantly, we need to ask are we using our freedom to please God?

The Rev.

Malcolm X

2010-03-29T11:01:00.000-04:00

Sorry, another rerun from my other defunct blog. Again, if you've already read it, move on. If not, enjoy!

Malcolm X is arguably one of the most controversial figures in the last 100 years. Some say he was a racist. A terrorist. An instigator. A hero. A villain. And just about any other descriptor there is in the English language.

Well, I just got done reading his Autobiography and I have come away with one descriptor - admiration. Now don't get me wrong, I don't agree with him on issues or religion or other matters that interest most people. But I can't help but have tons of admiration for the guy. He was a tireless fighter for whatever cause he was involved in at the time.

Obviously, there's no way I can do justice to the massive topic that is Malcolm X. There have been books written about all aspects of his life not to mention his own autobiography, which I have read. But below are a few things that I have I took away from the reading.

1. This first thing you might not pick up from reading through the autobiography. It really came to light from the epilogue that was written by Alex Haley, who was the collaborator for the writing. Haley notes that Malcolm, once they had engaged the writing agreement, only had time to come over and tell his story late at night. He would go to Haley's apartment at around 9pm, Malcolm would tell the story and Haley would take notes. Then, Malcolm would leave at 2 or 3am and be back up at 7 or 8am. This man was tireless!

I wish that I had only half the energy he had. Throughout his life, no matter what his goal was, be it being the best hustler, best burglar, best Nation of Islam minister, or being the leader of his own Muslim Mosque, Inc., he threw himself entirely into his cause.

2. Throughout a lot of his life, he made no bones about it - Malcolm X did not like Christians. Now, towards the end of his life, he did start warming up to us Jesus followers but before that, no way. And after reading the book, I can totally empathize with him.

Throughout most of his life, when he was building his disdain for white people, what faith did all those cruel white folks profess? You guessed it - Christianity. They were all Bible carrying Christian folk who also just happened to be violent racists (not all of them, of course).

The lesson I take away from this is that people only partly judge us by our beliefs. Mostly, they judge us by our actions. What we do. How we handle ourselves. The words that we say. Christians who are out there need to take note of this. As Jesus said, "they will know you are my disciples if you love one another" (John 13:35)

3. This guy was not afraid to change his mind. As he learned new things, he changed the way he acted and what he was doing. Honestly, I think it was from his distinct desire to never be a hypocrite.

You remember him mostly as being the anti-white people minister for the Nation of Islam, which is not bad, as that was how he spent a good portion of his life. However, once he broke with the NOI, he took a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he learned that all people, no matter what color, were equal. Racism, the way he knew it, was unique to the United States.

So what did he do? He changed his plan. He changed himself to reflect this new found revelation. Yes, it cost him in many ways, but at the end of the day, what does that matter? How can you live a life as a hypocrite?

4. Finally, I walk away with inspiration. Mostly with I noted above. If I could live a life like it was my last day, be a Christian that people see through my actions, and not be afraid to change myself with new information, I would be an immensely better person.

I recommend to anyone and everyone who happens to read this to check out the book. And I challenge you to not walk away and be inspired or challenged to change the way you live life.

Peace,
The Rev.

Coram Deo

2010-03-21T16:07:00.001-04:00

This church was a conundrum.

First, I found Coram Deo because they had an ad on Facebook. It popped up randomly one day (next to the hundreds of "singles" ads I used to get, but thankfully are gone now that I'm "in a relationship with" Robyn) and I thought, wow, a church that's advertising on Facebook, that's interesting. I checked out their website and it looked awfully trendy. So, I decided to check it out.

Well, it sure did look trendy inside. I walked in the front door (oh yeah!) and inside was a very modern looking space. I'd say there were seats for about 100 people (but only 20 ish in attendance), with a cool stage set up front. On the walls were some weird/modern/odd art work. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be spiritual, but it definitely was weird. But over all, the place had a nice design that was very inviting.

And the people were inviting. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Friendly but not pushy. I had conversations with a few people who seemed very cool and relaxed. They told me about the church, how it was a church plant that was started about a year and half ago. At some point, their pastor resigned and they are looking for a new one. Ouch. Not the best way to start a church. . . good leadership is key, people!

Worship started and the band started rocking. Okay, remember how at South Street they didn't have words for the music but they sang songs that people knew, so it wasn't a big deal? Yeah, not here. No words to sing along. The songs were ones I didn't know. Not to mention, the music was "rocking", so you could barely hear what the singers were singing, so it wasn't like you could pick it up as you went along. The one highlight was one song (no clue what it was called) where two guys were playing the drums. It kind of had a Miami Vice intro feel to it. For a second, I thought I was Tubbs (I'm not cool enough to be Crocket).

Since they're pastorless, they had a guest preacher. He was. . . okay? His sermon was on the parable of the wedding banquet. He kind of talked about and kind of talked about what it meant. But mostly he would just segue into other topics. Kind of all over the place with no real point that I could pin down.

Oh well. He's not the regular guy, so c'est la vie, oui oui, oh la la, and all that.

I'm kind of stuck with this church. Part of me thinks, wow, that place was crap. But the other part of me says, well, they're just getting started and had a little set back having their preacher resign. The people were really nice and the one guy I talked to said he really liked it there because they were committed to outreach. Maybe all that outreach is still in the planning stages, I don't know.

So there ya have it. Personally, I'd say give them a few more months to find a preacher and to get things moving in the right direction.

Revvy O'Wanderson

Pastor Packs Pistol

2010-03-08T15:58:00.000-05:00

Like I said, I'm doing this bi-weekly-ish right now. So this isn't a church review. It's actually a re-run article from a blog I was going to start but never went with. So if you've read it, skip it. If not, enjoy!

This Sunday I attended Akron Baptist Temple, where as a part of Ed's sermon on commitment, he noted that he packs heat. A gat. A heater. A bullet dispenser. No, he doesn't carry it with him but he keeps one in the house, just in case someone were to break into his house he would be able to protect his family.

I disagree with this idea 100%. I'm of the firm opinion that no Christian should ever have to carry a gun, for it is written (I just like using that term), Ephesians 6:10-18 that our "armor of God" is that of spiritual armor, and our weapon is the Word of God, not a physical sword. Not to mention killing an unbeliever would send that person to Hell, something I could never live with.

Pastor Ed disagrees. He believes that a man must provide and protect his family, as that is his God given role in the family. He quotes 1 Timothy 5:8, which states that anyone who does not provide for their family is worse than an unbeliever. Pretty strong words, for sure.

So which is worse, sending an unbeliever prematurely to an eternity in Hell or not protecting your family?

With that, however, my point is not about gun control or whether or not a Christian can kill someone. It's about disagreement.

This applies mostly to me, as I can be quite the argumentative guy. As Christians, we're never going to agree with one another on every topic and issue of Scripture. It's just not going to happen. We have strong views on baptism (how and when), communion (how often), pre-destination (Arminianism or Calvinist), and a slew of other topics.

I mean, what is one to do? What if your church takes a stand on a doctrine that you find wrong or maybe you find it heretical?

First, I'd start reading and researching. More than likely, your leaders/preacher is not the only Christian to have such a belief. As the Good Book says, there is nothing new under the sun. There are so many different flavors of Christianity right now and they all have their own little seasonings that make them all a little different.

And if you do your research, you'll find that a lot of them have a few verses of Scripture to back them. They might even have a more firm backing than you do on your side of the issue. Which would suck, cause now you've gotta eat that crow.

Also, you should look at the intent of the person making the argument. Are they using the Scripture in order to get away with something sinister? Or are they simply stating a belief based on Scripture that they find true? And in all things, is based in love?

Did I mention prayer? Nope, but I should have. A little confession, I was doing my re-read of this before I remembered that I should put this in here. Isn't that how we always are? We do everything else first before we go to God and ask Him. What a bunch of ding dongs. Anywho, start with God. He'll give you some direction and insight on where to go. And since he's the boss, you're starting in the right place.

A fews years ago at my old church, the Pastor Naterob7 (that's his X Box Live tag) gave a sermon in support of the death penalty and of Christians going to war. I was livid. Not only was I having a bad day (oh, was I), but this ding dong is up there on the pulpit preaching what I thought was completely anti-Gospel! If not for my stance on non-violence, I would have gone up on that pulpit and knocked him out.

I was ticked, to say the least.

However, not too long later, the Weekly Standard ran an article about the arguments on both sides for going to war and whether Christians should be for or against. Both sides rattled off Scripture and early Church Fathers writings on the subject to make their argument (I, of course, thought the pro-war argument was weak) but it was interesting to see both sides of the argument examined and stated.

As I stated, I still disagree with him on this subject but I can now see his point of view and how he came to such a conclusion (no matter how wrong it is. Ha ha). Not to mention, since he's a good friend, I know that his intent was based in love, not in some pursuit of revenge or anger. Oh, and not to mention, he's got degrees in religious studies I don't even have a chance of getting!

Patience, love, and solid research are the key to effectively addressing the issue. Rushing to judgment and anger will get you nowhere and fast.

Salutations,
The Reverend

South Street Ministries

2010-03-02T11:44:00.000-05:00

Akron, the awesome frontier. These are the voyages of the Wandering Reverend. His five year mission: to explore strange, new churches, to seek out crazy Christians and churches, to boldly go where no reverend has gone before!

Wowza. What a church we have this week.

My attendance at South Street Ministries was predestined for sure. First, my sister Anna's bible study group at Grace Brethren sponsors some of their activities and has done work with them in the past. She had told me to check them out some time ago and I never did. Second, the guy who put the tattoo on my left arm goes there and told me about it then. Finally, a couple of guys from First Glance brought it up at bible study last week and invited me out.

God was pretty much smacking me in the face telling me to go there. And let me tell you, sometimes it's good getting smacked in the face (not all time though, just to be clear.)

So on Sunday morning, I attended the early service at Grace with Robyn (woot!), had some breakfast, and headed over to South Street.

South Street is located on Grant Street (say whaaa?) near downtown, and very near the Summit County Jail. They meet in the old Croatian club (at least I think that's what it used to be). When we walked up, there were kids playing outside and people talking. I think I've mentioned this before, but I love a church with a front door on the street. It just makes going in seem that much more inviting. Not like going in through the back door, like you're going into some secret club where you gotta tell some guy a password to get in. (The password to get into South Street is "The Rev sent me.", FYI.)

Once inside, what a lay out. They kept all the tables and chairs that came with the place. I'd say there were about 40 or so people in attendance. We made our way to a table with few people at it. A younger guy and woman with her maybe 6 month old baby.

What a hodge podge of people. There were black and white. Rich and poor. Saved and unsaved. All in this one room! I love this kind of random gathering of people! The people at the table next to us were stuffing envelopes wedding invitations. Ha!

Worship started and consisted of a couple of ladies with lovely voices singing with a CD providing the musical background. No lyrics on a projector or hymnals but it seemed that most people knew the songs (Amazing Grace and others). Yeah, it was bare bones, but for a guy that gets easily distracted by misprinted lyrics on the big screen, it was nice to just sing some songs from memory and let it really flow from the heart.

After this, Duane, the pastor of the church, came up and asked people how God had been working in their lives during the week. About three came up and talked. Again, no raising Sunday Christians here. Like he said, they wanted to know how God has been working in their lives throughout the week, not just on Sunday.

You wanna know what was awesome? The sermon. Why? Because there wasn't one.

Pastor Duane read the story of Zacchaeus, and then told us to split into small groups and discuss why Zacchaeus had a sudden change of heart. So the two guys we came with left (good riddance!) and a mom with two of her sons came over and sat down. After we talked for a little bit, Duane called everyone back.

Was he going to start preaching now? Heck no. He called on people to answer his question and see what their group had come up with. I can't really put into words how awesome this set up is. People reading and studying the Bible together and then discussing it together. And not at "bible study" time. Right here during church.

What really brought this to an apex was the last person to speak. He was a young kid, maybe 16, he said (paraphrasing), "Here's this guy Zacchaeus who had everything, and then there's Jesus who had nothing. But there was something that Jesus had that Zacchaeus wanted." Wow. In any other church setting, would a 16 year old kid feel comfortable or be given an opportunity to speak his mind about this?

South Street is awesome in so many kinds of ways. They have several outreach programs that go on during the week, check them all out here.

I will definitely be making my way back here a few times in the future and if you're looking for something different that will show how church should be, please check this place out. You will not be disappointed.

Rev.

Kenmore Connection Article

2010-02-24T10:54:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't live in Kenmore, here is the article that I wrote for the Kenmore Connection. On a side note, First Glance could still use your donations to continue doing the great work that they do. Click here to make a donation. Enjoy!

I love Kenmore, plain and simple. I've lived most of my natural life here, made some of my best friends on Saxon Ave, and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. When I became an adult and it came time for me to buy a house, I only looked in one zip code - the 44314. I can't help it, I just love it. However, like any good love story, this relationship has had plenty of rocky moments. In Kenmore we have all the problems and issues that come with being a post-industrial, inner city community.

Through it all, I've defended our town even when it wasn’t easy to defend and I felt like I was being loyal for the sake of loyalty. It was sad. But last summer, I found some hope. I can't remember exactly how I found out about them but I know that when I did, I was ecstatic.

First Glance, a teen outreach center on Kenmore Blvd, is the medicine for what ails us here in Kenmore. By reaching out to teens and helping guide them in their formative years, they're helping to lower crime, keep kids drug free, and make our community a better place, through a variety of methods.

They have a program that helps young mothers learn parenting skills and supply them material help that is earned through a point system, not just handed out. Another program, named Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, is a teen girl abstinence program where the girls hang out, have fun, take field trips, and eat. Wednesday nights are skateboarding nights. Here, kids can (legally) show off their skills and hang out with other skaters on an indoor course. They also have two open recreation nights where the kids can come in, hang out, and be themselves. There are computers, basketball, skateboarding, video games, and food. Through all these programs, First Glance serves several hundred students from the community.

However, the biggest service that First Glance offers is hope. When a kid is struggling at home, has no place safe to go, or is a teen mom, they need to know that there is hope that this situation isn't going to be like this forever but that it can change for the better. Volunteers at First Glance are there to reach out and offer comfort and guidance and let them know they can make better decisions. They can choose to be a good person. And maybe one day they can make a difference in Kenmore for someone else.

I started volunteering at First Glance back in October on the Thursday open recreation night. When I started it didn't feel like I was doing much. I go in, hang out with the kids, make small talk, and it's over. I really didn't feel like I'd done anything significant. In my mind, I thought I would be given a more distinct job, not just show up and hang out.

Since then I've learned I was very wrong. Where First Glance shines is the forum they provide for us volunteers to connect with these kids: a non-threatening place for us to get to know these kids and provide help without judgment. Over time, a few of the kids started warming up to me and I began finding things out about their lives. You find out that their parents are divorced and they are living with their mom and grandma. That they get picked on at school. And that they don't have very much money.

That's about as far as it's got for me, the new guy. I've only gotten to know a couple of kids and at this point, they're only talking to me. My real test will be when one of the kids comes to me with a real problem looking for help - how will I handle it?

I'm excited to be a part of First Glance. I'm excited to see how their efforts are going to change Kenmore. I'm excited because one day, because of First Glance, Kenmore will be a place that people will be proud to be loyal to.

Goss Memorial Church

2010-02-15T15:39:00.002-05:00

As you regular readers know, I have been volunteering at First Glance for about the last 6 months (click here to make a donation!). I hold the group of people that work and volunteer there in high regards. So when I heard that most of them attend Goss Memorial Church in Kenmore, I figured it'd be a good church to check out (not to mention, it's only 5 minutes away, and when you're up until 1am playing Call of Duty, you need that kind of closeness).

I have to be honest, Goss was a pretty run-of-the-mill Sunday service. Worship was pretty good and the preaching was pretty normal. Nothing really exciting or anything that would jump out at you. The only real beef I have is that at one point, they asked any visitors to raise their hands so that they could give them some information. Talk about sticking out like a sore thumb and feeling awkward.

Really it was just your average church service that would blend in with any other church on the tour.

After that, you might not think I like Goss, and you'd be wrong (of the dead variety).

For almost a year, I've been wandering to different churches, seeing different worship styles, preaching styles, and service set ups. I've seen worship bands that could probably tour and some that probably should have never left their moms basement. I've heard preachers that have great eloquence and style, and some that couldn't convert their own choir. Good, bad, and indifferent, I've seen 'em all.

And at the end of the day, none of that matters not one bit. Or as Saint Paul might say, it's skubala (click that link, non-theologians, for a definition).

Goss shines not in its Sunday service but in its service throughout the week. Not only is Goss a supporter of First Glance and their efforts, but they also support multiple missions groups, both here and abroad. They have a vibrant youth program that attracts over 50 teens (not too shabby for a church thats attendance is about 130). I was able to talk some friends of mine (what's up, TK!) and they shared even more about outreach programs that Goss is involved in, from service with teen moms and young men to services in the school.

Churches throw quite a bit of money into their Sunday morning worship, but what would be the result if they took that time and money and focused hard core on outreach, small groups, and other programs that focus on people and not a weekly event?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Sunday worship is bad or that churches that have cool rock bands and speakers are doing something wrong. What I'm saying is that if your focus is slanted towards Sunday, then don't be surprised that you're raising up Sunday-only Christians.

Goss is awesome. It seems to me, with their focus on outreach and the community, that they have put their faith where their mouth is. You can keep your big rock bands and lightning, give me a church whose heart is with the people any day. As the good book says, As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

One side note before we end, Kevin, the guy I know from First Glance, seemed like he was running the whole show! Not only is he the youth pastor, he lead worship as well, playing the guitar, piano and organ! What the heck?! I think at one point I saw him out in the parking lot, changing a flat tire and delivering a baby.

Double kudos to Goss,

Rev.

Marvin

2010-02-03T17:53:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know, not a church review. Sorry from the bottom of my heart. It's been a crazy couple of weeks with too many trips to the hospital. I promise I'll be back in the swing of things soon. In the mean time, how about some good music?

I have a confession to make - I don't listen to Christian music. I know, I'm terrible. The one and only Wandering Reverend (TM) listens to secular music. For some reason in my life, it just never caught on with me.

Growing up, my family never really listened to Christan music. My mom went from classic rock and disco to country. My step-dad didn't really listen to any music (he was a sports talk radio guy. . . very boring for a kid). So between the two of them, no Christian music really made its way to my ears. My musical tastes were mostly influenced by my friends. Back then we mostly listened to hip hop (that's "rap" for you old folks), Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and others. There was some rock in there but that was never really my thing.

The Christian music that my Christian friends told me about always, well, sucked. First of all, it was usually rock (not really my cup of tea) and in my opinion, back then, it wasn't that good. There was DC Talk, the only Christian rappers, but their skillz were dismally pale compared to the rap giants of A Tribe Called Quest and the Beastie Boys.

Fast forward a few years after I fell out of the church and then found religion again. I still had my same finicky musical tastes and there was still no Christian music that really stood out to me. What made it worse is that I was leading a teen youth group and was in charge of trying to get these kids away from the secular and into the religious. I had no alternative to the secular radio stuff they were listening to and my CD collection probably would have made even them blush!

Honestly this weighed on my mind quite a bit. The songs I liked were really awesome musically but the message was far from sacred. I even went as far as to "clense" my collection to get some of the really bad stuff (Goodbye Wu Tang! I will miss you!). As if God was saying something to me, I used the money I got from the CD's to buy a DVD player. . . which promptly broke. Ugh. . .

I had always had an ear for old Mo Town (most hip hop being comprised of samples mostly from this era) but had never purchased any of it. Just whatever was on radio was all I ever heard. I was at Best Buy with my cousin, perusing the music, and noticed they had a Marvin Gaye CD on sale. So I picked up What's Going On and put it in the CD for the ride home (he lives about 40 minutes north of me).

That was the most musically spectacular ride home I have ever taken.

His voice, perfectly soulful. The music was both classic and way ahead of its time. The themes were love, war, and his relationship with God. I had found the most perfect CD. I listened to it the entire trip home and as if God was smiling on me, the CD ended as soon as I pulled onto my street.

I was blown away. But the best part of this music is that it was very spiritual and to me, very Christian. With songs like Wholly Holy and God is Love, there was finally some Christian music that I could listen to! I can't really put into words how happy this made me.

If you haven't listened to this album from front to back, you are missing out on life (even better, it's one of those albums where the songs flow into each other, making for a great album experience).

I'm still struggling to find some good Christian artists that I can really get behind (Chasing Chariots is doing a great job!). There are other bands and even some hip hop (gasp!) that I have found that is actually quite good. . . and Christian. But I can always take relief knowing that when I need it, I can always throw some Marvin on, enjoy some good music, and think about my creator.

Right on, Marvin. Right on.
Rev.

Grace Brethren - Bath Campus

2010-01-11T13:57:00.000-05:00

It's a new year and you've got yourself a new, improved, Reverend. And like anything that's labeled "New & Improved!", it's just the same thing with new packaging and a higher price. This guy right here is no different. Actually, you're getting less. I'm starting back up the wandering but probably only every other weekend. As for a higher price, I'm trying to find a way to pass an offering on here. What will I call it? eOffering? iPlate?

Anyways, this Sunday I ended up at Grace Brethren in Bath, Ohio. I have actually been to this church before. I have some family that goes there (What's up, Rains' Family!) and had some friends that attended there for a while.

So why did I end up here this Sunday?

I pulled into the parking lot and can I just say, ugh. I mean, it's a good problem to have, but the parking was kind of crazy. Cars lined up on the street and what not. And it really tested my good Christian patience when the guy who was trying to park in front of me just had to back into his space. It took forever! Sheese! But like I said, good problem to have. . . I guess.

Grace is that church. Which church? That church in your area is the blowing up. I guess quite a few years ago, they were a small struggling church of only a handful of people. Now, they run 2 packed services, just had a huge building project, and if my relatives are right, they're supposed to be expanding again!

Is this why I ended up here?

I was running just a little late and made it in to hear the worship music a-rockin'. Pretty good stuff. Band-wise, I don't think they were better than The Temple, but it's not really about quality and more about leading a good worship, which they knocked out of the park. Songs were great, the people who were leading the music were into it and all were praising the Lord. Good stuff.

Could this be why I ended up here?

Some announcements followed where of course, they were pushing those midweek small groups. And that's why I think this place is blowing up - small groups. I'm telling you, this is where it's at. And any church that does this well is bound for greatness. The benefits to small groups are so many: accountability, relationships with fellow Christians, deeper Bible study, a chance to ask questions, an outlet to serve and organize service, etcetera etcetera. A church that doesn't have a vibrant mid-week small group program (whether they be home groups or at church) is a church that's struggling. It's a church of Sunday-only Christians.

And if you're thinking that's why I went there, you'd be wrong.

Up next was Pastor Jeff, preachin' the word. This guy is pretty good. It seemed to me that he kept is simple enough for those that are new but had enough meaty bits for those seasoned Jesus freaks. Strangely enough, his sermon was on a topic that I had been talking to my good friend Nathan about the night before (God be so funny like dat), which is reading the Bible.

He mentioned that a study took several people who were considered "spiritual" and they were asked what they did that helped make them that way. And of course, the one habit that they had in common was consistent Bible reading.

And of course, it home with me. I've definitely been slacking in the Bible reading department. And it's not like I haven't read it. I've probably read the New Testament several times through and maybe 50% of the Old Testament (I zone out on those "begats" and census's). I think it's a definite lack of a Bible study. I mean, how many more times can I read it before I'm just randomly memorizing. Or, as my man the Ethiopian eunuch once said, when asked if he understood what he was reading, "How can I understand it unless someone explains it to me!".

I need to find a Bible study.

So after hearing the good sermon, we sang a few more songs and we were Audi 5-0.

Overall, it's a really great place. Friendly people, great worship, awesome preaching, and of course, those pimptastic small groups. What more could you ask for in a church?

But again, was all this the reason that I was there? I mean, I really knew most of it, as I had been there before and know people that go there. So what reason does that leave? You already know the answer: a lady.

Hermeneutically yours,
Rev.

See ya later, 2009

2009-12-30T16:32:00.000-05:00

Scroll down and hit play first. . . you know how I do it.

You know, around the time of New Years, there's always that picture of the old man leaving and the new baby coming in to replace him, signifying the changing of the year. Well, if that old man were real, I'd trip him as he crossed the street and push him into oncoming traffic.

2009 was a rough year full of lots of changes, some good, some bad. Here for your reading pleasure are the highlights.

If you grew up on the S. Block (our lovely home street in Akron), it was not a good year to be your dad. Two of them passed away, one was treated for cancer and still one more was shot in an attempted robbery.
My pay was cut (which they just reversed!) and haven't gotten a bonus at work for quite some time. But thankfully, I still have my job.
I quit my old church and the job I had there and moved into the role of the Wandering Reverend (which you all know and love!).
My room mate rearranged his room about 20 times (I want to make note that I am not exaggerating that number. . . he is crazy).

But obviously, I can't say that all the changes have been bad. Wandering from church to church has been a great experience and I have learned a lot from it. Somehow, I learned to live on less pay and still manage to save a few bucks here and there. Losing a few loved ones has made me appreciate the ones I have here with me all the more. Also, I found my new favorite organization, First Glance (which, if you haven't donated money to yet, there's still time!).

Not sure what I learned from my room mate . . . maybe to sleep with one eye open, for fear that he'll really snap and try to kill me while I slumber. Yeah, that sounds about right.

But 2010 is looking to be a good year. Like I said, I got my pay back to normal (sans bonus). Also, I'll be training for the Cleveland 1/2 Marathon in May, which will be good for both the body and the mind. I do need to work on my spiritual life.

For all the wandering and learning, I still haven't found that level of deep faith that I seem to be looking for. Obviously, this is a life time goal. But I'd like to put some habits into place that will really get me going on the right path. Any thoughts?

Now I say hello to 2010 and goodbye to the crazy mess that was 2009. I wish I had something deep to say here, but honestly, I just hope it's a smoother year than before.

Oh, and a woman. That'd be nice.

Rev.

Polite Conversation

2009-11-02T10:05:00.005-05:00

There are two things that you're never supposed to bring up in polite conversation: religion and politics. However, if the conversation is lagging, and you're attention hungry like me, you let it fly.

I'll talk conservatism to Democrats. Liberalism to Republicans. The Trinity to Jehova's Witnesses. Christ to Jews. And the deliciousness of bacon to Muslim's. Whatever. Bring it!

So just for fun, and because I haven't posted in a minute, I thought I'd give my 2 cents on the issues that are on the ballot tomorrow.

Issue 1 -

This is a proposal to issue bonds in order to make payments to veterans of recent wars. Go here for a full explanation.

Now, your Reverend is vehemently opposed to war in any of it's incarnations, be it "just" or otherwise. But at the same time, I realize that these men and women have done what they thought was best in order to help their countrymen. And even if I disagree with the reasons for it, I believe what they have done is noble.

The least we can do is to give them a helping hand in these tough times. I'm voting yes.

Issue 2 -

This is a hot one. Read the Beacon's take on it here. While they support it, they don't really give it resounding yes.

Animals are fun, they're cute, and good companions. Oh, and when cooked right, rather tasty. I don't want to see any animal tortured in order to be killed for food. It's 2009, we can do better. But at the same time, from what I've read, this "board" is going to be controlled by big Agri-business. Although it could be good to have a board to oversee the industry in Ohio. . . it's not very straight forward on how well this would work.

Voting No on this one. There are too many questions and it's not clear whether this board will help or hinder.

Issue 3 -

Oh yes. The big one. I'm so against casino's it's scary. But I'm also pro-gambling.

Hey, if you want to have a card game at your house with all your buddies, go for it! I got $20 on it! But all these companies do is bilk the poor for their money. Take a look at Detroit - wow, those casino's sure did help those cities. . . yeah right.

If I had it my way, we'd get rid of the lottery, too. They always try to push these things by saying it's "for the schools" or "it'll create jobs". First, if you need money for schools, then raise my taxes! Why do I need to "filter" my money through the casino to get it to the schools? And jobs? Um, those construction jobs will be around for what, a year? And then what? Lot's of janitors and dealers making $8.50 an hour? Wow, sounds great to me.

We voted it down multiple times before and it's time to vote it down again.

Issue 4 -

The last couple times I voted, I wondered about this whole County Engineer thing. I think part of it comes from ignorance. What does this guy do? If he's an engineer, like his title says, then I'd rather just see his resume, not his political party.

Should we really be voting for this?

With that, I'm voting Yes to get rid of the voting for the position.

Issue 5 -

A big yes on this one.

First, to all you Donny P haters, I love you. And if you can muster a fair amount of signatures to recall him, then fine. Let the people speak. But as it stood when the recall went down, it only took 2% of the city voting population to pass it.

This whole thing makes no sense. Let's fix it.

So there ya go. Love it, hate it, snuggle with it. Whatever. If you think I'm on dead wrong, let me know. I'd love to hear from you. You've got about 20 hours to try to persuade me otherwise.

But when I'm in the voting booth, making my life altering choices, the only person in there is Me, Myself, and I.

Go Cavs!

Rev.

Leonard Ravenhill

2009-10-14T13:12:00.004-04:00

No, I haven't read any of his books. I wouldn't even know where to start or if I'd even understand them. But my good friend and pastor, Nathan, sent these quotes to me a while back and I thought I'd share them.

They're from a writer by the name of Leonard Ravenhill. And if these quotes do any justice to his writings, well then, I should probably get to reading him!

Enjoy.

"If weak in prayer, we are weak everywhere."

"Men give advice; God gives guidance."

"Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?"

"A sinning man stops praying, a praying man stops sinning"

"The only reason we don't have revival is because we are willing to live without it!"

"God pity us that after years of writing, using mountains of paper and rivers of ink, exhausting flashy terminology about the biggest revival meetings in history, we are still faced with gross corruption in every nation, as well as with the most prayerless church age since Pentecost."

"The Church used to be a lifeboat rescuing the perishing. Now she is a cruise ship recruiting the promising."
"The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity."

"My main ambition in life is to be on the devil's most wanted list."

"If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified."

"Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy"

First Glance

2009-10-11T14:04:00.009-04:00

So, there's a dark cloud circling over the Kenmore/Barberton area. I have heard more bad news in the last 2 weeks than I have ever heard. What the heck is going on? People losing jobs. People getting sick or hurt. People dying. The sun most certainly needs to come back out over our little neck of southwest Summit county!

As I said, I'm pretty much settled into Akron Baptist Temple. I still need to check out some other churches but I'll probably be sticking here for at least a few weeks. Next week they're having a class for people who are interested in becoming members. Yes, I'm going! It'll be interesting to see what they can do to try to get me to join. I mean, I am no ordinary church member. I am the one, the only, world renowned, Wandering Reverend. There's doctrine to consider, practices, orthodoxy. . . and if they offer good food. I'll join for a juicy burger and fries.

However, this past Thursday I did have the pleasure of checking out the best kept secret in Kenmore. A little teen outreach center by the name of First Glance. I have to say, I was most impressed.

First a little honesty- we all know that I love Kenmore. Love it! But it's not an ignorant love. It's kind of like the bathroom. Yeah, it's a great place to be but sometimes it stinks. We got crime, drugs, and a slew of other problems but dang it, I still love it. It's where I grew up. It's where I live. And if I get my wish, it's where I'll start my world empire.

The fact that something like First Glance exists gives me a lot of hope for our little burg.

I can't remember exactly how I found out about them. I think I read something in the Beacon Journal about it. I checked out their website and was immediately impressed. So the other week I sent an email to their leader, Noelle, asked if I could check it out, she said yes, and voila, I was in there like swim wear.

Once I made my way into the door (which took some effort, as it was locked and I wasn't sure how to get in. Thankfully some other adults showed up. . . ) and got the introductions, I got a little tour of the place. After seeing what they have, no wonder they draw 200-250 kids a week!

They had computers for the kids to use. A small skate park with ramps. An area to play basketball. Lots of places for kids to sit and chill. A snack bar. And something that almost brought a tear to my eye - X Box's and Wii's set up for the kids to play. Awesome! Not only can I hone my Guitar Hero skillz, but I can write it off spiritually as "outreach time"! Woot!

What is awesome about this place is that their goal is simply to get the kids in and get to know them. On Thursday and Friday nights there is not "bible talk" time or lesson. Just come in, hang out, have fun. As Noelle stated, a lot of these kids would never set foot in a church but will come to First Glance.

They do have a "church" that they invite the kids to called Second Look (get it, "First Glance", "Second Look". . . which I'm sure is followed by "Third Stare" and "Fourth Gaze").

After I left, I couldn't help but be excited. How freaking awesome is this thing and it's in K-Town to boot! Aaah!

Obviously, I'm sold. I just sent my email to their director, Noelle, to ask which night I could volunteer. I can't wait. Personally, I think I made a good impression when one of the kids from my old youth group at Southwest came up and gave me a big hug. Thanks, Christy!

Peace and chicken grease,

Reverend

ABT - The Bridge Service

2009-10-05T17:12:00.008-04:00

FINALLY!

This is it. I finally made it to the Bridge service at the Akron Baptist Temple. This time there was no "special" service or rain storm to blow this one out! I almost can't believe I'm writing this. . .

As I stated before, to find your way around this building you need a compass and a map (GPS for you non-map readers). And remember, way back when before I started this, I had been to a service here and I still couldn't find my way easily to the Bridge. However, when I asked the lady standing at the door, she was more than friendly and pointed me in the right direction.

Once we (yep, "we". My cousin Rob and my disciple, Colin, went with me) made it to the Bridge, we found a good seat and things got going.

The worship band is awesome. They rock out pretty much from start to finish. The lead singer does a great job of getting things going and leading you to worship the Lord. The whole experience is more like a rock concert. They have fancy stage lights and smoke machines that really set off that rock concert mood. They even have kids that stand up at the stage! Sadly, no moshing. Weak.

And look! They have a Youtube page! http://www.youtube.com/abtbridge

Next up, the sermon. Since they only have one preacher, they do a kind of live feed to the Bridge area and show him on the big screen. Sounds kind of weird at first but really, you never even notice it.

His message was titled Fear vs. Faith. I have to be honest, at first, I was afraid of where he was going with it. Lot's of talk about earthquakes, storms, war, etc. and how it's pointing towards the end times. . . hrm. . . whenever I hear talk of the end times, I always question it.

If you look back at every generation that ever lived, they all had a reason to think that it was the "end of days". There have always been wars, storms, pestilence, plagues, and the like and, unless I missed it, there has been no rapture yet. People tend to take situations and apply the book of Revelations too liberally.

When it's truly the end of the world, we'll know it (and I'll feel fine). Jehova's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, sorry, you're just going to have to wait until God says it's time.

But to be clear, the pastor only touched on this for the moment. His main thrust is that you shouldn't live in fear but in faith. In Christ, we have nothing to worry about. So in the end, his message was definitely more uplifting and empowering. Good stuff, Ed Holland.

As I have stated before, this is the place I'm going to be calling home for a while. There are really great people that go there and the worship is awesome. There are even these guys in a band called Chasing Chariots that go there. Check them out, they rock.

The only issues that I see is that they don't have a bible study for those people in my age group (no, I'm not quite ready for the Senior Study). However, I think that instead of doing a Bible study, I'm going to see about volunteering at a local teen hang out called First Glance. Getting my volunteer on at a Christian outreach center is sounding pretty good right now. I'll let you know how that works out.

Stay classy, Akron.

Rev.

Southwest Church of Christ

2009-09-28T09:24:00.007-04:00

Wandering Reverend, back in action!

I have been very sporadic in the last few weeks and for that, I am sorry. It's been a wild ride but I'm praying that all the craziness is going to be over soon and we can get back to our regularly scheduled program.

As some of you may know, my step-dad, Bob Rummer, passed away on Friday. It came rather suddenly and took us by surprise. Yes, he was in the hospital for about 3 weeks because of a brain aneurysm but the whole time he was in there, they kept telling us that he was going to get better but that it would just take lots of time. Sadly, that all came crashing down early Friday morning when they found out that he had another aneurysm.

With that, it was only the machines at that point that were keeping him alive. So we made the very easy but very horrible decision to pull them all off of him. Easy because he would have never wanted to be kept alive that way and horrible because, well, there's your dad there and your telling them that it's over. . .

I was in the room when he passed and I have to tell you, you never ever want to be there for that. But my mom, of course, wouldn't have been anywhere else and I had to be there for her. I'm not an overly emotional person, or one to have nightmares, but I'd be lying if I said that moment hadn't run through my head a few times. It was so bizarre, so unreal.

So this Sunday, instead of going somewhere different, I went to church with my mom and family to Southwest Church of Christ, in Barberton. This is the church that I initially left to go a'wanderin'.

This isn't going to be regular review because I know Southwest very well. I could tell you all the things that are great there and then run right down to all the things that I think aren't so great. I mean, I did leave for a reason!

But instead of waxing poetically about all the things I think are wrong or that I don't like, I'd like to focus on the good. Bob loved that church and I think I'd be doing a disservice to his memory by doing anything else.

In fact, I'd like to focus on one good thing. The thing that Southwest has always succeeded at and done a stellar of job at. That one thing is people.

The moment that we found out Bob was in the hospital, the outpouring began. People came to the hospital, called and offered food, sent cards. You name it, we got it. And it's not that cheesey, "I'm just saying it because it's nice but I wouldn't really do it" attitude. I have seen it in action, these people are giving.

There are church plant programs and kits that you can buy to "jump start" your church and to get it moving. But without people, people that care about the Lord and about spreading his message of love and salvation, you've got nothing. Churches die because people stop caring. Southwest, despite its issues, has continued on because of this rock solid foundation that is loving, Christian, people.

Well, it's going to be rough for the next couple of days. Calling hours tonight and a memorial service tomorrow. If you could keep my mom in your prayers, I'd appreciate it.

Much love,

Rev.

Where you be?

2009-09-17T21:45:00.006-04:00

Yes, it's been a while. Has it really be three weeks? My how the time flies!

First, my apologies for leaving you for so long! It's been an interesting few weeks! If you remember, I went out of town for a weekend for a little R&R (good times). Then on the Friday after that weekend, my step-dad, Bob, had an aneurysm (not so good times) and that set me back another two weekends.

Yes, I did go to church on those two Sundays. I went to St. Bernard's in downtown Akron (awesome 8pm service) and then again on the next Sunday, with the full intention of reviewing it. Yeah, that didn't happen.

So here's your mini review of St. Bernard's (no no, not "ber-nard", it's pronounced "ber-nerd". No, I don't know why. Chalk it up in the same category as to why men have nipples).

I went on the weekend that I was out of town. We made it back in the afternoon and I really didn't want to skip church. I had known about St. Bernard's from my cousin (I had actually been there once before) and that they had a late service (8pm!). So I showered up and hit the late road.

I went there expecting to find my typical Catholic experience. Heavy on boring liturgy, light on engaging relativity. Boy was I wrong.

Yeah, it started out like normal. Sing a few outdated hymns, say the memorized sayings. . . blah blah blah. But when it came time for the priest to preach, something weird happened. He grabbed the mic and started walking down the center of the pews. He asked for a show of hands "Is anyone here a hypocrite?" Not too many hands went up. He started laughing.

He asked another question. "If you can't follow all of Christ's teachings, then why should you try?". . . he actually wanted someone to answer! This guy was awesome! He spoke well. Never read from any notes. He was engaging. Even challenging. I'm not sure where they got this guy, but the Pope needs to come up with a way to clone him and put him at every church in the country!

After his awesome message, we had communion. And instead of just going through the motions, he took the time to explain what we were doing and why. Man, this guy is good.

I left there feeling refreshed and rejuvinated. Not only did he preach a great message but he also gave me hope that the Catholic faith is not without hope. There are still some Catholics who want to preach to the lost and actually grab a few.

I went to another service of theirs in the morning last Sunday. It wasn't quite as good but it was still 10 times better than any other Catholic church out there.

If I could ask you all to keep Bob in your prayers, I'd really appreciate it. The doctor says he'll make a full recovery but it will just take time. And my Mom, too. Thanks.

Yours back in action,

Wandering Reverend

ps - would it be in bad taste to mention that there were lots of cute girls there? Yeah? It would? Okay, I won't mention it.

LifeChurch.TV

2009-08-23T11:14:00.021-04:00

(I suggest scrolling down and hitting play. You'll thank me for it later.)

Whew. I was up late Saturday night. Waaaay too late, dealing with issues that a friend of mine is having. I was up until 3am and probably didn't fall asleep until 3:30am. I had plans to go to church but I didn't wake up until about 10:30 this morning, and I wasn't sure what time they started, and all other kinds of things working against me.

So, I went with church online. Yes, church online. Everything is online nowadays, so is it really a stretch for there to be an online church?

Welcome to LifeChurch.TV.

I heard about LifeChurch last year when I went to a leadership conference down in Cincinnatti and I got to hear their pastor, Craig Groeschel, speak. He was a great speaker and made some really awesome points about what church is and some of the inner functions. He has a book out called, "IT". If you're in the church business, I'd recommend it.

"Going" to this church is very easy and the site is very straight forward. The church meets live and there is a countdown to start time. As you're waiting, there's a chat room where people meet and talk about what's going on with them. I guess this would be the lobby of your brick and mortar church.

First up was worship, which I have to be honest, only sort-of worked for me. Confession time: I wrote the 4 paragraphs of this while they were singing. Terrible, I know. I mean, at regular church, I sing and clap and do all that. But it being online really didn't have the same impact for me. Hrm. . . so I have a bigger problem singing by myself than in front of other people. . . I have no clue what that says about me but I'm not sure it's healthy!

Next up, communion. Oh yes, communion. Before the worship started, they announced that they were going to be partaking, and said that if you wanted to take, then go get some bread and wine (or grape juice) so that you would be prepared. Crazy, I know. No, I didn't partake but I still think it's an interesting concept to try. Still, kind of weird.

After this, Groeschel came on to give his sermon. He spoke about how each and everyone of us is called to be a minister. No, not just the guys who went to Bible college or who are paid staff at a church, but eveyone that is a Christian. He drew from the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), showing how the priest and the Levite went past the injured man, but it was the Samaritan, the layman, who helped the man with his needs.

A couple of good quotes from his message: "The church's message never changes, but the methods do change. To reach people no one is reaching, you have to do something no one is doing." I love the 2nd part of that. It reminds me of another quote, I think from Dave Ramsey, which says "If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always got." Pretty simple stuff, yes. But I think so often, in our heads we're saying "Yeah, I need to change! I want things to be different!" but right after that, we end up doing the same exact things we've always been doing. Ugh.

His other good one: "When you know who you are, you'll know what to do." He gave the example of a time he was playing basketball and a guy there blew out his knee. Everyone there was just wincing and not sure what to do. But another guy ran up and said "I'm a doctor! Let me through." and he was able to help the man. The idea being that, if you know that you're a Christian, then you know what you are to do. You can help. You can make a difference by becoming involved. However, if you dont' know who you are . . .

After his message, he prayed and asked anyone if they committed themselves to Christ then to let them know by pushing the button (a little button popped up that you could hit). A virtual alter call. . . interesting. It was definitely a lot less creepy than the one at the Apostolic church, that's for sure.

Kind of a weird experience, in that I met no one new and didn't get to really get involved in worship. But I'm thinking - how many people do this by going to an actual building-church? You go to church, give a fake smile and handshake to a few people, sit in the pew, waiting for it to be over, and then leave. Never making a connection, never engaging in fellowship, never truly worshipping. I have to be honest, if nothing else, this online church made me miss real church all that much more.

They do have ways to meet with people in real life. There are small groups, I guess, that meet locally (a quick check of my zip code shows there are none in my area. Boo!) And something like that would be very interesting. There are a lot of interesting thoughts about doing church that way that are running through my mind, too many to put here.

A little announcement from your Reverend, I think my time of wandering is drawing to a close. Wandering has been good, and I have really enjoyed it. All the encouragement from people and compliments (fake compliments, I'm sure, but I'll take it anyway I can get it). I knew from the get-go that this could never be a full-time gig and that it would have to end some day.

But don't worry! You still have me for about another month! I have a big finale planned and then another, daily, project planned after that. What are the plans, you ask? I'm not giving it away! You'll have to stay tuned for it! But I really think you will enjoy them.

And sadly, you'll have to wait 2 weeks for the next church, as I'll be out of town next weekend. Maybe I'll make some time to drop some knowledge on you next week. . . if you're good.

With much love and respect from the interwebs,

Rev.

Akron Baptist Temple - Part Deux

2009-08-16T12:45:00.011-04:00

It's been a few months since I've been to the Akron Baptist Temple and if you recall, when I was there last it was a "very special" service, with the mayor speaking and a guest preacher doing the business. My cousin, Nick, kept bugging me, "Dude, you have to come see The Bridge service. It's awesome! You just gotta go. Dude. Dude." I kind of didn't want to do a Part 2 of any church but thought, eh, since I'll be going to a different version of the service, it might be fun.

Apparently God had other plans. The big rain that we recently got did a number on the roof of the ABT. Lots of water damage and other water related issues that put The Bridge service out of service for about a month. Oh the irony of it all!

To look on the bright side, it was a good service.

Upon entering one of the many entrances to the building, a couple of very nice greeters met us at the door. We then walked through the maze that is Akron Baptist Temple. You could very easily get lost in that place! Like The Chapel in Akron, it's another one of those old churches that has been added onto about a dozen times. And I think each time they add on, they add another 5 corridors to the place. Unless I were to come in the front door (which is not convenient to get to, as it's in the front and you park in the back) you'd get lost.

We made it in and found our way to the balcony seating, where all the bourgeois sit (sans coulots sit down below).

First up was the worship service, which was good. Nothing exciting, like rock bands or DJ's, but it was done well. Band was on point, songs were oldies but goodies (one of my oldie faves, When We All Get to Heaven). They also had an older lady by the name of Rose sing, which was great.

Next was the sermon, brought to you by Ed Holland. They are currently in a sermon series that is dealing with THE END times out of Revelation. Personally, I've never liked sermons about this. For one, Revelation is soooo open to interpretation and I question anyone who reads it then says they know for sure what's going to happen. Second, it's such a divisive topic in Christianity. I'd rather we just let it lie than bring it to a boil. Can we just agree that it's very vague and when it finally does happen, we'll know it.

My personal view, which I took from an old song, is "I read the back of the book and we win!"

However, he did a nice job of balancing interpretation with insight and a lesson that we can learn from it.

After the sermon, it was over. We left and I went out in the woods and got shot by paintballs for the rest of the afternoon!

So I've made a kind-of-sort-of decision. If things with Kenmore Church of Christ don't work out, I think I might try out The Temple for an extended period of time (notice the lack of full on commitment). First, it's a nice place with lots of great programs. Second, I know a lot of people that go there and they are all really great people (except for my cousin, Nick, he's a jerk! Ha ha . . . don't worry, he doesn't read the blog but I'm sure his wife will tell him!). Third, they're local.

I don't judge anyone (to their face) that drives 20 minutes to church but in my personal view, church is a local thing. A place not only to meet and worship with fellow believers but also a place to be active and get involved in the community. A place to put your faith into action.

I'm not sure how many churches there are in Akron, but imagine if every church said to itself, "Okay, we're going to concentrate all of our efforts on the neighborhood that we sit it and meet its needs, both temporal and spiritual." Every church putting its all into one small area. What kind of difference would that make?

Anyway, it was a good Sunday and I'm glad I was able to worship with my cousin.

Peace to mah homies on the streets,

Rev.

St. Mary's - downtown Akron

2009-08-10T12:38:00.007-04:00

Sorry I'm late, kids! Daddy just had a few things he had to take care of. Daddy still loves you. . . now get daddy's beer! Ha ha.

I had family in town this Sunday so I went with them to good old St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in beautiful, awesome, downtown Akron. Yes, I know, I've already been to a Catholic church but I wanted to take in the experience with my family.

However, it's a Catholic church. The sevice is exactly the same way it was when I was there two months ago. Yeah, there were different readings and the priest's homily (Catholic-speak for "sermon") was different (and boring). But other than that, completely the same.

For those of you who are from the Akron area you have probably read that the Cleveland Diocese (that's the overall governing body for this area of the church) is going to be closing several churches. They have already closed a few and more are on the chopping block, including St. Mary's. Problems are lack of attendance, lack of giving, and from what I can see, lethargy.

In this humble Reverends opinion, I believe lethargy is the biggest culprit. A few thoughts . . .

Has a Catholic person ever invited you to church? And no, not for the bingo or the 8th annual ethnic fest. I mean invited you because they were eager to share the Lord with you. I'm guessing no. I think for all these years, they've just assumed that parents will bring their kids, those kids wil bring their kids, and so on. I think it's sad if any church is counting on population growth for outreach. Really.

What about friendliness? In the two churches that I have been to, there were no greeters at the door and no one inside to come around and greet. You just go in, grab a seat, and think about where to go to lunch. Even when it's time to greet others (that is, the "peace be with you" handshake time) no one makes an effort to even seek out people. I shook the hands with the people standing next to me (my family) and that was it. No one left their pews at all.

Fellowship at Catholic churches seems to not exist (no, you can't count bingo or your random festival).

The service is oh so very foreign to anyone who is not Catholic. The prepared recitations, the communion, nothing at all is explained or given consideration that hey, maybe not everyone in here is a Catholic. Maybe it's because they're so used to not having any new people that they just gave up on it.

I think the Catholic church has a lot going for it. Their leaders are still powerful in the community and in the world (see Pope) and when they speak, people listen. They also have networks of charity programs to help those in need.

But where is the love of the Gospel message? Where is the passion for bringing the lost to Christ? Where has their faith gone?

I think these problems can be overcome but only if there's a change in mindset in the leadership. A change of heart. A heart that has passion for the Lord and for those who need Him.

Sorry it's not much of a review of St. Mary's but it's my honest assessment of what's going on with our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Love,

ps - make sure you wait for Animal come out. . .

The Church on the Boulevard

2009-08-02T11:32:00.014-04:00

It was a cold and dank morning . . . the birds were singing songs that would make doves cry while a dog barked in the distance. Somewhere a church bell was ringing and . . . Um, yeah. I'll just to stick to the reviews and leave the creative writing to someone better qualified.

Yeah, it's muggy as all get out (welcome to Ohio!) which makes going to a small church all the more fun (they usually can't afford A/C) but as they say, no guts no glory! And sweat. Lots of sweat.

I'm still sticking to small, nearby churches so this morning I went to the Church on the Boulevard (no points for a creative name). This is a new church in an old building down on Kenmore's main drag, Kenmore Boulevard. The church that was there before it closed up shop and for a while, it was a coffee shop of sorts (I never went). After that closed up, a new church started up there and has been there for a few years.

I like old churches. I like that they have unpadded wooden pews, that they have stained glass windows, and that they actually use the front door of the church. Yeah, I know, a building is just a building and it doesn't count for anything if there's no spirit there, but I still like them. Must be something with my Catholic roots. . .

I walked in the front door (even had cool, old doors!) and took a seat in the old, wooden pews (okay, I'm done). Kind of an odd room - it's a square room, very tall, with the stage taking up one corner and the pews taking up the rest. There were what looked like old loge seats that were behind the regular pews. Yeah, very odd, but it was comfortable and it worked.

A couple of very nice gentlemen greeted me and asked me where I was from and all the standard questions. Nice but not pushy (I say that a lot, but it's true).

A few cool things off the bat. First, they seem to cater to the deaf community in some ways. There seemed to be quite a few of them there and there was a person signing on stage for the whole service. Second, lots of teens! And there were four on stage helping with the worship. Awesome! Going to a church with no kids is oh so very depressing. The kids just bring a certain life and to me, it shows where that the church has a priority in growing their kids.

Worship started up and it was very good. They sang a mix of old and new but all with the full band. The kids sang well and the band was well practiced. I dug it.

I seem to have a knack for doing this - their regular preacher was on vacation this week. Doh! This is probably 4th or 5th time that I have seen this. Am I cursed or something? Yeah, it probably has to do with the fact that it's summer, but still.

Luckily, the guy that stood in for him was pretty good. He spoke well, told some good stories, and kept me interested. His message was from Acts 6-28-40, that is, the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Strangely enough, this is the 2nd time in the last week that I've had a eunuch brought up in conversation. . . weird. Anyway, he spoke about how we need to be ready to be moved by God and to do His will. Very good stuff to hear after a long week!

Next up they took the offering, while the rest of the congregation sang and let me tell you, any sleepers were snapped to attention! Instead of bringing the band back up they busted out the organ! Honestly, I don't think I have ever been to a church that actually used an organ. My old church had one when I was a kid but they never used and it was gone by the time I got older. Yeah, the organ was a little underwhelming. It was just loud.

I have to say - good church. They spoke about quite a few outreach programs they have and other services they do in the community. A very good mix of young and old and good worship. Yeah, the organ was bleh, but really a minor complaint for all the other good stuff they have going on.

Bonus! I heard that Kenmore Church of Christ is voting on becoming a church plant today. Lord! Please hear this boys prayer and let them get a restart! K-Town needs it!

Revvin' and revvin',

Rev.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron

2009-07-26T13:28:00.008-04:00

Well this morning was . . . interesting. Yeah, it was a little weird but in all honesty it was good. Why, you may ask? Because I was at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron.

Let's set the ground rules for this one off the jump. First, I don't agree with the UU's on theology at all. I mean, I could write on and on about theology and doctrinal differences but that's not really getting me anywhere. We know that your Reverend is a devout Christian and isn't looking to change his stripes. So what I'm going to do is to relate the experience and how it came off to a new guy. And really, what can the Church learn from them?

This morning I was joined by my good friend, Tricia, who actually recommended the place to me. I picked her up and we were off.

We arrived just in time for the service (which is good for K-Towners, we're perpetually late) and found a seat near the back. My first impression was the place looks church-ish, although I'm not quite sure what I thought it would be like (big posters of Obama and Marx?), I guess I didn't expect it to look like "church". It was a pretty modern looking place with several classrooms for children's classes.

They started off with some announcements and then sang a song, Enter, Rejoice and Come In (a Christian hymn washed of the word "Lord"). What was funny was that before the song started, the leader said that they wanted to sing and shout but when the song started, a somber piano played and the congregation barely spoke up. Um, party on?

Unfortunately for this Sunday, they did not have a regular preacher. I knew from their website that they didn't have one yet but that the new guy was starting. However, I got the date wrong and we didn't get to see the new guy. Doh! He starts next week.

However, some of the leaders had went to a UU conference recently so each of them stood up and spoke about what they learned and how it went. They spoke about things like social justice, adults and teens working together and leadership. It was pretty okay but I did have a little trouble choking down the uber-liberal theol. . . Wait! I said I wasn't going to talk about that!

Afterwards, we sang another song, which included some off rhythm clapping and tamborines. What are you gonna do with a place full of whitey's? And then it was done.

But this is where they really shined (churches, take note). These were some of the friendliest and most inviting people I have ever met. Several people came up to us, introduced themselves, asked our names, and told us a little about their church. All of them talked a little about themselves and asked about us (everyone thought we were a couple. Gross! Tricia's like my sister! Ew!).

Apparently, after each service, they meet for fellowship over some coffee and snacks. This is a great way to get people together and keep the congregation together. Normally I'd skip this part of the service but they were so friendly, and Tricia was up for it, that we stuck around for it.

The service was a little weak, with a sub par worship service, but they really tore it up on the inviting factor. And really, that's one of the most important factors at a church. You can have right doctrine and a fancy building, but without some friendly people, forget it. You fail.

Would I ever go back? Heck no. The Rev believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God who died for our sins, not in this "We're all one with the stars and trees and tigers and rivers and all the stuff of life" (a direct quote from their bulletin). However, if I was on the fence with my beliefs, and was looking for a place to belong, this would be a very tempting place. In fact, I think that Tricia is going to go back again to check out their new preacher.

Churches of Christ, you have been warned.

With love and peace for the trees and goats,

Rev.

Praise Chapel Assembly of God

2009-07-19T12:18:00.010-04:00

I'm one of those weird people who likes to walk. If I could live, work, and shop all within walking distance, I'd be the happiest dude ever. There's just something nice about having to take the time to get somewhere, instead of always rushing there and worrying about traffic. When you're walking, you just sort of saunter along ("mosey along" for you out west), lost in your own thoughts.

Today I got to walk to church and it was everything I'd hoped. . . yeah.

Praise Chapel Assembly of God is right up the road from me. I probably drive past it about once a day. It's a small, corner lot church that really doesn't stick out. It's an old brick building with an old weathering sign out front. Yes, it did have a corny quip on the sign.

I got there right on time (sign says it starts at 10:30am) and was greeted by some very friendly people. I'd say there were about 30 people in attendance total. As we were chatting away, I noticed that the music equipment was still sort of scattered about. Apparetly, set up time is 10:30, not start time. Hrm. . . oh well, I'm in no rush.

Once worship got started, I really had to stop myself from laughing. They had the usual: drums, piano, guitar, and casio keyboard with 8-bit music backing. Whaaaa? For those of you who don't know, 8 bit music is what was playing in the background of Super Mario Bros. the whole time you played (for an example 8-bit music, click here). I couldn't help it, I know I had a goofy smile on my face the whole time. Overall, it was a good worship experience but I think I could have lived without the 8 bit version of my favorite worship songs (although now that I think about it, I wonder if there are some 8 bit Christian artists? That'd be awesome!).

Next up was the sermon and I have to say, not too shabby. He spoke about how we need to rely on God and His mercy and that when we don't, that's when things go wrong. He actually used a bit of Scripture (unlike last week) to make the point. Stlye-wise he was very good, he had a good speaking voice and he made all of his points in a timely fashion.

Uh oh - altar call time again. And this one was a little more creepy than the last one. He called up people who needed prayer or whatever, cool. Then he called up people to pray for them, cool. But wait, now there are only two people left in the pews! Me and some lady who I think had a bum leg. Great.

Here's where it gets interesting. First, before he came down to pray, he grabbed a little bottle of oil and was putting it on the sick people's forehead. Okay, that's not too crazy. I mean, it does say to anoint the sick with oil, so I'm with it.

But then came the coup de grace, the moment I'd been waiting for. Yes, he snuck in some speaking in tounges! Oh yeah! I had never seen this in person before and this was the exact reason I wanted to go here! And it was kind of funny - he just snuck it in there a few times, I think only twice. It was like he was just seasoning the blessing with some random mumblings, er, "being filled with the spirit". Note the sarcasm.

What a great Sunday. I got to hear my favorite hymns played in 8-bit music and I got to get my first taste in seeing someone speak in tounges. And honestly, besides those two things, it wasn't a bad place. The people were friendly (as I was walking home one of them drove by and yelled "God bless you, Steve!") and the preacher was good (even though your Wandering Reverend thinks that speaking in tounges is highly questionable theology).

I'm going to stick to another small one next Sunday, I think. There is a small, store front church down on Kenmore Blvd that I'd like to check out and another one near me called Pavilion of Praise, which wins a prize for incorporating alliteration into their name.

Oh, oh! Before I go - what did the pentecostal preacher say after he bought Chevy? . . . shouldaboughtahonda! Ha!

Rev.

Apostolic Church of Barberton

2009-07-12T13:33:00.013-04:00

Really, I shouldn't be typing this. My grass is oh-so very tall right now and my bushes are in need of a serious trim. But hey, who am I to put off the Lord's work for yard work? (this is the Lord's work, right?).

This Sunday I found myself at the Apostolic Church of Barberton, located in, as the name might suggest, Barberton. They meet in a large new building that I think is only 5 or 10 years old. It's big and spacious but not The Chapel big and crazy.

Most of us know the Apostolics by their women: they're the ones you always see with the really long hair and the jean skirts or dresses. The men, just your regular dude in a suit. But as I've heard and seen, the more conservative dress they wear, the crazier they are in worship.

Worship started off great, then they kept going, until they smashed great into the ground and kicked it. The band was awesome and singers on stage had great voices. They sang about 4 or 5 songs (long versions, might I add) and then a guy came up and did announcements. Okay, not bad. But wait! Now more people went up and formed a choir and sang probably about 3 or 4 more songs. Oh snap. (Side note: Your Rev has a bum knee right now and it was starting to ache because, yes, we were standing the whole time!).

However, most of the people there were very into it (though I saw a few take a seat and a couple even wander around!). People were raising their hands, jumping, and shouting, really getting into it. It was just on the line of creepy "getting into it" but they held it in.

In the middle of this worship time, they had an altar call, that is, if you were sick or struggling, you could come down front and have the leaders pray over you. While this can be a little weird (and sometimes, it can be very very weird) they did it pretty well. I'd say about 15 or so people made their way down and they prayed.

The preacher, from what they said, was a guest speaker. And really, he wasn't really a preacher in the sense of what I think of as one but more a rally leader. A church cheer leader, if you will. I say that because he didn't really teach anythinig new, no bible lesson, no new insights. He spoke very loudly and fervently about God's mercy and how great it is. He read from 1 Timothy 1:14-16, but he didn't really go too much from there.

His delivery was something that I had heard mocked on TV and the like but had never actually seen done in person. An example: AND WHEN JESUS-UH, COMES BACK-UH, I HOPE YOU'RE ALL READY-UH, FOR THE LORD-UH! . . . yeah, just like that. A lot of style and not much content.

Also, while he was preaching, there were these guys who I think were elders, sitting in these large throne-like chairs behind him. If the speaker was the cheerleader, then these guys were the coaches and/or moms and dads in the stands. They would yell out encouragement to him as he spoke (Preach it! Sing it! We want a pitcher not a belly itcher!. . . maybe not that last one). Other than that, I'm not quite sure what their purpose was. Maybe if you're the biggest giver from the week before you get to sit there, I don't know.

After his pep talk, he made yet another alter call. Now this one was slightly awkward. He said that if you were a Christian or were someone who had a problem, then you should come on down. Um, who doesn't that apply to? Yes, I am a Christian and trust me, I have plenty of problems, but I sure as heck didn't go down. Talk about standing out - it was me and about 12 other people that didn't go down out of a crowd of 300 or so.

This part of the ceremonies went on for about 20 minutes. Some people were singing but most were down front praying and waving their hands, while others were just milling about. I felt compelled to leave but I stuck it out for the sake of the experience.

After this, the leader guy prayed and, done. Yeah, kind of an anti-climatic end. However, I was ready to split.

I did get to make some small talk with a couple of friendly people but really, I wasn't too impressed. At the beginning, I thought this was going to another House of the Lord, with all the excitement and enthusiam. But it just ended up seeming weird and pointless. The sermon that had no point and the never-ending worship just kind of killed it.

Oh well.

So in the next couple of weeks, I think I want to hit up a really small church. You know, that church you see tucked in a neighborhood and you think, who the heck goes there? What happens in there? Yeah, I want to find out. It might be creepy but what the heck, it'll be fun.

Until next week! Same Rev time-UH! Same Rev channel-UH!

The Movement Church

2009-07-05T14:10:00.013-04:00

Go ahead and scroll down to start the music, I'll wait. . . geez! That took forever, slow poke!

So to be a cool new church plant these days, you need to a) meet in a movie theatre, b) have a cool, young, hip, preacher, and c) have a name that involves some sort of motion and/or action. I present to you, The Movement Church.

I found this place just driving down Wooster Road in Barberton. The marquee in front of the old theatre had their website (instead of the usual midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which

sadly, I have seen once and only once because an ex girlfriend made me watch it) so I went to their site, it twas cool, so I bounced on in.

The theatre they meet in is the old West Theatre in Barberton. How old is The West? Let's just say that my mom, aunts, and uncles used to walk there when they were kids to see movies like The Ten Commandments and Lawrence of Arabia. Yeah, that old. But the place has tons of character, from the old box office out front to the concession stand inside. The seats were showing their age, though, and it was a little tight for a tall dude (6' 4" suckas!).

Once inside, I was greeted by a couple of very friendly people (sorry, don't remember their names, I was up late last night celebrating a certain countries independence). As with most good churches, the people were friendly but not pushy. There were about 30 or so people in attendence.

Worship was pretty good for being a new church plant (they just started in October of last year). They don't have a worship team or lead singer, but instead show worship videos on the big screen. No, not the best of ways to do it but definitely not the worst. But hey, they're not even a year old, so I give them a pass and honestly, it wasn't that bad.

I'm not sure what it is about church plants but they have the best speakers! This guy was great. Great message with just a hint of funny in there to keep you interested and a passion for spreading the Good News. He was a little long in the tooth (he admitted this himself) but really I didn't mind because it was that good.

His message was about how men should be fathers to their children (Ephesians 6:1-4). It ranged fro

m not-so-common sense of the fact that fathers need to spend time with their kids, guiding them and being an influence in their lives, to the spiritual of raising your kids to know God's love.

Communion and offering followed this, which was a unique experience. They had a table up front with the juice and bread on it, and one simply made their way up and took as they felt compelled. They had music playing while this was going on, so it didn't feel awkward. In reality, it was very cool. You don't feel rushed or compelled to take, but have some time to really think things through and pray about it. Same with the offering - there was just a bucket up front that people put their money in. Anyone looking for a way to change up their communion/offering time for the better, it's right here ($100 comission for me, thanks).

After this it was done and done.

What a great little church in Barberton! I have a feeling that this place won't be obscure for too long if they keep it up. Great people and the 2nd best preacher in Barberton (yes, 2nd, if I don't say 2nd, my old preacher, who lives in Barberton, might cry. You know I love you, Naterob!). If you're headed to Barberton, pass up the chicken (if you value your life, pass up the chicken) and check this place out. You won't be dissapointed.

Hugs and Kisses,

Revarina

The House of the Lord

2009-06-28T12:16:00.022-04:00

After last Sunday's 50 minute jaunt up to the east side of Cleveland and the week before up to Independence, I decided to stick close this Sunday. This is a church that I've been wanting to go to for some time. Oh yes! Bring on The House of the Lord!

The House of the Lord (THOTL) is what I guess would be called a "black" church.

Let me digress: I hate race. I hate the fact that people bring it up. I hate the fact that it's an issue. Can we just get to the point in the world that people are people? No matter where they're from, what color, what continent, we're all just people trying to figure it out? Trying to find out who God is what He has in store for me?

Okay, I'm done.

THOTL is located in southwest Akron, near Rolling Acres Mall (RIP) and Hawkins Plaza. The first thing you'll notice upon entering is that the people are very friendly. For a large church (I'd say about 500 or so in attendance), there were people walking around, shaking hands, and saying they were glad to see you. Wow. Personal touch is something that you don't see a lot of times at a big church. I felt very welcomed and at ease.

They opened with worship time and it was great. They had a good size band but it wasn't overbearing (see The Chapel in Green entry, and its super orchestra). The singers were amazing and it felt very sincere. People were waving their hands, singing aloud, and yes, there was some actual dancing in the aisles. Some brought their own tamborines. My only complaint is that they were lax in putting the words up on the big screen, so I really wasn't able to sing along. I'm all for extending the song out and letting it go but at least let me get the words down first. Honestly though, a small complaint for what was an overall awesome experience.

The preacher is a guy named (get ready for it) Bishop F. Josephus Johnson, II. Yes, it's a mouthful of a title but I think a guy with this much charisma needs a big title to hold him. He is one of the best preachers that I have ever heard speak. Serious, witty, and challenging, he brings out the Gospel message with fervor and sincerity. He has what would be described as the typical baptist preacher persona, however he doesn't come off as showy. I loved how he got the crowd into the message and challenged them to think about the lesson in their own lives.

His message came from Genesis 19:14-38. It tells the story of when God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (sound familiar? Momentum talked a little about this a couple of weeks ago). However, he focused on how Lot's wife looked back longingly for Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt. You see, she didn't just glance back to get a look at the action, she looked back because she longed for the sinful, debaucherous life they had lived in the city. The lesson takes on full form when we read in the next section that her daughters get their father drunk so that they may "lay" with them. Oh. Snap.

The lesson: kids hear us talk and see our actions, more than they hear our lessons. When they see us longing for those "days of yore" when we were drunk and promiscuous, they're going to get the sense that if we could, we'd go back to that life. . . instead, we should set our gaze upon the present and look toward the future, not longing for what we once were but what can be through Christ. Man, I needed to hear that.

After the sermon was the offering. I have never seen an offering like this. Most churches kind of go through the offering quickly, not wanting to seem like the stereotypical money hungry church. Not these guys - they make an event of giving. He prayed for the offering, for the people giving it, for the people using it. Then he prayed for the financial situation in everyone lives, mentioning promotions, job hunts, peoples health, etc. While he prayed, people waved their offering envelopes in the air. Wowza. Offering time lasted about 15 minutes. But again, it didn't come off as cheesey or the stereotype - it was people being joyful givers.

Finally it was prayer time. They had everyone hold hands with the person next to him - normally, I'd be kind of creeped out by this but I was having such a good time, I was down for whatever. He was praying and then asked that we pray for the people we were holding hands with, and as a reminder, to go ahead and give their hand a squeeze so that we know. Ha! I'm squeezing a 50+ year old mans hand in church! But again, it was awesome! When it was over, we gave each other a hug and it was over.

I left this place with a renewed vision and pumped about going out and serving.

If things with Kenmore CoC don't work out, this would be the place for me to land for a while. I just love the style, attitude, and level of sincerity that I felt there. It's been a long time since I've felt moved physically by the Spirit. I highly recommend The House of the Lord.

Until next time,

The Rev.

Velocity Church

2009-06-21T21:16:00.016-04:00

Since I've started doing my bloggin' and wanderin', I have to be honest, I haven't done much church workin'. I've just been sitting back, criticizing and talkin' smack but I haven't done much in the way of helping the situation.

Well last week at Momentum, they said they were helping a new church over on the east side of Cleveland get started and get moving. They needed volunteers. They needed a Reverend who was prone to wander. Well, what better way to kill two birds with one stone? I'd get to check out a new place and get my service on. Bring on Velocity!

The first challenge is distance. I live in southwest Akron (K-TOWN!). They are on the far east side of Cleveland. 55 minutes away according to Google maps. Oh, and the work starts at 7:30 AM. So the Rev was up at 6am to shower, shave, shinola and hit the road. Who knew the sun was up at 6am? Most certainly not me.

The new church is tucked way back in a neighborhood off of Mayfair Road and they meet in an old school (not old like creepy, Scooby Doo villian hangout old, but no longer a functioning school old). A daycare now owns the building and they rent from them. Again, just like Momentum, not an actual church building, and again, a great asset. The place has a nice gym that they use for the main worship and then use the fully stocked classrooms for their youth classes.

I got to work helping unload chairs, set up signs, and other miscellaneous tasks. Remember the drawback to not having a building? You regular readers should know! It's having to set up and tear down every single Sunday. It being 85 degrees at 7:30 in the morning makes this all the more fun. However, they had quite a few good workers, and as they old saying goes, many hands make for light work.

The guy I was working mostly with was named Scott Pugh, the preacher. He was a young-ish dude who is actually from my hometown area. He knew of both Southwest and Kenmore Church of Christ. A real top knotch guy who really had a heart for this place. His sermon was based on the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). A great sermon for Father's Day, as it shows how a good father can be.

Bonus! He said he knows the people that might be helping with the new plant in Kenmore Church of Christ and as far as he has heard, it's a done deal. Oh snap!

The worship style was very similar to Momentum, that is, they rocketh. Sounded great, played great songs, and just generally rocked the Casbah. And since I got there super early, I got to talk some of them and they are really cool people.

After the first service, I was up to help with the 3, 4, and 5 year old kids during the second service. Being a former youth leader, this was no problem. And the young lady I worked with, Stacy, was great.

With kids these little, you can't really have a big lesson. Tell them a little about Jesus and then play with them. Kids were fun and cool. Our only incident was the alleged theft of two quarters from one little boy. The accused didn't admit to the crime and we were left with an open case. I have devoted the rest of my life now to bringing down the accused!!! I will not rest until justice is served! . . . eh, not really. I'm too lazy.

Oh, and we got to play Duck Duck Goose. I love that game.

After that, I helped a little with putting back chairs, but there were so many people helping, I went ahead and slipped out the door and headed back to the A-K.

All in all, a great experience. It takes a special person and a certain mindset to be a part of a church plant. And after getting to spend some time with these people, I can already tell that this place is going to succeed. They are great folks.

I remembered how much I miss doing crazy church work and working with kids. Velocity, while only 11 weeks old, is a great church and if I have any readers on the east side of Cleveland (I doubt it!), I highly recommend it.

Verily Verily Yours,

Revvin' and Wanderin'

A Crude Interlude

2009-06-17T11:24:00.004-04:00

The other day I was regailing some childhood memories with my friend, Noukay, and noticed that more-than-a-few of our childhood memories revolved around one particular smelly body function. Farting. Stories of our friend Tim farting so loud that it woke his mom up. Or of Noukay surprising his sister by letting one rip right near her face. And one that was so bad, the smell lingered for hours and we even gave it a name, Yankee Pudding. Aaah, the good old days.

Farting is the single most funny action that there ever is, was, or will be. Ever.

And I now pose this - people in the Bible farted. Yes, those stalwarts of faith, those pillars of the church, and those purveyor's of the Gospel message all at some point let out some foul scents at several points in their lives.

Most of Jesus' life is recorded in the Bible but not all of it. Not the mundane, day to day. Now if those 12 Apostles were anything like a group of guys hanging out today, I have to believe that there was more than one fart joke, several fingers pulled, and an SBD squeezed out during a sermon. James and John were brothers! I can only imagine how many times one let a juicy one out and blamed it on the other!

Did Adam and Eve fart? This may seem like an odd question to those of my non-Christian readers but to those of us in the faith, it could be dilemma. You see, we believe that God created Adam and Even perfect. No sickness, no aging, no defects. It was only until after they ate the apple (sinned against God) that they began to age and eventually die.

But the question is: while they were still perfect, did they play the butt trumpet? They were in a garden, so that means there were beans, right? Toot, Toot!

My unscientific, untheological answer is a resounding yes! Humor this good, this pure, this awesome could only come from God.

So next time you're taking things too seriously around the church or home, or if things seem to not be going your way, let one rip. Because on the day of Judgment, the only trumpets sounding might not be the ones the angels are playing.

Disgustingly,

Rev.

PS - poop in the Bible! Deurteronomy 23:12-13 "Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to revlieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hold and cover up your excrement."

Momentum Christian Church

2009-06-13T16:07:00.010-04:00

There's no place like Momentum. There's no place like Momentum. There's no place like Momentum. . . Yeah, if you couldn't tell, I love this church.

To be honest, this isn't the first time I've been on the awesome ride that is Momentum Christian Church. I went there last summer when I was taking a hiatus from my regular church. And even then, I loved it. It's everything that church could be and more.

Well, let's take a break from my shameless compliments and get to the review.

This Sunday I took my cousin, Rob, with me. Knowing that Rob hasn't been to church in a while, I knew going here would knock his socks off. And since I know he's reading this, Rob is a big fat jerk. Ha ha! You know I'm playin', baby! I love ya!

I picked up Rob and we headed out on our 40 minute drive to Independence. Yes, it's in Independence. 40 minutes up I-77 from K-Town. This is why your Reverend has not given up his life and joined this church. Sigh. However, the church planting group that started them is the same one that might be taking over the church in Kenmore. Oh how often I pray for this every night! I also wish on a star and rub my magic genie lamp, both to no avail. Stick to prayer.

The first thing you notice about the church is their meeting place. They have no building but instead meet in the Cinemark. They rent out the place every Sunday morning and hold their service in one of the theatres. And yes, it is as awesome as it sounds. The benefits to not having a building are endless (no property to maintain, no one has emotional ties to the building, and all the other costs of owning a building). The downside being that you have to set up all your equipment every single Sunday. Oy. That could get old if you didn't have enough hands.

Upon entering, the first thing you'll notice is. . . the smell of popcorn. It's a movie theatre. The second thing you'll notice is FREE REFRESHMENTS! Cookies, bagels, donuts. Coffee, water, tea. They had it all. Too bad your Rev is trying to shed his belly and lose some weight. So now instead of complimenting you, I loathe you for tempting me, Momentum! I couldn't resist and had a cookie! Gah!! I'm such a failure!

After I wept bitterly for a few minutes over my failure, we headed in. The band was rocking out some Skynard, playing "Sweet Home Alabama". Their worship band is top knotch and rocks out. Band is great and the singers are terrific. Some might say that it's a little too much rocking, but for yours truly, it was the perfect mix of rockin' out and worshipin' out (not too much wallin' out, either).

One of things that they are known for is their multi-media. Every week they make a short video to go along with their message. And no, this isn't one of those cheeseball, Christian videos that you see that just copy secular media. They make genuinely funny stuff. Below is todays video:

Their preacher is a guy named Dan Smith, made famous by his parody video, Baby Got Book. This guy is good. His message came from Genesis 19, which is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. A big part of his sermon touched on the oh-so-sensitive topic of homosexuality. However, Dan did it right and other Christians should take note. Let's be straight - homosexuality is a sin. But what most Christians forget is that it's one of many sins. Lying. Cheating on your spouse. Stealing. Blasphemy. All sins equal in "badness" to homosexuality. However, most Christians seem to hold a special level of sin in their hearts for homosexuals.

Dan did a perfect mix of calling a sin a sin without neglecting the primary message of the Gospel that is unconditional love. Even going so far as to say that given the choice of having a homosexual or a homophobe in the church, he'd choose the former. Rock and roll, brother.

After that they served communion (Woot!) and we were out.

I said it before and I'll say it again, Momentum rulez. God is sooo working in that place. I think the thing that stands out to me the most is that, if you get rid of all the videos and rock band, the people are just sincerely loving people who want to do God's work. They have tons of small groups they call Mo Groups that meet during the week and it's a huge part of their ministry.

Again, the only problem is that they are so far away! Pray that K-Town CoC will turn into something like this! Pray!

Prayerfully,

Revraham Wanderstein

Momentum YouTube Page

Immaculate Conception of St. Mary

2009-06-08T08:42:00.009-04:00

Note: if you'd like some great music to listen to while you read, scroll down and hit play. I'll wait. . .

Nothing better than getting back to your roots. There's just something about familiarity that

makes you say "Aaaah, I'm home". This Sunday I got back to where your Reverend got his theological start, the Roman Catholic Church.

I've been wanting to stay local, so I went on over to Immaculate Conception (Catholic churches have the best names evah!) in Kenmore, located right across the street from Kenmore High School, your

reverends alma mater! This is the place where I had catechism, took my first confession, and my first communion way back in the day.

However, I think the last I was in there was for the always awesome IC Festival, where one can lose their money playing cards, shooting dice, and drinking beer, all on the top floor of the attached Catholic school. And this is why Catholics are so much cooler than Protestants!

I left the house (left my Bible at home, no need for one at the Catholic church. They have the misselette!) and got there with plenty of time to spare. The people there were friendly enough but if you're looking for people to introduce themselves to you or give you a free gift (Lighthouse, you're still the champ!), then keep looking. People are there to take their sacraments and get out. No time for milling about or fellowship, which is kind of sucky if you ask me (which you did by reading this).

So it's been a few years since I've been to mass and I have to be honest, I've forgotten some of the moves. When to sign the cross, when to kneel, and what some of the words are to the Nicene Creed and other call and repeat sections. As a vistor, especially if I was someone who has never been to church before, this would have been a total put off. Not to mention, does anyone really know why they're doing it? Or is it just some ritual that ya do cause that's what you're supposed to do? Hrm. . .

Worship was bleh. Yes. Bleh. First of all, they called out the number of the hymn you're supposed to be singing but the number they called out wasn't a page number and I couldn't seem to make the connection with the books that I had at my disposal (3 books were in the pew, mind you). So I just kind of stood there and hoped they sang one I knew (they did sing one I knew). With that, however, the band was pretty good and they were into it (they even had a tamborine! My favorite instrument!) but again, it sucked that I couldn't sing along.

The priests sermon (or as they call it, homily) was good for content but not in delivery. His tone was dry and he used, what I thought, were too many big theological terms that I guess he assumed everyone knew. The subject was the Trinity and how there is one God, consisting of three distinct persons but one essense. After he expounded on that for a few minutes, though, he switched up and talked about how as Christians, we're called to be apart of our communities and that we should be in the world but not of the world. Again, good stuff that could have been delivered a little better.

Before I render my final opinion, I want you to know that I am no Catholic hater, which some Protestants are. Sure, I have some problems with a few of their doctines but I give them props for being constant for almost 2,000 years. They've had their problems (Crusades, Inquisition) but they hold strong on other issues I'm passionate about (abortion, death penalty, etc.). Not to mention, these are the people that taught me my first bible stories and got me in on the ground floor (my favorite being when we re-enacted the Good Samaritan parable, and we all got to pick parts. Being 8 year old boys, we ALL wanted to be the bandits beat up on each other!)

With that, I wasn't too impressed with it. Not knowing "the moves", no fellowship, and poor worship all combine to make for a bad Sunday. I really wanted to like it but just couldn't get around those things.

Oh well, next week is another Sunday and another church. God is good.

Peace,

Rev.

Starving Jesus - book review

2009-06-04T13:42:00.015-04:00

When one goes to Ye Olde Christian Book Store, there are lots of books. Some are step-by-step books on how to grow your faith, church, or wallet. Others make you feel good about yourself and help you get your "best life now". But every once in a while, there's a book that comes along and just kicks your faith squarely in the you-know-whats. Starving Jesus is that book.

Written by Craig Gross, founder of the XXX Church, and JR Mahon, the self-proclaimed Hollywood Pastor, they explore the reason why our churches are filled with the so-called "Sunday Christians" who are stuck on the pews and are afraid to get out and do something with their faith.

To put it mildly, this book changed my life, my outlook on my faith and how it should play out in my life. The part that I think of often is, when talking about what we should do to save the lost, and the answer given is "Anything short of sin should be the rule." Bladow.

Also, as the name suggests, they talk about their 40 day fast and their experience with it. Again, it is not a "how to fast" book with tips on how to "do it right" but more of story of their build up and experience with fasting. Remember that Jesus, as recorded in Matthew, states "When you fast..." not "If you fast..."

So if you're looking to get yourself kicked in the pants and get out and put your faith into action, look to this book for some awesome inspiration. The book is a light read and should only take a week to read through.

If you're not looking to get out there, I'd steer clear of this book. It might just make you feel guilty...

Word up!

Rev.

Kenmore Church of Christ

2009-05-31T12:06:00.008-04:00

Good day to all my faithful follower(s)! I hope that everyone is recovering from that oh-so-bad Cavs loss Saturday night. What a craptastic way to end the best series anyone has seen in Cleveland in years. But oh well, right now you have the LeBron James of reverending here and we gots churchin' to talk bout!

This Sunday I decided to stick close to home and attend Kenmore Church of Christ, located in what would be the Mecca of Christendom, the suburb of Kenmore in Akron, Ohio (Barberton is Medina). Anyone who knows the Rev knows that he loves Kenmore. Fiercely. I'm also kind of a Church of Christ guy, so going here is like putting peanut butter and jelly together.

KCOC is located on East Ave, practically across the street Innes Middle School (Go Lions!). I've probably driven past it 10,000 times in my lifetime, not to mention walked past it every day that I went to Innes (sometimes I ran. I was a skinny kid, it was jr high, and there were bullies), however I have never been there. As a kid with my family, we always drove 15 minutes further to go to Southwest. I've always found that to be strange. . .

There are two parts to every church. The one that a visitor sees when they go to a church for the first time. And then there's the guts of the church. One that you can't really know unless you go there regularly.

Visitor part:

As I entered the building, I was greeted by about 50% of the congregation (there were only about 40 people in attendance) and everyone was very friendly. They weren't crazy pushy "You must come back!" but they were polite, asked where I was from (K-Town, sucka!), and what brought me there. Very nice and cordial. I felt welcomed and not awkward.

They were so nice, in fact, after the service, the lady sitting in front of me said it was nice having a deep voice singing behind her. Talk about being too kind! The Rev is many things, singer is not one of them. Terrific dancer is one of them.

My first impression was, wow, that's a lot of gray hair. The congregation is definitely aging and in need of some youth (more on that later).

The worship was headed up by a very friendly and well voiced lady (didn't have gray hair, guessing a dye job). We sang old skool hymns out of a hymnal, accompanied by a gray haired lady (no dye job) at the piano. I have to be honest, I have soft spot for the old hymns. Worship His Majesty and Count Your Blessings have a certain sound and feeling to them that I just love. No, it wasn't exciting or anything but it was good for old escuela.

Next up was the sermon, which was given by a guy who I believe is a part time pastor. His message talked about how through Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:15-23). Dude was a good speaker with a good message. I liked it.

And as in all good Church of Christ's, next up was communion. As a wanderer with no place to call home, it's nice to go to a church that serves communion.

Guts Part:

So there were only 40 people in attendance and as I said, they all had varying degrees of gray hair. I counted maybe 6 people under the age of 30. I'm not exaggerating. The church has absolutely no youth. I can only speculate as to why the congregation is shrinking but I've heard it's partly to do with a change in demographic (Kenmore went from being a mostly white burb to a very mixed burb). Also, as I've seen, with any small church you run into personalities (old and young alike) and of people who think they know what the church should do. "Oh, and by the way, my grandma donated the money to buy the pews." kind of attitude. Church - you need to meet your peoples needs and be apart of them. All your buildings, pews, soundsystem, etc. means nothing if you're not meeting people where they are.

The good news is that they talked about possibly becoming the site for a church plant in the area. Oh how I would love this! When I read that in the bulletin and when the preacher talked about it, my heart started to jump! Let's just say that if KCOC becomes a church plant, your Wandering Reverend may have to settle down. . . but we shall see.

Overall, a good experience. Friendly people. Good worship. Great sermon. What more could you want? Apparently, some youth and vigor. I just pray that they make the right decisions regarding their future. There is some serious potential there if they can get it together.

That wraps it up for your Reverend this week. I'm considering doing a midweek write up about other things but we shall see. I'm not sure how much the world can take of my charm and wit. . . or how much patience people have for reading this online rag.

Until next Sunday,

Rev.

Emmanuel Christian Assembly - Finally, a small church

2009-05-24T12:24:00.004-04:00

Happy Memorial Day to all of my loyal readers! I hope that you have plans to grill some dogs, burgers, and brats and maybe shoot a little cornhole! Man do I love a good BBQ . . .

This Sunday, your Wandering Reverend ended up at Emmanuel Christian Assembly, located in the city that tastes chicken, Barberton. I ended up here for one reason: my old friend who I ain't seen in a minute, Mandi, asked me. She sent me a message and said she loved my blog (I mostly thought people just tolerated it) and that I should come to her church.

Let me digress for a moment. Mandi, as far as I know, has no degree from seminary. I don't think she's ever worked for Billy Graham. Nor is she in line to be Pope. However, she had the

audacity to simply invite me to her church. I've heard time and again from pollsters and the like that a lot of people are never even asked by their friends to go to church. Not even asked. What

would happen if more people simply asked their friends and family to church on Sunday? And what if they came? And what conversations would take place over lunch? Maybe, just maybe, there might be some souls saved because of one little thing: they were invited to church. (Rev now steps down from pulpit).

Alright, back to business. ECA is a small church and I have to be honest, I needed a break from the biggies. A man can only take so much impersonal worship. People here were very nice and spoke to me during break (yes, they had a break after worship. Different, yes. But kind of a cool way to have fellowship). While they didn't have a cool prize for the new guy (Lighthouse is still in the lead), a couple of the people spoke to me for a little bit and even invited me back. I have to tell you, that goes a long way in showing that your church actually cares for the lost.

One critique out of love: the worship was little discombobulated. It seemed as though not everyone was on the same page and that it was just a little, well, off. However, my wandering ears (yes, the wandering reverend has wandering ears as well) heard one of the singers note that it was a little off and was talking about what they could do to fix it. Individually, the singers had great voices, the band was good, and they had a good selection of hymns. The Lord was worshipped.

Another interesting tid bit was the asking for volunteers. My experience has been that you make the announcement and then sit back down, praying that someone will come up and take you up on it after service. But not these guys. He asked for volunteers to clean the building, and then asked for a show of hands of people that would do it. Yeah, it kind of puts people on the spot but I'm a firm believer in the fact that sometimes people need to be put on that spot. And yes, several people rose their hands. Job done.

The resident holy man's sermon was from Phillipians 1, talking about things that we struggle with and how we need to give them to God. He also spoke about how Christ should be exalted through our bodies, that is, in what we do and say to others. He was no Knute Larson but his message was sound and his challenge sincere. Good stuff.

All in all, a good experience. My friend Mandi wasn't there (according to her husband she's 900 weeks pregnant with triplets!). If you're like me, and maybe not sure you want to hit up the big impersonal churches, ECA is a good place to start looking.

Short and sweet but hey, it's BBQ time and my belly is growling!

Revvin' it up,

Rev.

A very special Akron Baptist Temple

2009-05-18T17:29:00.005-04:00

This Sunday I headed out to St. Augustine’s… scratch that. My cousin, Nick, just called and asked if we wanted to go to the Akron Baptist Temple with him. What can I say? I’m a sucker for spur of the moment fun. So off I went!

This Sunday my travelling companion was my good friend and roommate, Jerome. The guy you would definitely want on your team in case of a Zombie Apocolypse, for his natural living skills and penchance for adventure (note: picture at right is from his Facebook page. Oh yeah!).

I have actually been to ABT a couple of times before and not only does my cousin and his wife attend, a very awesome local band named Chasing Chariots attends there as well (no, they aren’t paying me for this plug. But if they want to, I will take the money). All very cool people.

They normally have two services which run simultaneously. One service takes place in the main sanctuary and has your traditional hymns whereas the other service, called The Bridge, plays Christian rock worship songs. After the worship, they both come together (via big screen for The Bridge) for the pastor’s sermon.

However, this Sunday was different. ABT was celebrating its 75^th anniversary (last church I went to was celebrating a big event as well…strange). The mayor of Akron, Don Plusquellic, opened up with some kind words to the congregation and proclaimed May 17^th as “Akron Baptist Temple Day” (note: another strange coincidence is that this was the first of two official days I saw proclaimed yesterday. The city of Wadsworth proclaimed the day as Andrew Gipson Day, my cousin, for his Eagle Scout achievement…again, strange). And instead of their regular pastor speaking, they had a guest speaker come in. So really, I didn’t get the “real” ABT experience. Crap.

Lucky for me, the guest speaker was awesome. His sermon centered around Caleb, one of the 12 spies from the Old Testament who were sent to spy out the promised land ahead of the rest of Israelites. He was one of two (the other being Joshua) who would come back and say that the land was ripe for the taking. The others were too afraid of the enemies they saw. The idea being that while the other spies compared the enemy to themselves, Caleb and Joshua compared them to God. What a great thought to have when those big life problems come at you. Especially for a particular wanderer who is looking for that right place to call home. . . uh, not me. A friend of mine. :)

Unfortunately, this really isn't a great review of the church. First of all, it was a Very Special Edition of ABT and I attended with my cousin, who of course, was very friendly to me. To get a real feel I'll need to attend on a Sunday when I know they're not looking for me. You know, ninja style.

On a personal note, my spiritual and physical discipline of late has sucked. One of the reasons for my journey is to develop my spiritual self. Same with the physical. I've been uber lethargic! I mean, I'm not trying to have the strength of Samson and the spiritual power to call down thunder bolts and lightning (very very frightening!). I just want to be able to run without passing out before I get to the end of the block and do a bible study a couple of times a week.

I just need to make it a habit. I wish the bible was more addictive. Cigarettes are pretty addicting. Maybe if they laced the pages with nicotine or something (note: call Gideons with marketing idea).

Much love!

Rev.

Mega Church part 2: Out for Revenge!

2009-05-11T08:18:00.005-04:00

What a weekend. Mother's Day was great (Hi Mom!). Rubber City Rollergirls lost. Cavs destroyed the Hawks. And yours truly made another wonderful trip to another wonderful church.

This Sunday I went to The Chapel part 2: Green Campus. As in all sequels, it's a little crazier than part one and there's a lot more gore. . . well, not really but you see where I'm going with this. No? You don't? Oh. . . um. . . well then I should just get started.

Since I just couldn't get enough of that thing they do at the Chapel, I decided to check out their Green Campus located in, well, Green. It's a newer facility that I believe they built 5 or 6 years ago. It's tucked back off the road, where they somehow manage to hide this monumental size building. It's freaking huge! However, unlike the Akron campus, with its maze of hallways that look like they were built by a kid high on 6 cups of Kool Aid with Lego's, the Green campus is neatly built and all roads lead to the main sanctuary.

My good friend and sister, Tricia, tagged along with me on this adventure (she not-so-secretly wants to leave Akron and live in Green. I not-so-secretly loath her for ever wanting to leave Akron).

First of all, this is one them there modern churches that have a cafe located in them, with very cheap caffeinated beverages (iced coffee for a $1! Score!). It was a nice area to get hopped up on legal uppers and mingle with your brothers and sisters in the Lord. I dug it.

Next, we made our way into the sanctuary for the service. What happened next shook us both to the core. Let me start by saying that in the Church of Christ denomination, there are some that think that having worship with instruments is wrong (they're a little nutty). Well, what they had here would cause they're doctrinal heads to explode on sight. They didn't just have a piano. They didn't just have a band. They had a full on, knock your socks off, orchestra! I'm talking strings, wind instruments, percussion section, the whole shebang! Oh! And they had a conductor! A conductor! With that little stick and everything!

As I took this in, I looked over at Tricia and her eyes were wide with a look of "What in the hotel is this?" At first I was thinking, this is completely over the top and unnecessary. First of all, talk about distracting. It was more like a night at the opera than worship. Second of all, how much time and energy is put into this? Couldn't that effort be put forth elsewhere?

But after I gave it some thought, maybe I shouldn't have been so critical. These flutists, trombonists, and percussionists all have talents and they need an outlet for them. And, praise God, they're using them in the worship of the Lord. So while to me it was distracting and somewhat baroque, I say good on them for giving them an outlet.

This was Knute Larson's last sermon at the Green campus and they started things off right with his beatification ceremony. I kid. . . only slightly. I think that if it was up to the people at the Chapel, they'd be renaming the place Saint Knute of the Cedars at North Hill Memorial Chapel. They're ceremony of recognition to him included a glowing speech by they're 2nd in command and was followed up with a song by the super orchestra.

After this, though, Knute gave a sermon that was both classy and honorable. Instead of rambling on and on about his life or memories, he instead simply stated the Gospel message of hope through Christ. Nothing more. He took his sermon from Paul's tearful good bye to the Ephesians found in Acts 20:13-38. I said it before and I'll say it again, the man has a God given gift of gab. I don't think I've ever heard a better speaker (sorry Nathan!). Knute Larson, you rock.

With that, if you're looking for a large church that meets pretty much all of your families needs, the Chapel in Green is a great place to start looking. They have classes for every age group. A lovely facility. And probably any other amenity you're looking for. The only thing they'll be missing now is one Knute Larson.

But for this Reverend, he must wander on. There are a many church that need to be visited and throroughly reviewed. Roman Catholic. Lutheran. Methodist. Even the Unitarian Universalist, or as they call themselve's, UU's. Or as I call them, you get up on Sunday morning for this?

As I know, one day the Reverend will have to stop wandering and will need to settle down in a church of the Lord's choosing. When that is exactly, I'm not sure. But I believe that God will let know when that time is.

Join me next time on, As the Reverend Turns.

Rev.

My First Mega Church - The Chapel in Akron

2009-05-04T09:06:00.000-04:00

This past weekend brought me some good Halo time with Mike, Cory, and Lan, some good BBQ time with the S. Block, and of course, a new church.

I decided to head on over to Akron's biggest and baddest church, The Chapel. This wasn't the first time I had been to The Chapel. In the days before I became a serious Christian, I'd pop into The Chapel to get rid of the guilt of not going to church and boozing it for the last 3 weeks. Call it a Protestant's form of confession, minus the Hail Mary's and Our Father's.

The Chapel is located in downtown, historic (I can verify that), Akron, Ohio, right near our lovely university.

Ignoring fears of swine flu, I headed out to see what a Wandering Reverend would find.

First of all, as anyone who has ever been to The Chapel knows, the place is huge. Making matters worse, I think they've added on over the years, so the hallways are reminiscent of

the Labrynth (lucky for me - no Minotaurs). Thankfully, there are plenty of signs to help guide you towards your destination.

As I had expected, no one really greeted me or even acknowledged I was there. I mean, the place is frickin' huge. There's no way that I know of that they could do anything different. Just too many people to know who is new and who isn't. If you're just looking to sneak in and sneak out (as I was doing back in the day), then it's the perfect place. If you're looking for people to welcome you and give you a free gift (I was), then keep moving.

To counter this, however, they really push their Adult Bible Fellowships (ABF's for those who love acronyms), which are small groups that meet during the week. I've never been to one, so I can't really speak for it. But they sound good.

Another lucky thing for me - this Sunday was the Sunday that they take communion. Winner, winner! Chicken dinner! They did this very well, with lots of time for personal reflection and prayer.

Next up was Knute Larson's (or as I call him, K-Nute-Dawg) sermon. The Chapel attracts a lot of people because, well, Knute is a great preacher. Great message. Good jokes. Very down to earth. His message was on freedom in Christ, from Galatians 5:1, which for a newly wandering Reverend, it was just the thing to hear. I took a lot away from it.

After this, it was over. I wandered out of the crowded foyer onto the mean streets of Akron. While the worship was great and the message awesome, you definitely do miss out on the Christian fellowship if you're not a member or in a small group.

It's easy to get lost in this place or be a "Sunday Christian" if you're not looking to get involved. However, if you're looking to get moving, they have plenty for you. Plenty.

But no free mug or candy.

Your Wanderer,

Reverend

Bible Study - Community Shoreline Church

2009-04-29T20:27:00.000-04:00

Just got back from a Bible study at a church down the road. Community Shoreline Church. I think they're a flavor of Baptist or something.

The study was on the last chapter of Revelation. Was just an okay study. I'd say there were about 40 or so people there.

The one cool thing I got out of it: He noted that the last verse of the Old Testament, in Malachi, ends with a curse. Whereas the last verse of the New Testament, in Revelation, ends with John proclaiming God's grace. An interesting parallel if you ask me.

Free Gift: not a cool one like Lighthouse, but it's a little folder with information about their church. And it has a DVD! Just watched it. Kind of a slideshow, overview of their year. It appears they did quite a lot. Outreach. Fixing up around the chruch. And 14 baptisms. Not quite the 3,000 at Pentecost, but hey, they don't have St. Pete on their team, either.

Overall? Nice place. I'll have to check it out on a Sunday for a full review.

Peace and chicken grease,

Rev O'Wandering

Numero Uno - Lighthouse Assembly of God

2009-04-29T17:24:00.000-04:00

The first church on my list to visit was Lighthouse Assembly of God. Located in beautiful, historic (I can’t verify that), Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

I discovered this church because my good friend, Pastor Phil, is the children’s pastor there (hence the name, Pastor Phil). He, his wife, and newborn son, have been there for probably at least a year now and from what he’s told me, he likes it there.

But will the Reverend approve of it? Keep reading to find out!

Service was at 11am. Now remember, this was my first Sunday not at my old church, so it was a little weird for me. I didn’t have to be there early. I didn’t have to prepare a lesson. I didn’t have to find out what was going on with some suchness. I was there to…worship?

And let me tell you. They do some worshipping. Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t rolling around in the aisles, shaking, or speaking in some weird tongue (lest we forget, God speaks King James English [blasphemy, I know]). But they were into it. The band was upbeat. The lead singer/pastor was guiding us along. At one point, I wanted to shake my booty a little, but resisted the urge. It was good…but it was long. Really long.

So long, in fact, that I had to stop singing because I was out of breath. Afterwards, the pastor mentioned that last week they had announced that they were extending worship time, and if you wanted to sing or take some time out to pray, or whatever, you could. Unfortunately, he said this after the worship time. Had he said this beforehand, we would have been straight. But now I want to fight him (I kid!).

After this was his message. And I have to say, the pastor does his thing. He spoke about a couple of things, but kind of based it all on James 1:5-8. Being confident in God and knowing that He is God and the provider and we shouldn’t doubt. Good message for our newly independent Reverend!

As for the people, they were very friendly. I wasn’t assaulted at the door but I was approached by several people who were very friendly. Not crazy pushy and not stand-off-ish. Just right, if you ask me.

Oh, and since I was the new guy, a very nice lady handed me a very lovely partying gift as I was leaving. It was a CD and a coffee mug stuffed with candy, wrapped in some shiny wrapping paper! Sweet! If I was rating churches strictly by their free gifts (I am) then the other churches have quite a challenge ahead of them!

Overall, it was a nice church. Friendly people, good worship, and good message. I’m no expert but I’d say the Spirit was there.

Until next week,

The Wandering Reverend

And here we go!

2009-04-27T18:35:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the beginning of a transition. A change.

Honestly, I'm a little apprehensive.

Here's the deal, in my life, I've been a member of two churches. The Roman Catholic church that I attended when I was a kid and then the church that my parents started attending when I was a little older. That church, Southwest Church of Christ, is a great church. It was at that church that I decided to dedicate my life to Jesus, age of 13 or so. The people there are great. Really, I challenge you to show me more loving and genuine people! Nope, you can't do it, sucka!

So as with a lot of people, when I turned about 19 or 20, I wandered away from the church. Did my own thing (by "own thing", I mean mostly boozing, partying, and some more booze. Exciting, I know), and then, by the grace of a God that never lets go, through the calm and through the storm (that should be a song), I decided that all that partying wasn't that fulfilling and made my way back to the church of my youth, Southwest.

I rededicated my life to God and got busy with a quickness. The new pastor, Nathan, was a cool dude, and the youth pastor, Phil, was cool. And there were lots of other cool cats. It was a cool place to get back on track.

Well, Phil the youth guy moved on to other things and I was asked to take on the youth. And as any naive Christian did, I dove in head long. Not only did I take on youth, I was in charge of it. I jumped into the deaconship and eventually became chairman of the deacons. You can probably tell where this is headed. BURN OUT!

I was burnt like toast, not to mention, church felt more like work than worship. Ugh. So after much prayer, I decided it was time to break out on my own. See what's out there. What's the haps, as the kids say (do they say that? if not, they should, it's the cat's meow). I still loved the S-Dub, but it just wasn't doing it for me.

So the problem is, where to go? The land of worship is dotted with more options than the Wendy's value menu. Stick with the Christian church? Go to one of these new Brethren churches that all the kids like? Baptist? Methodist? Snake handler? Poison drinker? Whirling dervish? The possibilities are endless!

So with some prayer, I decided to shop. Travel. Discover. Explore. And for fun, blog.

I'm going to be hitting up the various churches in my area, several different denominations, sizes, styles, and flavors. I'm going to see what they're like. Are they crazy? Are they cool? Are they awesome? Who knows!?

Well, I will in a few weeks as I set out to see what's out there.

Stay tuned. If you want to join me, hit me up with an email. I'd love the company.

stevenemm@gmail.com

Word is bond,

The Rev.