YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE FUN!!! You've got to live life to the fullest! Go out
with a bang! Don't tiptoe all your life on your false fears of what God
expects of you, clinging to the "Shiny Clean People Clan" in the shelter of
church. Go outside! Feel the sun on your face and enjoy your divine
appointments! D.A.R.E. to say NO to church leadership and say YES to organic
tribal life, Jesus style!!!*
The Bible says that the spirit of Jesus lives in us. Where did Jesus like to
have church?... By the sea,in the mountains, at friends houses, at parties.
He did go to the synagogue, but it seems like every time He went He always
had premeditated conflicts with the leadership. And by the way, He never
asked people to give Him money, but He did say, "Beware of the scribes who
like to go around in long robes(expensive clothes), get greetings in the
market places,(hi!Pastor Joe!),have the front seats in the
synagogues,("Reserved For Staff")and the places of honor at feasts,(maybe
this means the speakers at those cutting edge conferences that you have to
pay to get in),who devour widows houses and to cover it up make long
prayers,("thank you Jesus,let them receive double-fold for what they've sown
into the HOUSE of GOD", meaning the ministry they stared). They will receive
the heavier sentence of condemnation."...
There are many different ways to go about leaving the church system. You
could do the slow, casual approach that won't make to many waves..(some good
friends of our's taught us this one) Just go through the normal routine, get
dressed up (or wear shorts if you go to the vineyard), go to church, act
like everything's cool and stay through the worship. Then, just before the
message, pretend you have to go to the bathroom. Once out of site, sneak to
your car and split!!! If you have alot of people in your family this can be
tricky, but it can be done! Just take turns "going to the bathroom" until
you all disappear. Houdini would love this one! This is a great,
inexpensive way to provide entertainment for the whole family. It's
wonderful, you'll feel like a kid again ditching school. What a rush!
Another option is that you can not go at all! Just skip the whole ceremony!
The first suggestion is probably more exciting, but this works just as
well....But, if I were to do it all over again, I would chose the "GRAND
FINALE" approach. This style allows you to be very creative. You could hire
a singing telegram person to interrupt the service. Have them sing a song
about how church smells like the stench of rotten eggs. After the song have
them announce that (YOUR NAME HERE) is now leaving the chains of the church
system, BE FREE, ALL OF YOU, LIKE THIS BLESSED SOUL!!" Then take a bow and
walk out with your head held high and a smile on your face! Use your
imagination! Stir up a big stink, but remember,stir up the stink in love! I
prefer this method because you can only lose your reputation once, so you
might as well do it big! Also it adds great shock value. And don't forget
the camcorder!
If all this seems too scary or intense for you, start out small. I recommend
a small exercise to stir up the excitement of life and to get a taste of the
adrenalin rush. The next time your shopping with your spouse at Wal-Mart or
Target, surprise them by sneaking off and finding one of those intercom
phones hidden in the isles or in corners. Start off by just saying
"ATTENTION: would (SPOUSES NAME)please meet his/her, husband/wife at the
sporting goods department." They will know it's you. As you get some good
practice & your confidence level increases, you could even try singing a
song over the intercom! But for now, do something small. If you get caught
act like a dumb shopper...No Problem! Go for it!!TAKE RISKS!!LIVE LIFE!!
