Below are the 16 most recent journal entries recorded in high_countries' LiveJournal:

Sunday, February 11th, 2007
8:32 am	Sunday School The roommmate and I have been going to Sharonville United Methodist and liking it a lot. So much that we signed up for their Boot Camp Bible class for those new to the church and interested in membership. We're not joining quite yet, but the class is an interesting mix of church history and activities and ministries available. Not really Bible-based but all the basics you need to know if you want to join. The only problem is that's it's at 9:30. And I like to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast with a cup of coffee before pottering off to the 11:00 service. A day of rest in my book does not involve waking up at the crack of dawn. Today is the last Sunday and clearly I am going to have to investigate a mid-week bible study if I am going to get involved. (Comment on this)
Sunday, November 26th, 2006
8:40 pm	Sunday Report Went back to the Methodist Church for the second Sunday in a row! So you know I must really like it. The pastor there is very friendly and made sure he came up to talk to my sister and me. He even remembered it had been about 8 months since he last saw there. I told him we had been church-hopping but decided we like it there. He said he would give us a call about bible studies if we were interested, so I left my number in the attendance pad. I don't think I can convince my sister nor my roommate to come to Sunday School and church. But a midweek study would be nice. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 21st, 2006
12:13 pm	Sunday Report So despite drinking the night before which led to not really sleeping, because I never sleep well when I have more than one or two drinks, I still mananged to get up and make it to church this past Sunday. I even made cherry turnovers for breakfast! (from a box, lest you think me superbaker.) I picked up my sister and we headed to the Sharonville United Methodist Church which was every bit as charming as I remembered it. The junior bell choir played the prelude. The children's choir sang a lovely song that included whistling that made the congregation laugh, (and made me wish I taught children's choir again) the music was old-fashioned but heartfelt and the pastor's sermon was serious in places with just the right touches of humor. (He bought Jones soda Thanksgiving dinner set and had it out in the lobby afterwards for people to try. For the record Pea soda is disgusting, but now I can say I participated and by participating I can invite other people to join in with me.) One thing I really like is that they have three services. One contemporary and two "spirited traditional." Just the way they phrase it makes me like that much more. And they have Methodist right there on the front sign by the road too. ;-D Another upside is that it's just down the street from my parent's church, so afterwards we jumped in the car and made it just as their service was ending. We visited with friends and then headed to lunch where dad picked up the bill. :-D All in all, a very successful Sunday. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 7th, 2006
7:25 am	Went to the Presbyterian church again on Sunday with my roommate and was bored. I didn't like the music and the sermon was slightly stretching. The pastor was working through the book of Judges and some of those Old Testament stories are hard to make relevant to modern day. Try reading chapter 11 and see if you come up with let's be men of our words. Basically this guy promises to make a human sacrifice of whoever comes out of his house first if God lets him win the battle, but when he gets home victorious, his only daughter is the first one out. I informed my father later in the day that should he ever feel the need to make such a vow, I would not look down on him for breaking it. How big of Jepthath or whatever his name was to sacrifice somone else. But anyway, while sitting there it occurred to me that I might have stayed with this church if I had liked the preaching because I haven't really been looking for an AND situation, as in I like the music AND the preaching, but would certainly settle for an OR. And then I remembered I did have a church where I liked both. I tried to remember why I had stopped going there and the reason now seemed really silly. It was a little further away when we moved from my parents house. But it's right near my parents and I visit them all the time, so why did I think it was too far to go for church? The moral of the story is I'm heading back to Sharonville United Methodist next week, and I hope it is everything I remember it. Because I liked their music and I always came away with something from the sermon. Besides, I haven't seen any other churches who have their three year olds and their Rainbow Bell Choir. (Absolutely adorable and hilarious to watch!) Now I just need to drag myself to Sunday School. (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 29th, 2006
9:50 pm	Sticking around So after some consideration I've decided that Cincinnati is the place to be for a little while longer. It would be silly to think about moving now or in the near future. I have two sisters getting married in the spring (or just one if our prayers are answered) and despite my complaining, it would be counterproductive to try and change jobs at the moment. I have quite possibly the best boss one could have and I really like the other people on my team. Two of my friends in town have recently made the same decision. I was worried that I would be left behind when they started looking at other cities around the country, but now that they are sticking around, it's almost like reaffirmation that I should stay too. It really comes down to this: I have this theory about God's plan for my life. I know there is one and I only ever get glimpses of it, but He has never made things too hard for me. There are challenges for sure wherever I am, but at the same time I know I'm in the right place. Things work out too well otherwise. Some people might call it luck, but I call it a blessing. Just like I knew I should go to France. Just like I knew Georgetown was the school for me. I'm still nervous that I will get stuck here. I still want to see more the world. Experience more. But for now I'm staying put. Especially since I just re-signed my lease for 15 months. You know what this means though, right? I now have no excuse for not finding a church. Before, I could justify sleeping in because I wasn't going to be in Cincinnati long enough to settle in. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, September 4th, 2006
12:06 pm	Am a horrible updater In much the same way that I am a horrible church-goer. But I have been. Twice actually since I last updated. Back to the secretly Baptist community church - which in the words of my roommate was "too much like being at a concert." And also to the Presbyterian church again, which was, well, blah. No real complaints, just no real advantages either. Maybe I'll try the secretly Presbyterian community church again next week. (They did have a violin in the praise band!) Or there is a girl at work who has invited me to a smaller offshoot of the Vineyard. (Visited the real thing last year and was weirded out by the stadium like seating, flashing lights and video screens.) She tells me it's a little more low-key, especially since they meet in a middle school. In other news, I'm contemplating joining the Jesuit Volunteers and going somewhere international. I like their emphasis on spirituality, their dedication to living simple lives, and their goal of social justice. It's not just about winning people for the next life. It's about taking care of their needs and making this life a better one too. Just not sure I'm ready to give up my posh middle American lifestyle for 2 years in the jungle. Am going to need to pray about this quite a bit more, I think. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, August 6th, 2006
11:51 am	Only a somewhat slacker It looks like I haven't been to church in over a month, but in truth, I visited North Cincinnati Community Church two weeks ago and never posted a report. So here it is... This time I had friends along, the lovely Judy and Robin Hershner, who picked me up and drove us over. Judy and I sat next to each other and whispered our evaluation. Points for having a violin in the praise band. Points off for the pastor and music minister wearing silly microphone headbands with the little piece coming down their cheek. Points for what appeared to be quite a few young people. Points of for a rambling sermon, (the pastor did show a clip of Les Mis which I thought was great but he thought the housekeeper was the bishop's wife. Uh, never heard of Catholicism?) Lots of points off for no hymnals. I don't know if I will go back or not, but I did notice something, a trend in churches that bothers me. If I hadn't already known that is was a Presbyterian church it would have been quite an effort to figure it out. In small print, hidden on the back of the bulletin, it informed you who they were affiliated with. Just like the Baptist church I visited a while back, it too decided to go with the more universal Community Church. I have yet to understand why this bothers me, but it does. It's like they're ashamed of their denomination. Or maybe they think they attract more people if they get rid of preconceived notions of what a Presbyterian or Baptist what might look like. It's really just more work for me. And in the end, I'm lazy, (as evidenced by the lateness of this post!) This morning, I didn't make it to a worship service (slept really late) but I made pancakes and turned on some of my worship CDs. It was like being back in my apartment in France. God is here just as he is in a church building. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, July 9th, 2006
9:09 pm	Finding a church might be made easier if I actually went to one... In other news I'm completely caught up on Project Runway. So now when Judy and I visit that church I will have something to talk about afterwards. (Comment on this)
Monday, June 19th, 2006
7:38 pm	Sunday report I don't know about other denominations, but Baptists are big on what we call "contacts" - where we invite other people to church, mainly Sunday School. Each week, Sunday school teachers count not only who is in attendance but how many contacts the members made that week. It is tallied and then announced in the service along with how many attended Bible study that week. I was a contact this week - for a three year old. She's been paying attention in class apparently... At a cookout Saturday with a bunch of church people Three year old: Where do you go to church? Me: I don't have a church. I'm looking for one. Three year old: You can come to my church! Me: I can? Can I sit with you? Three year old: You can if my mommy says yes. If she says no then you can't. So I took her up on her invitation and went to church with my parents this week, (besides it was Father's Day and my dad was doing the special music.) I love all the people there, I really do, but it is the sermons that keep me away. If you don't believe the stereotypes of the "Bible Thumper" then you have not heard our pastor preach. There is yelling and pounding of the pulpit. The message is often good, but the delivery renders it useless because I tune most of it out when I come at all. Eh well, it is a nice reminder why I am searching for a new church. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, June 17th, 2006
11:55 am	France So I realized that I never answered e_danae's question about how living in France affected me. The answer in short is that it demonstrated that organized religion or more specifically a church was not necessary to my faith. ( Read more... ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 8th, 2006
4:56 pm	Random quote "Faith is, at one and the same time, absolutely necessary and altogether impossible." (Comment on this)
Sunday, June 4th, 2006
12:00 pm	Sunday report Visited Sycamore Presbyterian this morning, the one you'll remember I tried two weeks ago. It turns out even when one is slightly early parking is hard to find. I ended up across the street in the parking lot of a preschool. I seem fated to visit churches on their 'special' Sundays. Last time it was Youth Sunday, today it was a Choir service. I got very excited to see not only a decent sized choir, but handbells, and an orchestra! Closer inspection of the bulletin, however, led me to believe the orchestra was only there for that Sunday and wasn't made up of church members. A pity, because they backed up the choir beautifully. If I was judging on music alone, this would be my church. The sermon was good. Short, which is always nice. Most longer sermons, I've found, aren't lengthy due to deeper or longer content, but a lack of organization that encourages random and unrelated tangents. He went on about living life with a purpose and with a song in our heart, (thus tying it into choir Sunday.) The whole joy and optimism thing I get, (and can do most of the time.) It's the whole purpose thing that troubles me, as I often wonder what mine is. And since I refuse to read such drivel* as The Purpose Driven Life, I suppose I will wonder some more. I was surprised to learn it is Pentecost today. The liturgical calendar doesn't hold much with the Baptist church so anything other than Christmas and Easter is beyond my experience. Despite that, there was little mention of the Holy Spirit. It was more a side note than anything else. But the biggest downfall was the lack of any sort of welcome or acknowledgement that I was a visitor. The pastor shook my hand at the end and asked how I was, but looked at me like he may or may not have seen me before. And the welcome desk only had bulletins, a newsletter, and nothing that might suggest when bible studies or different groups met during the week. I have no idea what distinguishes Presbyterians from other denominations. Despite not really liking the American Baptist church from the other week, the brochure outlining their beliefs was very helpful. *And by drivel I mean books that tell me I'm not allowed to read ahead. (13 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 28th, 2006
10:18 am	It's twenty after ten and I have no clothes on and the cinammon rolls are yet unbaked. In other words I won't be making any morning services today. I did get up earlier, but ended up going back to bed because I'm feeling poorly - that's what a UTI will do to you. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 22nd, 2006
6:25 pm	Sunday morning report So the Presbyterian church did not work out. Learned that I should do my research a little better before heading out on Sunday mornings. I thought the service started at 10:45, but it was 10:30. Fifteen minutes late and there was nowhere to park, so I headed instead to the Montgomery Community Church, hoping to make in time for their service. I was half an hour early there because there later service started at 11:30. Seriously, what happened to 11:00 services being standard? Or is that just in Southern Baptist land? How is an outside person supposed to know when to show up otherwise? Although 11:30 services appeals to my desire to sleep in on Sunday mornings. With the extra time, I got a tour of the building and met the senior pastor. Definitely a growing church. They've remodeled and added on recently, and they have Sunday school in the private school directly behind them with a shuttle in between. And I lost count, but about 15 people were baptized, ranging from ages 9 to mid-40s. A woman did the children, introducing herself as the Children's pastor. Indicates that their view on women in the Ministry is favorable. It was Youth Sunday, so students led the worship. Very contemporary, with drums and screens and videos. I prefer to use a hymnal, especially when singing songs I don't know, mainly because I can read the music and follow it easier than having to follow by ear. Contemporary choruses tend to bore me as well with all the repitition. At least with hymns there are verses. (Although I have sat through altar calls where you sing the same five verses twenty five times, praying the entire time that someone will go forward and end it so you can open your eyes and go home.) I met a nice girl named Sarah who introduced me to the Young Adults group, who surprisingly looked like they were made up of young professionals rather than college students. Although Sarah was the only one interested in talking to me. I didn't make much of an effort myself, but I was the visitor. Logistics seem against me as well since their group meets on Tuesday nights and I have choir in the winter and Ultimate Frisbee in the summer that night. Other concerns include their name - Montgomery Community Church, yet they're an American Baptist church and until just recently were Montgomery Baptist Community Church. Makes me wonder why they decided to drop the Baptist. PR thing? A move towards being non-denominational? Tired of being associated with people like Jerry Falwell? According to the brochure they gave me, "10 Things You Should Know about American Baptists," they sound very...well..Baptist. Scripture based, personal and individual relationship with God, emphasis on missions and evangelism, separation of church and state (surprising I know) etc. etc. Will have to do some research to determine what distinguishes them from other Baptists. Might go back. I'd like to see what a regular service looks, but I don't think I'll be joining anytime soon. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 21st, 2006
9:46 am	Am going to church today. No, really. Am already dressed, have had sticky rolls and two cups of coffee. There is no real excuse for staying home. Have my eye on a Presbyterian church around the corner. I've only ever been to one other Presbyterian service and it was in French. Needless to say, I didn't understand much, but some of the hymn tunes sounded familiar. (Comment on this)
Saturday, May 20th, 2006
6:20 pm	Some history I grew up in the church. Quite literally. Birth until the age of 18 when I went away to college, I was in church not weekly but three or four times a week. Sunday school and the service on Sundays. Sunday nights too. Wednesday night bible studies and usually social events on Saturdays. I listened to christian rock - Newsboys, Jars of Clay, DC Talk, Audio Adrenaline, among others. As a kid we had Adventures in Odyssey tapes - a radio program produced by Focus on the Family that we listened to in the car. And we had videos from a company called Feature Films for Families. As a teenager, arguments over what TV shows and movies were appropriate induced screaming and yelling. And rules about boys and curfews were strict compared to my friends'. But despite the teenage angst, I have fond memories of church. In fact, at one point the worst thing my dad could punish me with was not letting me go to Wednesday night youth group. I went to a Baptist college. Not Cedarville, like my dad wanted, where they require you to sign a statement saying you won't dance, won't drink, won't have any fun basically, but to Georgetown, where you had to have so many Cultural Enrichment Points, easiest to obtain by going to Tuesday chapel but not too hard to get around otherwise. I only ever went when I had to sing in it with the college choir. There was evidence of spiritual life on campus and we all had to take two religion courses, but it wasn't oppressive. And it was in the context of getting a well-rounded education. Questioning was allowed and encouraged. Academic study of the bible was emphasized in class. I never found a church to go to regularly while I was there. I went sporadically to the Baptist church in town. Tried out the Church of Christ. And spent two semesters as a Children's music intern at the First Baptist of Frankfort. They paid me to learn how to lead children's choir and sing in the Sanctuary choir. I also had to be there for Sunday school and met once a week with the Music Minister where we discussed the book Worship is a Verb. If it had been closer I might have gone more often after the internship ended, but Frankfort was nearly half an hour away. Senior year I had Dr. Wirzba for Basic Philosophy. In filling my gen ed requirement last minute, I realized I had missed out on an opportunity. He tried to get me to take more Philosophy classes, but by then I had run out of time. However, he did get me thinking on a lot of things, including WHY I believed in God. The first thought was near panic. One does not question the existence of God lightly. And then the answer was because I always had. My parents taught me to. It wasn't an answer I liked. So I stopped going to church...just to see if I would miss it. It's been two years. I've been here and there, more so when I lived at home because it was a stipulation of room and board. But I haven't committed anywhere. Haven't dived in and made friends, joined a bible study, or moved my letter of membership. Sunday mornings at home with freshly baked cinnamon rolls, a cup of coffee, and a book compete for my attention on a weekly basis. And most oftentimes win. But I want to start looking. With this journal, I hope to chronicle my search as I delve into denominational differences, styles of worship, expectations, and the practicalities of finding a new church. (2 Comments |Comment on this)