So, once again, I'm in Starbucks and engaging in my hobby of people watching.
I heard
a conversation about Uganda
another conversation about someone's knowledge of Islam, the girl's current career and "heart's passion", along with some other things I was trying to tune out.
I didn't recognize any of the people engaging in said conversations, but it was obvious we more or less run in the same circles. So, I was staring. Sue me.
Anyhow, I've been thinking a lot about child rearing lately and what a difficult task it is and how I'm glad that I haven't been called to such a thing yet. I need more prep time. Babysitting well is hard enough.
One of my beloved sinners is coming of age. They would much rather be 20 + years old instead of their current age. They have been incredibly anxious (to put it mildly) to come over and spend the night at my new place. I talked with their mom the other night and asked "I want to encourage ____ desire to help and be in the kitchen, but I don't want to reward the nagging and manipulation." The mom agreed, so neither one of us gave in to the desire
I felt awful this morning and was glad that I'm not a parent. I would have given in. I can only "stand strong" because I'm not the parent. I can be "mean" and not care.
I'd love to be pregnant, but only so I can have a baby shower and get lots of cute baby things. The responsibility doesn't appeal to me all that much. There is too much riding on the shoulders of parents, thanks to the divinely placed covenantal obligations. Also, I don't want people thinking they can just come up to me and rub my belly as if I'm their personal Buddha statue. That- I promise, friends -will anger me like nothing else. I'll say unkind things. I'm storing all sorts of one-liners up in my long-term memory just in case I am pregnant some day.
"I'm sorry, I'm not your Buddha. Take your hands off!"
*rub the belly of the rub-er* "Oh, I'm sorry, did I just invade your personal space?!"
"Unless you're about to ask me how I like my eggs in the morning, please remove your hand"
. . . things like that. :)
OK. I don't know where all that came from, but I made myself chuckle. :)
Ok. NOW I remember what I've been wanting to blog about. There is a new Sunday school class starting up tomorrow that I'm excited about. It's about Reformed Theology. It's for people who may not know all that much about it. At RP! I know, kinda strange, but you'd be surprised at how many people don't know that much about it. Believe it or not, I fall into that group. So much of what I adhere to and believe is because others around me, and those that I have learned from, believe it.
I've been trying to figure out what exactly I'm shaky on. It's not the depth of human depravity, it's not sovereignty and the tension it has with human responsibility, it's not the need to persevere.
Maybe it's divine election: how do I know I'm elect? how do I know that my parent's aren't? what role should this play in evangelism? should it play a role*? at what point should I throw my hand's up and say "well, I guess they're not chosen!"? should I ever do that?
And baptism: in a believer's baptism, how much sufficient evidence of repentance should a session require before baptizing?
And gender roles: in contemporary culture how can a church sincerely and humbly say that women shouldn't lead**? where's a good exegesis for that?
And hermeneutics: when is it a good time to just open up the Bible and just start reading in order to get an answer to a really pressing question? is the only valid way to read the Bible, to do so methodically?? if you aren't reading it methodically, are you sinning? what's the difference between reading Scripture and interpreting it in a reformed matter and interpreting it in a unreformed matter??
And just being reformed: what does it mean to be reformed??? how important is it? why is it such a big deal if someone isn't reformed?
I don't ask question most of the time because there is a lot I'm not extremely confused on. All of the above are questions, when push comes to shove, that I actually have about Christian life in general. Since I know it's not kosher in my cirlce to separate being Christian from being reformed, there are some things I'd like to figure out.
* the one great thing I have heard about evangelism and the doctrine of election came from Dr. Kapic: "The doctrine of election is a doctrine of comfort. It's not for someone that doesn't understand. It's for you - you were chosen before the foundations of the earth."
** I agree that women shouldn't lead, but all my arguments are rooted in a response to the demise of the contemporary culture. They have some Scripture, but it's most proof-texting. There aren't any great theological/Scriptural arguments I have for why women shouldn't lead in ministry in the roles of pastor, elder, deacon, etc . That's not to say I don't think they aren't there, but I just don't have them.
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