Starbucks vs Waffle House
Starbucks churches are really chic. [...] Waffle House churches [...] are naturally set in the country and often, it takes an hour to get there from any major freeway. Complete with a steeple (I almost forgot what those were!) and pews, you've always got your staple hymnal book to accompany the worship time. This worship time may consist of one piano player and a singer, or maybe just a singer and a tape deck.
I attended a Waffle House church today. You know what? It was humbling. Sometimes you just need the coffee and without all the foam.
I'm not stating that one church is better than the other. Personally, I like my Starbucks church. But, I think it's good to experience a different service every once and a while. I felt like I was in a different country. I was so blessed by the preacher's message. He was so on fire. I was blessed by the people who took turns getting on stage to sing their hearts out to God—and how communal it was; how simple and pure.
I know that God has no preference as long as we are concentrating on Him. We are all His children.
Recently I heard people say that they cannot worship because they do not like the style of the service.
This is like saying they can only eat chocolate on a plate but not in a bowl.
I think if you really like chocolate, you love it and enjoy it in whatever container that is holding it.
Sure, you may like the plate better than the bowl, but that doesn't affect the chocolate.
Do you like the chocolate or do you just like the plate?
Who are we worshiping? God, or the worship style?
When you worship, you become humble. And a humble worship doesn't really care about the container. A humble worshiper just worships.
Of course, the outreaching factor always comes in. But you advocate for a different style of worship not because YOU cannot worship in a certain style. If YOU cannot worship with this style, YOU cannot worship with that style either. Unless you redefine worship.
The church has no worship problem, only spirituality problem.
Link
Labels: Discontent, Reflection, Worship
Ha, interesting. The latest issue of Christian Book Summaries is The Gospel According to Starbucks. Check it out:
http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/library/v3/cbs0336.pdf
Posted by
Anson |
September 05, 2007 12:07 AM
That's fine. The question is what do you do if your chocolate is mixed with herbs and chemicals, processed until it no longer resembles chocolate.
Sure, you love chocolate, and you can love it so much that you will eat it for a few times, but eventually you turn away.
Posted by
Anonymous |
September 05, 2007 1:02 AM