No sermons posted

One of the saddest things I've seen is the lack of consistency at HP.
One example is the sermons online. The person that did them until
late last year lagged a little but always posted them. A handoff was
made to a different person, and now there haven't been any sermons
posted since March of this year.

This lack of consistency problem stems from the newness wearing off.
One thing I've noticed is that if it's not new the body of HP doesn't
like it. It's almost as if there is no long-term plan or approach to
things.

A quote from Marrin Luther King Jr. is that "there can be no great
disappointment without great love.". I'm very disappointed...

It's like I'm not there

I went to church there today. One person said hello to me, but kept moving. No one else even acknowledged my presence. Even those that I worked with there at church turn their heads away and don't speak.

I feel almost like a pariah. But I also had a valuable insight today: this is why our church doesn't grow, why it stays the same size or even gets smaller. It's because everyone's so busy "doing church" that they don't take the time to actually engage with those around them. A greeting here, a nod there, be sure and hug and shake hands when they tell you to during the service, but otherwise no reaching out to those that are hurting right there with them...

"Faith in Action" and "The Point"

I was disappointed to hear that our pastor's exciting new push to get the church in motion, called "Faith in Action" (a group thing already thought of by someone else), was not coordinated at all with the Youth leader. He announced this past Sunday that "everyone" was invited to come to the church on Wednesday night to learn more and to sign up for their ill-defined project, but this effort had not even been coordinated with the Youth minister, who had planned a big meeting with the youth leaders and parents to plan out some upcoming events.

I find it interesting to watch them jump on the bus and start driving without coordinating with anyone. After having my toes run over so many times I'm glad I'm not involved in this effort; sounds like business as usual for them, rushing something to closure, claiming full success despite the number of people that show up, and then move on to run over whoever else is in the way.

Sorrow for HP

One of the hardest things I've had to deal with in my life is to see how my church runs over people in an effort to please the leaders or themselves. I drew close and learned that they jump in the church bus and drive it no matter who stands in the way or who might be working on it. There is no plan and they are sticking to it. I've ranted and raved at my wife and family enough, so now I will try to direct my rants here.

The hardest part is that I feel like I am in the middle of God's Will - a rock he has placed in the middle of the river, sticking up above the surface of the water and resisting the pull of the common river flow to stand in His Righteousness. I just wish they would stop running me over on their way to do good...