tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4000642393175378494.post6513492342568093089..comments2023-09-15T04:44:05.493-07:00Comments on Crumbs at the Feast: Ecclesiastical What IfsNeil Ellis Ortshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12055904122133673244noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4000642393175378494.post-23613685571595736172011-06-26T18:45:07.736-07:002011-06-26T18:45:07.736-07:00Ha ha! You just landed at the airport I've bee...Ha ha! You just landed at the airport I've been using for a while. A lot of us are asking what Church should really look like, and you're coming up with the same questions and answers we are.<br /><br />One of the coolest church services I have been to was last Sunday in Albania. The first half hour was just hanging out ("fellowship" in the original churchese), followed by a birthday party for a two year old (complete with inflatable balloon animals in the sanctuary and a cake with candles and firework fountains, yes-- indoors), then worship, testimonies, a brief sermon, baptisms, gigantic fireworks (in town, no less), and food.<br /><br />Beyond that, I'm totally down with the rest of it. The mission trip to Albania was mostly unscheduled until the day before in most cases, and pretty much always involved just loving on people based on who we are and what Daddy put on our hearts. It included praying for "random" people on the street, blessing the ice cream lady with what turned out to be twice her daily wages just because that's how we felt Daddy loving on her, taking whoever we were talking with to dinner, becoming a carnival for the Roma kids, helping lead worship in three languages (only one of which we knew), looking for ways to help grow businesses, time at the beach, dancing and clubbing, you name it. All with God in the center.<br /><br />Back here, not sure where we'll settle, congregation-wise. Wherever it is, our main focus will be out in the bigger world, doing life.<br /><br />SO..., I'm with you, bro. Come to think of it, a whole bunch of us are. I'm running across more people asking these questions every day. Huzzah!roadkills-r-ushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14029861300358380117noreply@blogger.com