Churches, Part One

I miss going to church.

An easy answer to that is, of course, "Well, duh, go to church."

It isn't as easy as that.  Not anymore.  I've experienced some real stupidity in churches in the last several years, and I find myself more than a little bewildered.  I've seen some real questionable attitudes and practices, not to mention some real love and kindness, and the combination of good and evil has put me in a state of "I don't know what to do."

One church my family and I attended had a conservative bent.  No problem with that, because the message of salvation is that it's available to anyone, no matter who you vote for.

If it was only that simple to the people preaching that message, and to the ones hearing it.

There is an undercurrent of belief amongst too many people who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ that if you vote Democratic or anything other than Republican, then you are not a Christian.

Tell me, in what book of the Bible is that one written?

We also noticed that the church in question had cliques - very prominent cliques which made it very plain that if you weren't in any of them, you were merely cannon fodder.  The pastor even acknowledged it and told all of us if we didn't like it, we needed to build a bridge and get over it.

Way to make a person feel needed and loved and welcome.

The church now has a bridge built over a ditch in the back of their property so that "People can get over it."  Might as well flip a middle finger up in the air as to give that message.  It pretty much means the same thing.

When I think about it now, it seems really telling that I attended a church that basically went out of its way to tick off people in its congregation.  It shows how easy it is to tolerate what should be intolerable.

One other telling item I remember was that the church's financial situation and its accounts and records were considered a "secret", to only be open to a select few members.  Although it did become very well known amongst the congregation that the church lost several thousand dollars on bad stock market choices.

Why would a house of God invest money in the stock market or in any other manner?  I still do not understand that one.

Another problem with that church was that in the teen's class, one teacher made an extra obnoxious effort to force my son to read aloud in front of the class.  This same teacher loved to boast about how he forced his two teen daughters to watch The Passion of the Christ.

I've often wondered if he's being obnoxious because that's the way he's always been, or if he does it in the hopes that he'll get in trouble.  That way he can claim that he's being persecuted.  I've noticed that some people really do want to be a martyr - without the real pain that some believers actually suffer in other countries.

I'm not really surprised that my son doesn't want to go to church anymore.  I wonder how many shy and reserved people have been given that same obnoxious treatment, and now refuse to have anything to do with church?

Despite what you've might've read in those Chick Tracts, becoming saved does not automatically make you speak boldly and defiantly.  Public speaking is a nerve-wracking experience, and it takes practice to get better at it.

The final straw at that church, however, was the pastor's statement of what we should do if President Obama were to show up during Sunday services.  He told us that we should take off our shoes and throw them at him.

I guess that even a pastor isn't above hating people. 

Not only have I grown up with a lot of Sunday school lessons, I've also taken many classes on the lives of people in classical and ancient times.  Throughout all of that, I learned that one of biggest sins a person could ever commit was to attack a visitor.  Being a host is a sacred obligation, one that is not to be taken lightly.  But, to our pastor, throwing shoes at that man was more important than being a good host, not to mention welcoming a visitor to our church.

When I look back over the years (too many) that we spent there, the pastor openly despised liberals and left out relevant details about his political enemies in order to push a point of view he wanted followed.

Another way to put it is that he lied about others for political reasons, and supported national and so-called religious leaders who also lied about the same things.

To put it even simpler, he violated the Ninth Commandment, and supported others who did the same thing, and encouraged us to do the same thing.

Despite what you may have been taught, the ends do not justify the means.  What do you have to lose when you lie about your enemies?  Nothing more than your own soul.

What really distresses me is that a lot of Christians do not see that they're being played like a violin by political and so-called Christian leaders.  They really fear that if they don't vote the way their Christian leaders tell them, they'll go to hell.

Again I ask, in what book of the Bible is that one written?

I will say this, however:  If you give up your right to vote to someone who tells you how to cast your vote, then you deserve neither democracy nor freedom.  You will have become worse than those apathetic individuals who refuse to vote at all.

Pray about it, yes, very much so, but watch what the candidates say and do.  After all, their actions are a louder witness than what they say.

Should I even have to say that you shouldn't hate anyone, especially someone you have no intention of voting into office, or even someone who votes or believes differently than you do?  Hatred is not only murdering someone in your own heart (a violation of the Sixth Commandment), but it is a luxury you cannot afford.  When you hate someone, they control you and you allow yourself to be (figuratively) enslaved to them.  I can assure you that you are not in their thoughts.  So why do that to yourself and to your soul?  It's not worth it.

I leave you with a verse I always try to keep in mind when I'm troubled.

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

--Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

Peace be unto you.

A McDonald's Life Hack

Time for a life hack of the simple sort.

I've noticed lately that the McDonald's near my location has some good deals, going along the lines of two items for two dollars.  One of which includes buying a McDouble sandwich and an order of small fries for two dollars.

Normally, I buy myself an Extra Value Meal #2, which consists of two cheeseburgers, fries, and a soft drink.  In my area, you can buy the medium size meal for $4.69, and the large meal for $5.19.  If you don't tell them what size you want, they seem to make it a large.  Of course, I'm tall and stout, so they might think that's what I want.

Let's take a look, value wise.  If I buy the value meal (large), I'll pay (with state taxes included) approximately $5.35.

Let's say I opt for the McDouble sandwich and fries, with a large soft drink, instead.  This time, I'll pay $3.21, a savings of more than two dollars. 

I can agree with that, because money saved means more money for something else.

Now, let's take a look at this, nutrition wise.  I know, some people would say that if I cared about nutrition and my health, I wouldn't eat at McDonald's.  Well, that's your right, but I eat where I want, thank you very much, and you should, too.  If you choose your eating establishments based on what others think of you, then you are a sad person, and I cannot help you.

Besides, I've noticed that quite a few people eat at McDonald's, and their website is very generous with the nutritional information for their food.  I do believe in using the resources available at hand to make a thoughtful choice, and I believe that you can have a good meal if you pay attention to what you're doing and make good choices based on what you learn.

First, let's take a look at the two cheeseburgers in the Extra Value Meal.  You not only get 600 calories, you also get 24 grams of fat, 66 grams of carbohydrates, and 1,360 mg. of sodium.  You will also get 35 grams of protein, 540 International Units of Vitamin A, 400 mg. of calcium, 6 mg. of iron and 2 mg. of Vitamin C.

Compare that with the McDouble sandwich.  This has 390 calories, 18 grams of fat, 34 grams of carbohydrates, and 850 mg. of sodium.  There is also 22 grams of protein, 280 International Units of Vitamin A, 210 mg of calcium, 3.5 mg. of iron and 1 mg. of Vitamin C.

Buying the McDouble sandwich over the two cheeseburgers saves you not only financially, but it saves you more than 200 calories, 6 grams of fat and 32 grams of carbohydrates and more than 500 mg. of sodium.

How about the fries?  Well, it should be obvious that the small fries saves you in more ways than one.  A small order of fries gives you 230 calories, compared to 510 calories in a large order.  The small order has 11 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbohydrates and 130 mg. of sodium.

The large order will not only give you the 510 calories, but it will give you 24 grams of fat, 67 grams of carbohydrates and 290 mg. of sodium.

A small order will do me, thank you.

Now, when I go to McDonald's, I always get the same thing to drink: A large Hi-C Orange Lavaburst.  Why?  I can get a carbonated soda somewhere else (and usually do), and I happen to like the Hi-C drink.  It's a holdover from my youth.

McDonald's charges $1 for any size soft drink, and I prefer the large size.  What do I get for that?  Well, it's 310 calories, no fat or sodium, but a hefty 84 grams of carbohydrates.  I also get 244 mg. of Vitamin C, an impressive 410 percent share of the vitamin's recommended daily allowance.  Of course, Hi-C is a vitamin-enriched drink.

So, not only does the McDouble sandwich, small fries and large drink save me more than two dollars, it gives a savings of almost 500 calories, 19 grams of fat, almost 70 grams of carbohydrates and 670 mg. of sodium.

Until McDonald's changes their prices and menu options again, I've found a new meal of choice.

But, I have to tell you, I really, really miss the Cheddar Melt sandwich.

Peace be unto you.