Arguing with a fool proves there are two.

Courtesy of son Steve, to continue a recent theme.

Didn't do anything with the truck today except order some bushings for the rebuilt rear springs, some zerk fittings, and a patch panel for the front right door pillar. 

This morning was all about sermon prep. Gotta get this one right.

After lunch I did some cleaning. We've had cooler temps that have windows open, but the stiff breezes mean a layer of fine desert dust on everything. Moved all the furniture and vacuumed, then wiped down the floors with a wet rag - water with a little rubbing alcohol added. That prevents spots and speeds evaporation. Got most of the furniture dusted, too. I'll finish that tomorrow. 

Lunch with Josh White. As always, good conversation that includes shop talk. Brothers in ministry, and only someone else doing the same thing can fully understand the dynamics of this job. We both love it, but also feel its challenges. 

After last year's FAIL my rose bushes look great. I like the view out the slider - all eight bushes in full bloom. And soon the water lilies will also bud & bloom. 

If you were designing a church what would you want the worship space to look like? (It used to be called the sanctuary but that word is too formal for today's casual culture.)

I'd want a relatively high ceiling and strong vertical lines to remind me of God's transcendence. Enter one of the soaring cathedrals of the post-reformation era and your eye - and your heart - can't help but go up. The bean counters will say that design wastes heating and cooling dollars but it's a price I'm willing to pay to get the sense of smallness and awe it instills.

I'd want lots of natural lighting - big windows and plenty of skylights - to lift my spirit and fill me with a sense of the joy that comes from a life lived in relationship with that transcendent God who is also imminent and gracious. The words dark and dreary go together for a reason, and they are the antithesis of being in God's presence. The sunlight that fills the room will make it almost impossible to project song lyrics (remember hymns?) on the front wall, and the only solution will be expensive, high-end rear projection systems that will also drive the financial committee bonkers.

I want decor and furnishings that speak of God's grandeur and glory. No plastic, no chrome, no faux anything. That kind of stuff belongs in a Burger King, not in a space where we worship the God who rules all. Solomon's temple was decorated with gold, silver, jewels, and the finest tapestries for a good reason. I'll never get budget approval for that, but the space where we worship ought to reflect the glory of the One we worship.

Worship is an action, and actions come as the result of choices. Worship can happen in the dank basement of a hardware store. In its six years of existence Pathway has met and worshipped in a living room, a dance studio, and now in the gym of an elementary school. Christians have worshipped God in caves to escape detection by hostile authorities. True worship is not dependent on the space in which it happens but on the hearts of those who choose to engage in that central human activity.

I'm just sayin', if I could choose, and if I could get it by the finance committee, I'd have a space that encouraged the activity of worship, not one we had to overcome.