It's going to take us awhile to get used to this church on Sunday night routine. The day just seems all wrong when spent at home.
And home is weird right now. I shouldn't look out the window at this:
Or this:
But tomorrow morning at 7:00 they'll both be part of the deforestation of Baker Rd. We'll sit on the front porch and watch it all happen in front of us. I'm looking forward to watching the process, just wish we could avoid the results.
My calf is sore today, but not as bad as I expected. I might try a run tomorrow afternoon to see how it goes. I feel better about having walked off the worst of the cramp at yesterday's race once I saw the full results online. I finished 50th out of 236 runners doing the 5k, and the guy who won my age division finished almost 5 minutes ahead of me. Yikes. And the guy who came in third was almost 5 minutes behind me. So the minute or so I added to my total time was inconsequential.
We got back to our car to find a flyer for another 5k race next Saturday at 6 p.m. at a local winery that looks like a good race. If my calf is OK by Tuesday I'll sign up. Again, awards three deep in each age group, and a dinner, tasting, and live concert afterward. An evening race should be different, and the course goes along winery roads, so it should be scenic, too. Here's a chance to improve my time, eh?
I watched some Olympics this afternoon. Saw a French equestrian fall off her horse, followed by a Russian gymnast fall off the pommel horse.
Thursday we're going to Noti, a tiny town about 8 miles away where a lady has a goat ranch where she raises Boer goats, the breed we'd get if we decide to do this. They're a breed originally from So. Africa raised for meat, not milk. They're bulky and their meat is supposed to be especially good. I've been doing lots of reading and will have all kinds of questions for her. I've also learned what to look for in a breeder you might buy goats from - things to look for and specific questions to ask. Whether or not we do this (see what I did there?) I'm enjoying the learning experience.
We're continuing to talk about our church hunt, and this morning was more conversation on the topic. We agreed we're not happy with the current state of the church in America.
We were raised at a time when the emphasis was almost entirely on the transcendence of God, his "otherness." Everything from church architecture, to music, to attire, to language said, "We enter the presence of a transcendent God, and do so with awe and reverence.
That's gone.
The outcome was too often a cold irrelevance, so sometime in the 60's the pendulum swung to immanence, the God who is near us. The preacher got out from behind the pulpit and stood at the same level as the people. The music took on a vernacular form, the attire became casual, and awe was replaced with relevance. Now it's all rock-style bands, videos, and a "just us folk" feel.
I miss a sense that I'm entering into the presence of a great and mighty, a transcendent God. I don't want to go back to clerical robes, but isn't there something between that and faded blue jeans and an untucked shirt?
When will the pendulum pass back through balance?
I dunno, but it's time for us to pack it up and head off to church.
heavy sigh
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