Just stuck my head outside the door at 7.15pm and stuck it in again quickly! It’s hot as hell; glad I ain’t going there, but time will tell! Even the dog had a sniff outside, did its business and came back in pronto. We stay in the air conditioning, only venturing out when necessary and keep in touch via Facebook.
I have been reading comments about churches and why people don’t go. One quote says so much, unfortunately: ‘The priestly class invariably makes God less accessible instead of more so, neither entering yourselves nor letting others enter in as Jesus says (Matthew 23.13). For the sake of our own job security, the priestly message is often ‘You can only come to God through us, by doing the right rituals, obeying the rules, and believing the right doctrines’.
This makes me so very sad; not all priests by any means, but enough to put people right off. As you can imagine there were quite a few comments in support of the above; some very damning. I have been to many churches in different parts of the world: evangelical, middle of the road and high and different denominations. My humble opinion is that they all mostly follow the same pattern, with or without dog collars and robes. The ones that have Jesus and the Holy Spirit at the centre of their worship bring people in. The others put people off and turn them away. You can’t please all the people all the time, but those truly seeking God know what is sincere and what is false.
Getting people over the threshold of a church is so hard. Losing them out of the back door is easy. I have struggled with folk’s opposition to churches for decades.
In September I am organizing a Gospel Karaoke Night at the Alandalus Bar in Calasparra; on Friday 13th to be precise, which to my weird sense of humour seems very appropriate! With my good pal Disco Dave as I call him, we’ll play Johnny Cash and other well-known Gospel songs and hopefully two friends who each play guitar and sing will have spots in the middle. I have been praying for years that if God would help me play guitar like Clapton, I’d go out and evangelise on the streets. Nothing has happened yet, but I live in hope. I stick to my drums as at least I have a sense of rhythm, although my singing is way beyond belief! Way beyond anything!
I am always available for a chat, to conduct a Funeral or Wedding Blessing; that’s if you want a guy who thinks outside the box; the tiny religious boxes some clergy and others hide themselves in. I read in a Book about a guy called Jesus who did things outside the expected boxes. They crucified Him. I’ve got some scars too, but my message is as always; Rock On!
Please email me at ahrea2@yahoo.co.uk or ring 634 386 179
‘Bye for now and God bless
Rev Andrew