Seeing the Flip-Side

I've been thinking about why the conversation about church got me going yesterday, and realized that it's all because I'm seeing things very, very differently lately.

Especially when it comes to church.

I'm thinking Being instead of Doing. Church as people, across denominations, across cultures, across beliefs (or lack thereof in some cases) - not church as a building, an event or a club with rules.

I'm thinking creative instead of same-old. I'm thinking freedom of expression, freedom to be who you are, to express where you're at no matter how bad it seems - instead of conforming to the rest of the herd, putting on your happy church face and supressing cries of need.

I'm seeing possibilities - and problems. Solutions - and resistance to change. I'm seeing what "they" have to contribute to "us", seeing visions of walls coming down and handshakes across the rubble. When I stepped out of one church and into another, I saw myself as a bridge-builder between folk who each thought the other "weird" - a finder of common ground and assurer that really, each group was NOT weird.

It makes it hard for me not to get passionate about what could be when someone dares to broach the subject with me. Even though I have stepped out of church structure indefinitely in favour of taking a rest-and-learn time.

What I do need to find is a way to speak of such things in language that those I'm speaking to can understand. Many just can't see things the way I do, and I have to take that into account. I can't force change on them, it does have to come from within.

I just don't know if I can step back into that "within" to help create a new mindset, or if it would only lead to more frustration and spiritual cooling off on my part. I think it truly is best that I'm not involved right now, but I'm more than happy to give alternatives, to plant ideas - if asked.