Visiting Another Church

My kids & I visited another church Sunday so I could check out something they do in their service (more on that another time maybe).

In the process I got to do a bit of something I want to do more of. I got to expose my kids to a church other than the one we normally go to.

They got to see a female priest...hear a different style of music...experience a different physical worship environment...

Little things maybe. Not huge differences from our own church....same denomination, etc.

Still, it's a piece of something bigger I think is important:
letting kids (really all people) know there are meaningful variations in religious belief, expression & practice and that they can legitimately explore and make choices among them.

Reflections on my experience and various conversations with friends & family lead me to believe that it's unfortunately difficult sometimes to realize that. Much damage has been done by some well meaning efforts to keep people in, what is understood as, a definitive right way. Sometimes those efforts have been carried out by means of certain explicit strict mandates. Sometimes those efforts have been carried out through clear but unwritten rules saying on various topics: dare to think beyond these lines and you are in danger of hell. Sometimes it's as simple as a prideful attitude of superiority. Sadly, I think often the Spirit has been quenched.

There's a song that says, "Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on us..."
I say that here as a prayer.

And maybe I can make a contribution to the spiritual lives of my kids, by giving them opportunity to see the Spirit afresh in diverse worship settings.