1. Julie D says:

    Number 3 is a real struggle for me right now. First off, there’s the vague and moving line between ‘complaining to complain’ and ‘complaining to correct’, especially when the things one is struggling with are either issues for the American church as a whole or church-specific issues that one can do nothing about. Even if I could sort those categories out….church isn’t supposed to be comfortable, but there’s good challenging and bad challenging, and….

    Okay, background: I am a college graduate who moved back home to a rural area.  Our church’s (100-something congregation, Baptist) senior pastor resigned May 2013; we currently have our former youth pastor back on an interim basis (long story). The most recent candidate for senior pastor candidated two weeks ago, but they decided not to call him, so we’re back at the beginning again.  With the pastoral role empty, it’s been really hard to get any solid expositional teaching; what fellowship activities we have are either youth- or marriage-oriented.

    • Ah, so sorry to hear of those difficulties.

      That’s what makes it difficult to speak of doing more about this in a local church.

      Especially in certain churches–such as those in rural areas–there is simply no opportunity. Folks are very set in their ways, and even if myths about fiction do not reign (e.g. “all fiction is deceptive”), other notions (such as skepticism about why Christians even need fiction at all) accomplish the same discouraging effect.

      • Julie D says:

        I’ve mentioned it before, but there’s an unspoken sense of ‘only some things are appropriate to talk about during fellowship time’ and ‘geek’ is not one of the categories. Weather, fine. Work, fine. Packers, fine.  Avengers: Age of Ultron (even though it’s the top movie at the theater and therefore ‘pop’ culture, not obscure geek): not fine.  I did’t really notice it when I was in high school, but after coming back from college (which has a more relaxed attitude towards media; I got into Doctor Who, Firefly, MCU, etc, at college, and attended 3 Renaissance Fests with college friends) it’s painfully obvious

  2. Pam Halter says:

    hi Stephen! Sorry you can’t make it to Realm Makers this year … I went for the first time last year and have determined not to miss another one, if I can possibly help it. I’m here in St. Louis and eager to get started! I’ve already helped write up some labels for folders and am heading back down to see how else I can help. Then there’s Jeff Gerke’s earlybird workshop at 4pm, followed by dinner and the Splickety Party. So excited to learn as much as I can!

    Good topics – I hope I’ll hear some of these come up during the conference.

What do you think?