dual personalities

How was your weekend? Mine was quiet, but there were highlights. Also we had a big midwestern storm and EF 3 tornado damage in north St. Louis where five people actually died.

The storm blew through Forest Park, so that at the St. Louis Art Museum about 150 visitors were hustled into the basement. The Saint Louis Zoo has been closed for several days because of damage.

The tornado came pretty close to daughter #1’s house when it tore through Clayton, but we were unscathed. It hardly even rained in our neck of the woods. We watched the non-stop weather coverage for a good hour and a half though.

I went to church by myself, which is odd nowadays, but it was a great service–even though I literally cried through the whole thing–the Kindergarten Bible presentation, the choir singing this:

…and the congregation singing Christ Our Hope in Life and Death.

Yes, I am super stressed out, but that was too much.

Our associate pastor gave a good sermon on Apologetic Engagement, citing I Peter 3:13-17:

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

The people in my church are very good at this, but I confess, I struggle with it.

I did say hello to the man sitting next to me in church who I did not know. He was from Singapore, visiting on business. He had looked up PCA churches online and come to our service–I was impressed. Pleased to meet you! He probably wondered who the strange lady crying next to him was. C’est la vie.

Our Sunday School was an all-church meeting in the fellowship hall where our pastor talked about some changes in the service the session has agreed on, such as the clergy going back to wearing black robes over their suits in our morning services.

Jonathan Edwards

I’m all for it. We are also going to start using wine (in addition to grape juice) during the Lord’s supper, because it says wine in the Bible, not grape juice. Again, yes, agreed. (Did you know that grape juice was invented in 1869?)

We soldier on. Life is not easy right now, but we do not lose heart. “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

And the Babylon Bee will not let the Episcopal Church alone. (I love it.)

Have a good Monday.