weary warrior

Is this the definitive example of a solution looking for a problem?

Back when I used Paypal for personal use for a short time, they charged me an unacceptable percentage to handle the money. What money I got, I got in a timely manner. I just didn't get it all. It may be different with a "non-profit". Ill have to check. I am going to talk to the bank about direct deposit. I just remembered that I have a sister that builds websites. I wonder if there is an answer somewhere in there too.

We are now running an average of about 15 people in services. Of that number, 7 of them get either disability, social security or a pay check direct deposited into their bank account. Which means they have to make a trip to town and an atm (or bank) to draw out their offering in cash, or write a check. We have to drive about 90 miles round trip to make a deposit. But no one hardly buys checks anymore. Before I got here, they (the six members that were still here) solved the dilemma by splitting up the church bills among them selves, taking them home and paying them online out of their personal checking accounts. Nothing was hardly ever collected here at the church, deposited and then paid out. I need to change all of that. I don't know how. I fear that I'm more 1920 than 2020. I think maybe I can put some sort of button on the church Facebook page where they can click it and give an offering like that? We do get cash and checks here at the church building during services now, but it's a tiny percentage of what actually comes in. And were not having services for a while either, because of the virus. The old hands are still just paying the bills direct from home out of their tithe still in their personal checking accounts, because they can do it through technology. I don't need moralizing on the inappropriateness of the situation. I'm already aware of that. I need technical assistance on how to fix it. We live in a time of livestreaming services because of human frailties, I reckon this just might fall into that category.

We wont be doing anything tonight, but I am going to try to record some type of message for Sunday and (hopefully) be able to upload it to youtube and then send the link to everyone. I dont know what else to do.

We had the "50 or less" until yesterday.

We got a "stay home" order from the govenor just today here in Washington. If it were an attack on christianity directed at the church, that would be one thing, but its not. We'll obey the law. I dont know what we will do as an alternative, I might do a recorded Bible study and post it on youtube or something. I dont know.

I agree with this assessment 100%. There's no room on either side for dogmatic trouble making.

No, it doesnt. God's word tells us what Eve said that God said. The 2 are not the same. We have record all through scripture of things people are saying that God said, or did, that wasnt true.

I agree with your approach. Below is a copy-and-paste of the posting I just put on our church facebook page. "We are continuing to have our regular scheduled services during this trying time, as our numbers are well below the threshold recommended. However, we will be not be meeting after the service for our weekly church-wide Sunday dinner until further notice. All of life is a balance. And we get in trouble when we get out of balance in one direction or another. God is not a God of fear, and those who live a life of faith need to fear nothing. We believe that God will lead us through the storms that we must face, and around the storms he does not intend for us. However, this does not excuse heedless recklessness. We are commanded all the way back in Exodus, in the 10 commandments, to not tempt God. One of Satan's temptations of Christ in the New Testament was just that, to do something physically foolish and expect the Father to rescue him. Jesus' response was to quote that commandment "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God". So we, as Christians, must follow this path in life. We do not live a life dictated by fear, but nor do continue in arrogant, religious foolishness to stubbornly continue on a path that is unwise, and tempts the Lord our God. Be secure, be sane and love God."

We have decided to pause the weekly Sunday dinner for a while, but will continue services. At least while we can.

I too live in WA. My wife has been working part-time in the school as a teacher's aid, and that ends today for a while. There has been no evidence of the panic reported in other areas here in SE Washington, for which I am greatful. Our church is growing, but still very small. We had 18 in attendance yesterday. We will not be canceling services at this time, but will fully support and encourage those who are deciding to stay home for a time. We actually had a visitor, an elderly man in a wheelchair. I preached on not letting fear run your life, but balancing that with being wise and not tempting God.

At this point in time, no. We've made no changes.

Yeah, I used a 19th century solution to fix that problem when I came on as pastor in December. I removed the church computer from my office, shut down the cluttered, unused church website, and turned the email address over to the church secretary/treasurer to keep up with. We have no wi-fi at the church or my house, beyond the data on my mobile phone. Its certainly not the solution for everyone, but its works for this old cowboy.

What I dont understand is the treating of the issue as heresy. Yes, I believe that the post-trib rapture view is incorrect, but does every difference of opinion over doctrine have to be treated as actual heresy? When we do this, it weakens the charge against actual, serious heresy, like denying the divinity of Christ, the resurection or or the second coming. No one is denying anythig, just disagreeing on the timing of it all. Is wisdom not, in part, learning to pick our battles?

Had a pretty good service yesterday. Numbers were down a little, only had 13 present. But good freedom to preach. One of my regulars is a 70 year old cowboy who was raised a catholic. He's rougher than a cob, but really supports us, listens intently to every sermon and keeps coming back. Every single Sunday. We went out to his place to work some horses yesterday afternoon, and he told my son Will to flag a colt in the round pen while he and I went and visited in patio chairs against the barn. It turns out he had more questions that had been bugging him. Questions about the validity of cofessionals, rasaries and praying using written catholic prayers. He's seeing the difference between the simple grace and liberty of the gospel as I preach it, and the bondage he grew up with. He not a practicing catholic, hasnt been anything but a rough ol' sinner for many, many years. But until now, that was all he knew of God. Seeds dont spring up and bear fruit overnight. They need to be nutured, watered and waited patiently for until God gives the increase.