Stanley & Monica Groothof

Thank you, Chelsea, for this insightful post.  I, too, want to see ongoing transformation in my life because that's what the Holy Spirit does and in order to encourage the congregation...  Yet I don't want it to be too obvious!  What if I let them (and myself!) down?  What if it's perceived as showing off?  And what about those areas I'd prefer not to see transformed because I'm comfortable with the status quo?  May God bless us as we appropriately display and share how He's at work in us!  ~Stan

Thank you, Mark, for making Rod's article (which I read in CC) even more readily available. It's an "exceptional" piece! ~ Stan

I often feel that labels do more harm than good: They are limiting, create stereotypes, and cannot account for nuances or differences that individuals may have from the label that has been put on them. The only label I'm comfortable trying to apply to myself is "biblical." ~Stan

You mow the lawn. I vacuum. I'll try to remember your words the next time I start vacuuming because of my job and not because the floor needs it. ~Stanley

Hi Melissa,



I, too, push back against the notion of elders being more important than deacons (or vice versa, though that doesn't usually happen). According to CRC Church Order, "no officebearer shall lord it over another officebearer" (Art. 85). I also think of how deacons were needed in the early church BEFORE elders (Ac 6)!



Rebecca's comment above is apt and something for which to strive – being "intentional about identifying our gifts and then making a connection between giftedness and where we serve" when it comes to lots of things, including deacon nominations.



Thanks for the reflections!

Stan

No contest: Psalm 42.

~Stan

That's an interesting observation, Mavis.  I myself haven't used the expression "Facebook friend" probably because I know all my "friends" irl, whether they're bio family, church family, colleagues, acquaintances, "real friends," etc.  So perhaps Facebook isn't redefining friendship so much as it is creating a new type of friendship that didn't exist prior to social media. ...Although pen pals do come to mind as something similar. ~Stanley

I think the Network is a good idea, too. I've read and saved a fair bit of helpful material from the insightful and gifted people who populate this corner of the internet. I am thankful for Michael and his time and talents!



For me, the "something missing" is how the Network doesn't integrate into my existing communication and social media tools. I almost wish it were something like "crcnetwork.facebook [or twitter or whatever].com" – a unique area in something I'm already using. The Network would not regularly be on my radar without the reminder emails or the "headlines" in the CRC weekly newsletter, which feel more old-school than I think the Network is trying to be.



I look forward to seeing how the Network continues to develop and bless our church(es)!

Stan

Thank you for these poignant and encouraging reflections! ~Stan

Too often I think I can go it alone in many aspects of life, including my specifically church-related work.  And I think that to my own detriment, as I suspect many others do, too!  Thanks for these inspiring reflections.  ~Stan 

Changing the pronouns to the plural makes "Come, Celebrate the Call of God" appropriate for the ordination and installation of deacons and elders, too, I think. But I must admit that I do not understand the last four lines of the last verse...  What does the "flag of faith" defeat above? The "powers of death" from two lines up? And is it the "deepest gladness" of the one being ordained that "meets the hunger of the world?" Meets as in encounters or as in fills? I'm a little confused. =/



Thanks in advance for clarifying. ...And thank you, Joy, for this insightful and helpful article!

Stan

This is great! Now I'm more eager to recommend we use this hymn when we ordain our new deacons and elders in a couple weeks. The allusion to Frederick Buechner is cool now that you've explained it to me, but I imagine it would leave a lot of people unfamiliar with his writing scratching their heads. Thank you, Joy, for your reply!

=) Stan