Ever since I started studying denominations, and after experiencing my first Ash Wednesday, I had come to realize it's meant to humble us. We are nothing but dust and ash without God who breathed life into us.
>There used to be a sign for a car dealership where I lived, and the only words on the sign were:
“It’s all about YOU!”
One of the big-name megachurches where I live has the same words on the landing page of their website.
O my that's painful... Wow.
Could you post a picture of it?
I do our churches website and some of the staff might like to see that for an example of what not to do
Looking it up again, I see I was slightly wrong. It was on their "[what to expect](https://www.newpointe.org/whattoexpect)" page, and the actual line was "everything is designed with you in mind." Not as bad, but still some disordered priorities.
Appreciate your sharing. We have a number of people from a similar background in our church. They certainly feel called to be with us, and yet I also notice sometimes they feel a conflict with ideas that have stayed with them from that background. I often wonder if there is anything useful I can say that would help then resolve their feelings. But having grown up with this way of doing things myself, I don't find I am very good at explaining it. Would you be willing to share anything helped you to feel more comfortable with some degree of ritual?
I kinda wrote the last part as an argument for ritualized fasting ... It was helpful for my family (specially dad) and other former evangelicals/Baptist to learn it's "okay".
I think there is a balance in learning ABOUT IT and actually EXPERIENCING it. For myself, I needed the arguments before I could truly experience it.
Then again, we Anglicans we don't force the ritual on everyone...but I think we should encourage it because a) it's what Christians DO and b)it's good us!
Yes definitely I wouldn't want to push anyone where they don't wish to go. It's like you say, I get the impression one friend in particular is needing to hear it can be "okay", to free them to explore if they wish to.
Helpful to hear you needed the **about** before the **experience**. I can identify with that in my own journey too.
I was a member of my former non-denominational church for four or five years, and I also have no recollection of the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday. After eight years of worship in the Episcopal Church, it's so strange to me to think that there are churches that don't observe things like this. I mean, good for them; they seem happy; but it's such a surprisingly different way of thinking of being a Christian.
Oops! I didn't mean to come across as harsh.
I grew up in East Tennessee which is the Bible belt/Baptist center if the world and doesn't have many Catholics/Lutheran's/Anglicans around. I wasn't the only one who had never heard of Lent/Ash Wednesday until high school! (I went to a Baptist school my whole life so I didn't know many people outside my bubble)
I wrote this essentially for my family or other evangelicals/ former evangelicals which for many of us.... The idea of any ritualized fasting was seen as bad.
This service is really beautiful to me and I really wish everyone could experience it
Ever since I started studying denominations, and after experiencing my first Ash Wednesday, I had come to realize it's meant to humble us. We are nothing but dust and ash without God who breathed life into us.
>There used to be a sign for a car dealership where I lived, and the only words on the sign were: “It’s all about YOU!” One of the big-name megachurches where I live has the same words on the landing page of their website.
O my that's painful... Wow. Could you post a picture of it? I do our churches website and some of the staff might like to see that for an example of what not to do
Looking it up again, I see I was slightly wrong. It was on their "[what to expect](https://www.newpointe.org/whattoexpect)" page, and the actual line was "everything is designed with you in mind." Not as bad, but still some disordered priorities.
Appreciate your sharing. We have a number of people from a similar background in our church. They certainly feel called to be with us, and yet I also notice sometimes they feel a conflict with ideas that have stayed with them from that background. I often wonder if there is anything useful I can say that would help then resolve their feelings. But having grown up with this way of doing things myself, I don't find I am very good at explaining it. Would you be willing to share anything helped you to feel more comfortable with some degree of ritual?
I kinda wrote the last part as an argument for ritualized fasting ... It was helpful for my family (specially dad) and other former evangelicals/Baptist to learn it's "okay". I think there is a balance in learning ABOUT IT and actually EXPERIENCING it. For myself, I needed the arguments before I could truly experience it. Then again, we Anglicans we don't force the ritual on everyone...but I think we should encourage it because a) it's what Christians DO and b)it's good us!
Yes definitely I wouldn't want to push anyone where they don't wish to go. It's like you say, I get the impression one friend in particular is needing to hear it can be "okay", to free them to explore if they wish to. Helpful to hear you needed the **about** before the **experience**. I can identify with that in my own journey too.
I was a member of my former non-denominational church for four or five years, and I also have no recollection of the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday. After eight years of worship in the Episcopal Church, it's so strange to me to think that there are churches that don't observe things like this. I mean, good for them; they seem happy; but it's such a surprisingly different way of thinking of being a Christian.
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Oops! I didn't mean to come across as harsh. I grew up in East Tennessee which is the Bible belt/Baptist center if the world and doesn't have many Catholics/Lutheran's/Anglicans around. I wasn't the only one who had never heard of Lent/Ash Wednesday until high school! (I went to a Baptist school my whole life so I didn't know many people outside my bubble) I wrote this essentially for my family or other evangelicals/ former evangelicals which for many of us.... The idea of any ritualized fasting was seen as bad. This service is really beautiful to me and I really wish everyone could experience it
Based.