Slamming the church is easy. By ‘church’ mean gatherings around a talk and songs. By church, should be talking; Intentional community for wider-community service. But on happy-clappy to bells and smells events. This shebang. Onto this.

Because, a growing need, is to sing some-thing. Need = what’s needed; To be, and battle, better. Make good. Full-fill out some. Words and power. Sounds and vision. Speaking and declaration.

Neither by an army nor strength, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

Click to an online chorus fest around a trendy talker. What d’y’get – ok, I get?

Wishy-washy, wobbly… Ay the crits ‘n gripes tumble out. Let’s have a go: There’s mad through to bad. Mild mannered and inconsequential. Decency and decorum, in polite quiet rows. Impassioned up and reckon boldly go at ya. Well meaning and whipping the frenzy. Bizarre looking or dull awkward. Stadiums and waving young uns. Men in dresses, stared at. On ‘n on...

What really does me in, regarding the talk-bit, is where-oh-where conviction? Not legalistic bemoaning but sense of God kind? There are exceptions – just – but understand the masses and misses. At least for me – a good sermon-izer, is hard to find. Won’t reveal here/now, where listen and what-for/why but struggle for ‘green pastures’.

And there, cometh ‘feeding’ talk. Is this what I need? Oh, and there’s a lot of putting the church to rights out there. That lot, can particularly bug. Then there’s the on-our-own lot, only-us lot. More groans.

(Not 'awake' is a salt-lacking impetuous. Early Church had Empire and therefore... We've got hidden-Empire and therefore...)

Nothing much more does me in, than our all our hope, for all nations, looking tired. Most disconcerting. Disturbing like nothing else. Yet – what does God think about?

Thought for this early splutter (which is way too long):

God isn’t all about the above crits. Too grace-ious. So all see penetrating, views the mostly cultural out-workings, as helpful or hindrance to mission and love but as far as – dives in. Gets on with. Not so all in -or- out? More here and there, one on one.

This God. Could have nout to do with this church or world, for all our failings’ reasons -or- moves in some muddy waters, where genuine hearts seek? There is a self-deception that puts us far from but… if we’re open at all and not sham-ing it up, regardless of the dross and stupidity, God still mingles and mixes up with.

God works, in what we’d describe; Paradoxically. We most easily miss discernment by being too sentimental and gullible one way or boundaried and think so-smart, the other.

Back to 'Bethel'.

Granted, little might be more irksome and off-putting than the beards and bobble-hat types lookin’ oh-so easy does-it, contorting in gestures of love to the invisible one. All the while, Coldplay-like drums ways.

Get the run-away. But medicine and make-good, and build me up is necc. Persist till matters and sing up.

//Done this morning. Preaching to me: IF, you/we/someone, dig about and find the best-can take chorus – spit through it with God’s help, can suffice.

Repeat: Beggars can’t be… And what we need is what we need. There’s deep prophetic history to this ish and dynamics unseen, can’t type on about. But there’s listening and participating. Whatever mode of music gets us onto best/must. Bit like, way to be fed by a sermon, is to preach one ourselves. Go into all the world and...

March and sing.

To ourselves. To God. And angels good.

The rest:

Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.