This post is the last in a series of essays examining how the #Four Foolish Rules we’ve considered over the last several weeks would apply to specific situations. You may want to go back and read this series, including the introduction, before you consider this post. The Scenario Vacation starts when this day is over. Well, not exactly vacation. Time (mostly) off in order to move from one residence to another. The better part of three weeks, filled with packing and sorting and lifting and giving away, and maybe a bit of stolen down time. This day has included multiple phone … [Read more...] about Working the Rules: Leaving for “Time Off”
Lee’s Blog
Working the Rules: The Beggar Who’s One of Us, Part 2
This post is part of a series of essays examining how the #Four Foolish Rules we’ve considered over the last several weeks would apply to specific situations. You may want to go back and read this series, including the introduction, and especially Part 1 of this essay, before you read on. Continuing where we left off last week in applying the #FourFoolishRules to the Scenario that began in last week's post, we'll consider Rules #3 and 4 with this post. Rule #3: Good Boundaries. Remember that there are two aspects to the boundaries question. We'll take them in turn. First, we ask … [Read more...] about Working the Rules: The Beggar Who’s One of Us, Part 2
Working the Rules: The Beggar Who’s One of Us
This post is the second in a series of essays examining how the #Four Foolish Rules we’ve considered over the last several weeks would apply to specific situations. You may want to go back and read this series, including the introduction, before you consider this post. The Scenario Pat has been coming to your church for several months. He attends worship most weeks, and often joins in the fellowship and adult learning time that follows. He doesn't share a lot about himself, but you've heard him mention that he has a rough past. From context you can guess that includes things like … [Read more...] about Working the Rules: The Beggar Who’s One of Us
Working the Rules: When Someone Wanders In
This post is the first in a series of essays examining how the #Four Foolish Rules we've considered over the last several weeks would apply to specific situations. You may want to go back and read this series, including the introduction, before you consider this post. The Scenario A group of women had just gathered for their weekly Bible study. It was a weeknight, just past the supper hour, in that time of the year when evenings are dark and the air is frigid. These friends had been spending time together for awhile, most of them, in various roles in their church. They were meeting in … [Read more...] about Working the Rules: When Someone Wanders In
A Year of Foolish Posts
We're taking a break from our regularly scheduled program to mark the milestone that happened in the middle of our #FourFoolishRules series: I've posted on this blog every week for a year! I chose just that little sparkler to mark this accomplishment, rather than big fireworks or even a bonfire. Still, I am celebrating the work and your responses and the foolishness all this represents. I really started this blog clear back in April of 2015--five years ago! For a long time it was roughly connected to the ideas that grew into Foolish Church. When I started writing that book in earnest, … [Read more...] about A Year of Foolish Posts
Rule #4: Clean Up Our Messes
True or false: "Conflict is a good thing in marriage." It's a question I almost always discuss with a couple before I'll perform their wedding. How would you answer it? How we answer a question like this says something important about whether we'll avoid conflict or address it. You could ask the same question about your workplace, or your church. True or false: "Conflict is a good thing." What's your answer? How we answer this question will prove to have a profound impact on how we manage the Life Together that has been the focus of all these weeks of our #FourFoolishRules series. … [Read more...] about Rule #4: Clean Up Our Messes