Holy Rollin' in Fond Du Lac! Hallelujah!

Today was a bit of a drag in regards to my wife being pregnant, throwing up anf having the usual nausea associated with being married to an Oberg Boy. Typical of this common phenomena occurring in the morning we missed our Church service in Appleton at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. Failing to drag myself out of bed since my wife was not getting out of bed I also failed to get up in time to go to our local parish here in Fond Du Lac, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. My family stayed homeand had some fun, like throwing up and being sore from injuries.

I wanted to go somewhere for church today. Regardless of where I really did not care. I jumped on the net to see if anything was going to be available for a Sunday night service. I checked the local Roman Catholic services and the only thing happening was a prayer meeting group. I searched for some of the local Episcopalian groups, all one of them and saw nothing on the agenda list except another prayer meeting. Its nice to know people are praying at least! I checked some of the Lutheran places. Nothing except for places I have no clue where they are and I am not gong for a drive in ice and snow in areas I have yet to traverse. I was depserate.

Then it occurred to me: why not go back to my roots for one night and try to see if I can get anything from it as far as a message or something anything -Milk! -Toast! -I didn't care. I just wanted to sit in a pew or seat somewhere today. So I looked up what was nearby that I knew I could drive to without fear and I arrived at Cornerstone Worship Center. My daughter Rivkah went with me because she loves the Sanctuary, as she has told me everytime she enters our parish sanctuary.

As I entered Cornerstone Worship Center I was greeted very respectfuly and its was pretty cool. The people were friendly and I even recognized some of them from around the town. Some thought i was a regular, probably due to my belly and the fact that most men in Wisconsin have a belly. I was given a folder with several flyers on what this church practices, how they worship, what they believe. This is a common but honorable practice I can understand. An usher showed Rivkah and I to a nice seat near the back of the room and we sat down. Pews. I have gotten used to pews since I left the Evangalical Churches of California. RIvkah began to look around and ask me questions about where the icons were- I laughed and told her that people here do not believe in the use of icons. She asked why and I told her simply that some people just do not. She then told me that she wanted to see some icons and thats just silly not to have them in her playful high pitched talk she does when she is playing.

Now this struck me: my daughter recognizes that her family's belief has icons in their traditions and uses them in devotion. When I was growing up I would have never thought about this and then I realized that my faith has rubbed off on her and the rest of my family. I always knew this was the case of things but the realization was acknowledged deeply on me this evening. I was proud, then humbled at the responsibility the Lord has bestowed on me as the overseer of His family He has given me to raise.

The the music kicked in. I tell you if I was still in the Pentecostal congregations I wold have been awestruck at the powerdul emotional state in which this place was exploding. And oddly it was not utter chaos, but orderly. This place, for all its differences I have with it spiritually is more than a staple of the Pentecostal practice of today, but it shold be an epicenter for the northern states to flock to. I was impressed. Rivkah asked where their Priest was and I told her they have people here who they call Brothers but are normally known as Ministers or Reverends, not Priests. She asked more questions I tried to explain as best as i could and she jkust kept smiling and dancing.

Eventually the music died down to the more emotional part of worship, the slow mellow songs meant to make you more "spiritual" and "tender". I am not knocking this but it is typical of every service I have attended in the past in Evangelical churches. This would even occur at the Messainic Synagogues I attended; slow meditative songs to move the mood to a more personal, spiritual place of emotion. Rivkah and I just stood there, noting the hands lifting up and the people swaying back and forth. Eventually a slow rumble of tongues began to roll in the area and then an altar call for healing was called forth to the congregation. People went up, people collapsed as hands were placed on foreheads and then the song which was still being played began to grow more intense on the people and everyone began to peak louder in their spiritual language. Excitement ensued. By this time Rivkah and I headed out the door, not because I wanted to leave or Rivkah was feeling uncomfortable but because I was on a time limit and the service was nowhere near ending. I wanted to stay for the sermon but that wasnt going to happen for probably another 45 minutes.

Because of where I am at now and because of where I have come from I am surprisingly not conflicted with attending this place tonight. If I did not come from the Foursquare background I would probably not be where I am today. There is a sensation of being able to sit down and watch what I used to practice, not in diusgust but in the light of knowing where I am today is where God has brought me to experience.

I could criticize, and trust me there is criticism abounding, but why should there be? The onluy comment I would say that would be considered criticism is that if you take away the sensation of emotionalism that is created by the music and the accrutrements surrounding the Pentecostal worship service, would there still be pews filled with people there for the service? We need to look past the message of the worship service and the band, the director of music and the keyboardist, bass player and the cute male drummer the girls oogle over and come down to the one focus, Jesus Christ. If you cannot give them the gospel without emotionalism filing in the gap of the Holy Spirit, what is the purpose of the Church itself? Sometime in the future these place need to grow to the poiitn where the Holy Spirit can enter into the house and be able to work in people's lives, maturing them to the place where He will not need to give you emotional experiences, but Himself. The Holy Spirit fall upon on us as the morning dew, soft, emotionless and yet overpowering. To fall on your face in the presence of the Uncreated Glory of God is the first true time I have ever been able to say I was filled with the Holy Spirit; and this was not in some worship service singing songs and getting a strong spiritual dose of emotionalism.

But yes, for an "Apostolic Pentecostal Evangelical Church" this place is incredible!