As I was responding to an email this morning, I looked at the URL in my signature that points to this blog and thought it was time to review it and freshen it up. That was when I noticed that it had been over a year since the last time I posted. Wow.
I took that time to reflect on what life has been like since then. I realized that life is busier than ever and has a lot of "moving parts".
Jeremy and Jennifer were married and Eva and I helped them launch into married life.
Elizabeth completed her Associate's degree and transferred to Corban University in Salem Oregon. We took some time to help her get launched.
Eva had surgeries on her thyroid and shoulder, each of which required time for recovery and recuperation.
I've had a busy and challenging year at the college. Every week since Oct 1 2014 I've spent nearly every day in sermon preparation. Each Sunday since then I've delivered those sermons (a total of 64 consecutive weeks and counting).
This isn't intended to sound as a boast, but if it is taken that way please view it as a boast in Christ. The Lord has perfectly protected and provided for all of our needs during this time. It is by His grace alone that all of the "moving parts" of life have been held together and kept in motion. Every morning I'm painfully aware that if He were to lift His hand off this deal, then the parts would go flying in all directions.
As I look forward to 2016, it seems like it will be more challenging than 2015. A new start time for our Sunday Bible study (10:30am from the previous 11am), a 3-part seminar on Bible prophecy in January, projects around the house that were postponed in 2015 that will need to be done in 2016, relationships with extended family and friends that have been neglected need to be given attention... and the list goes on.
I want to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ that if He has called you to a work, He will also equip you, and sustain you. It is in those situations where His presence is undeniable.
I've been dreading this day all week... last night I couldn't sleep... tossing, turning... at one point I woke up in a cold sweat. But there was no avoiding it, the day was now here. This day comes in an awkward time of the year where the natives cry out in discomfort at the daytime heat, only to shift to shivers of cold at night. I will be relieved when it is over.
So I get out of bed and grab a cup of coffee. It's going to be quite a journey so I have a 2nd cup. I don't know when the next time I'll be able to eat, so I make myself a sandwich... turkey, ham, swiss... I'm going to need all the protein I can get.
I gather my supplies. Like a climbing expedition up Mt. Everest, I plan things out and have everything ready. Once I go up, I'm committed. To have to come back down would be an admission of defeat, and an acknowledgment of poor planning.
Gloves, kneepads, toolkit, replacement pads, spraypaint, shop vac, extension cord, bearing oil, another sandwich, and a travel mug of coffee. I carry all of these things up the ladder and place them at the edge of the roofline... this is "base camp".
Like a mountain climber tossing a rope, I plug the extension cord into the outside socket and fling the coil of the extension cord onto the roof. It lands with a reassuring thud. I now make my final ascent up the ladder and onto the roof.
I've got work gloves and knee pads on. This task is too challenging to fake "manning up" and going without protective gear. I'm at a stage in life where the practical trumps the appearance.
I open my toolkit on top of the cooler, and like a mechanic working on a snowmobile in the middle of the tundra, I begin to expose the cooler's insides. The pads on this cooler are not those straw/seaweed variety... no, these are the monstrous corrugated paper ones. The new pads including the box they came in weigh no more than 5 lbs. The old ones I'm replacing, approximately 50 lbs. Talk about mineral build up!
So I begin scraping the water pan... minerals are flaking off. I then take the shop vac and begin cleaning out the pan. fine dust starts billowing out of the exhaust and into the air. It was like a blinding snowstorm. I cover my face... I forgot to bring a mask, but I will not admit defeat.
The pan is clean. I top up the bearing reservoirs with oil. I remove the metal trap that closes the opening for winter. I install the new pads.
Now comes time to deal with the float valve. This value shuts off the water when it reaches a certain level. If the float is too high, then the water overflows and runs down the roof. If the float is too low, then the pump will not get enough water and the cooler won't cool and the pump can burn out.
So with the same careful measuring eye that Indiana Jones had in weighing the pouch of sand to match the weight of the idol, I adjust the float. I reassemble the rest of the cooler.
Unlike expeditions up Mt. Everest, I can't leave the things that I brought up. I toss the old cooler pads off the side of the house... they land with a loud crash and shards of mineral encrusted paper fly everywhere. The impact is so forceful, flakes of these shards get embedded into the neighbor's wooden fence. It is then that I hope that Eva didn't think that I fell off the roof. Note to self: Let Eva know when I'm tossing things down off the roof.
I bring everything else back to the edge of the roof... hoping to say goodbye until the autumn when I'll need to return to shut things down. I double-check to make sure I have everything. (One year I had forgotten an adjustable wrench up there and spent the whole summer looking for it) A sentimental tear wells up as I bid farewell to the cooler. I download the equipment and tools.
We're in the final stretch now. I turn on the little brass valve on the outside spigot that is the water supply for the cooler. No leaks! I climb up the ladder and I can hear the faint but distinct spraying and gurgling of water as the pan fills. I'll come back in 20 minutes to check the water. The level is just about right. I gently bend the float arm to allow just another 1/4" more water and wait for the valve to shut off.
In the house, I plug in the power to the cooler and turn on the controls... HIGH / COOL. I can hear the pump engage and 30 seconds later, the cooler's motor kicks in. The temporary but distinct odor of the new pads may be annoying to the rest of the inhabitants, but it is a reassuring one for me. The air is coming through the pads. (For some reason my mind considered the possibility of something going wrong and the air coming from somewhere else)
Is the air coming through the vents cool because the cooler is working or because the ambient temperature outside is cool? Will I need to return to the roof and verify firsthand that the pads are wet and cooling? I decide to write in my adventure journal instead and wait for the heat of the day to confirm that the cooler is working.
For the ladies, this is a little insight into what us guys go through to get the house ready for the summer heat. For the guys, a little commiserating, brothers-in-coolers as it were.
NB: This was actually one of the smoothest cooler activations I've experienced... generally, this task requires at least 1 and often 2 trips to Ace or Home Depot.
It's a simple phrase. But it can have opposite meanings depending upon which word is emphasized. "My will is GOD'S will" implies that the speaker desires for their will to be aligned with God's. That their desires, intentions, thoughts, words, and actions are submissive to and supportive and consistent with the Lord's sovereignty.
"My will IS God's will" implies a strong equivalency in a synonymous sort of way that what the speaker is thinking is by default what God's purposes are. They will rarely ever directly say that. That's too over-the-top arrogant, but they use softer wording that is acceptable in the Christian culture. They'll often refer to Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." as a proof-text for that belief. Obviously there is more to that verse than that.
Their emotions are the key tool they use to discern God's will. "I have a peace about it" is a phrase often used to "prove" that it is the Lord's will in a particular situation. So basically, they think of something, have a peace about it, and then go for it.
It's a self-rationalizing approach to making decisions. It is also extremely dangerous to one's walk with the Lord and growth as a disciple. If a believer has decided that what they are planning to do is God's will for them simply because they have a peace about it, then the outcome is never questioned. There is no self-examination as to whether or not it truly was God's will (versus that person's desire).
One of the roles that the Holy Spirit has is a ministry of convicting. To compare the believer's thoughts, words, and actions against Christ's righteousness and the Word of God. When there is a disconnect, believers should experience righteous conviction or "good guilt". But sin, primarily pride, can prevent us from hearing this conviction from the Spirit. God is loving and He is patient. So when we don't respond to the Holy Spirit's convicting voice, He will bring people and circumstances into our lives to "get our attention".
God uses people as an agent of conviction. For David, it took Nathan speaking to David in a parable to break through David's heart for him to be confronted with his sin. God uses circumstances as a way of getting our attention as well. For the prophet Jonah, it took being thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish for Jonah to come to a full acknowledgement of his rebellion and to repent.
I've referred to Jonah's experience with the great fish as a "storm of correction". Jonah was in rebellion against the Lord and in turn the Lord used the storm and the great fish to get Jonah's attention.
When we have a self-rationalizing approach to seeking God's will we mistake the storm of correction in our lives as merely a storm of direction. We lose the opportunity to learn and grow from that correction and perpetuate a "when life serves us lemons, make lemonade". Had Jonah done that, he wouldn't have repented of his rebellion but instead made plans to redecorate his fish-belly condo.
If we don't examine ourselves and identify a storm of correction, then we simply "go with the flow" and embrace everything as being terrific and wonderful. On the surface it may sound super-spiritual, but it is simply stupid.
When the Lord brings people or circumstances into our lives to provide a corrective note, we should listen. It often means that the hardness of our hearts had prevented us from receiving the Holy Spirit's conviction. It is far better to receive and repent because of a whisper than because of a divine 2-by-4 upside the head.
So how can we re-calibrate our minds to be sensitive to the Spirit's stirring?
- Be totally honest with ourselves and with God. He already knows everything so why try to hide the faintest seed of unrighteous thought? Acknowledge it, confess it, and repent from it. We might make a decision partly for selfish or prideful reasons, no matter how small a role that thought played in the decision, confess it and repent from it.
- Listen to those around you. When a dissenting opinion is voiced, listen. Does that opinion line up with Scripture? What is the motivation for the person holding that opinion? Sometimes a dissenting voice inadvertently exposes a sinful motivation at the heart of a decision. Sometimes that opinion is not applicable. But that conclusion should only be derived after prayerful and brutally honest self-examination.
- Ask yourself, "When was the last time I asked the Lord for something and His answer was 'no'?". Often times people who "have a peace about things" will find it extremely difficult to remember such a situation.
- Review the outcome. We seek, we decide, we act. What were the results? Was the Lord truly glorified and people blessed? Were there things that could've been done better? What things were done correctly? We need to extend to ourselves and to others, "grace to grow". We need to acknowledge that not every endeavor we undertake will be perfectly executed. We'll fall short in one way or another. When we acknowledge this truth and extend grace, then we are more comfortable in acknowledging shortcomings. And with that acknowledgement comes learning and growing.
Our greatest opportunity for growth as a disciple of Jesus is when we genuinely humble ourselves before Him, fervently seek His will, be faithful to do our best, and then listen and receive commendation and correction from Him.
Many people have made many comments regarding the dust-up involving comments by Phil Robertson of Ducky Dynasty fame in an interview with a reporter from GQ magazine. Many of the comments, in my opinion, have correctly framed the issue.
What I haven't seen, is anyone addressing the larger issue: How was Phil Robertson chosen as a cultural spokesman for Christianity and what, if any, is our obligation to defend him?
A&E is a company that is friendly with (if not sympathetic toward) the agenda to "normalize" homosexuality. They were well aware of the Robertson's religious beliefs when they signed them on for the show "Duck Dynasty". Some might say they did so in SPITE of their beliefs, but I think that maybe they signed them on in some part BECAUSE of their beliefs. Not because they wanted to reach out to Christian viewers, because there isn't much that A&E can do to increase Christian viewership without backing away from their embracing of the homosexual lifestyle.
I think that the Robertsons' religious views were a selling point for A&E because it reinforced the stereotype those who oppose Christianity want to perpetuate: backwater, uneducated, unsophisticated, anti-science, hicks who lack the intelligence to understand and communicate the nuances of a situation. How many of the items on that list are applicable to the Robertsons is open to debate, but on the surface they certainly seem to embody that stereotype perfectly.
So many Christians are so starved for representation of their Christian worldview in popular culture that anyone who professes to be a Christian is embraced and defended. I've seen it with President Bush, Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Tim Tebow, the Duggars, and the Robertsons, just to name a few. Those people aren't held accountable to the standards set by Scriptures but are defended and "given a pass" because, in the words of the special people of Tod Browning's film "Freaks", "gooble gobble, gooble gobble, one of us! one of us!"
The problem is this: the world is against the cause of Christ. Popular culture does NOT have Christianity's best interests at heart. On the contrary, they will ignore and overlook those acts by Christians that accurately reflect the commands of Scripture and focus on those who claim to be Christians that DON'T abide by God's Word and then point to those people and say, "See! This is why we don't embrace Christianity!" (Which is a complete lie, it is because of their rebellion against Almighty God that is at the root)
So when a Phil Robertson quotes the Bible, even in context, but shares the truth crudely and unkindly, that is bad enough. But to then make comments regarding African-Americans:
“I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I’m with the blacks, because we’re white trash. We’re going across the field.... They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues.”
What was the purpose of this comment? Was he attempting to refute claims of historical discrimination? I have searched for any additional quotations that would put this extended quote in a more reasonable context. I could not find any. As it stands, that quote demonstrates a lack of understanding of the plight of those who Phil Robertson did NOT have interaction with. This implies a "well if I didn't see it then it didn't happen" mindset... which, ironically would undermine his Christian faith because he didn't see Jesus die on the cross.
There are calls by Christians to "Stand with Phil". What exactly do they want me to stand with him on? The quotation from the Bible? His graphic description of sinful acts that shouldn't even be named among us believers? (Eph 5:3) His comments on historical discrimination?
I didn't choose Phil Robertson to be a spokesman for the Christian worldview. A culture antagonist to the cause of Christ did. I'm not going to be manipulated into endorsing things that would harm the cause of Christ. There is indeed spiritual warfare at work here. But I do not believe that it is what many believe it is (namely a frontal assault on Biblical truth), but a more devious manipulation to control the definition of Christianity... by choosing spokesmen for us. Speak for yourself and I'll speak for me. How 'bout that?!
In the past 6 months I found myself in two incidents where I had to take a stand on the issue of plagiarism. (for the sake of clarity, it was NOT any members of the pastors/elder team that I was a member of) The offenses were blatant and the offender (reluctantly) admitted to the acts and his intent to plagiarize. I was saddened and disturbed not only by the acts committed but by the lack of weight of concern of those who knew about it.
In my years of secular university and Bible college, the severity of plagiarism was regularly discussed. Plagiarism was grounds for dismissal and could disqualify a person from vocational ministry.
"plagiarism...subverts God's work in and through you... If you use the work of others, you are not a teacher, and you should quit your job and go do anything but speak."
- Mark Driscoll
An act of plagiarism commits at least two sins simultaneously. The first is stealing. Taking another's (intellectual) property without their permission. The second is lying. There is the assumption that the words that a person is speaking are their own unless they say otherwise. When the plagiarist uses someone else's words without informing the listener, They (the offender) are telling them (the listener) that those are original words.
It's possible that the more a person reads and studies, the more they are influenced by what they read. There are occasions when someone truly doesn't know whether the thought they had was actually something they learned in the past (a limitation of their memory) or something completely original. This situation is usually pretty easy to identify by the context and chronology of events. We can certainly extend grace in these cases. Point out the issue to the person with the intent to help them be more diligent in the future.
Repeated and deliberate plagiarism is an entirely different matter. It is premeditated and is rooted in laziness, self-promotion (pride), or being unqualified... sometimes all three.
"Taking over another sermon and preaching it as if it were yours is always and unequivocally wrong, and if you do it you should resign or be fired immediately."
- D. A. Carson
"re-telling personal experiences as if they were yours when they were not makes the offense all the uglier." - D. A. Carson
Plagiarism has no place among believers and certainly not with those who have been called to teach God's Word. A pastor, elder, or ministry leader who commits adultery is taken out of ministry because of their "moral failure" and yet plagiarism is not seen as a similarly disqualifying moral failure.
God's Word calls Satan the "father of lies" (John 8:44). The Lord hates a lying tongue and it is an abomination to Him (Proverbs 6:17). Scripture is clear, whenever someone lies they are engaging in satanic activity. How can someone who regularly engages in satanic activity be a faithful shepherd of a flock?
In these last days, I've seen how easy it is for once-faithful teachers and servants to drift away. None of us are immune. The drift is subtle, almost imperceptible, and it grows over time. We need to stand firm and not budge. When we stand firm we may be accused of being hypersensitive and blowing things out of proportion. But if we don't stand firmly on what God's Word is clear on (like lying being an abomination) then we too run the very real risk of drifting away. I've seen it time, and time, and time yet again.
God is faithful. And those who diligently seek Him and stay close to Him will be guarded against that drift. That is my prayer for all who are called to be His servants.
D. A. Carson quotes taken from "Pulpit Plagiarism: Where do You Draw the Line"
Mark Driscoll quote taken from Chris Rosebrough's Facebook timeline
The following is what happens when you take a person who appreciates mid-century atomic age styling and decor, add an aging iPad1, and a desire to create something interesting and unique. Presenting...
...a Vintage TV Remix.
The internals have been gutted out and replaced with a 32GB iPad 1. The iPad is fully functional but is currently playing a looped video playlist consisting of vintage TV shows and commercials.
STEP 1. FIND A VINTAGE TV. The first step of the project was to locate a vintage TV. I was initially looking for a typical rectangular shell with plastic woodgrain pattern. Eva and I scoured every thrift store and antique shop in a 20 mile radius and even went hunting through the antique shops in Scottsdale. Plenty of vintage radios, calculators, phones, and typewriters, but not a single vintage (pre-1980's) TV. Not one.
I had to resort to my go-to place to find anything and everything from my childhood... eBay. There were plenty of TVs there. Many were the correct size. But some of the prices were far too great for what I was going to use it for. I tried desperately to find one that was non-functional. I stumbled across one that was the right size, generally in the right price-range, and whose functioning status was in question. Here's what I picked up.This TV started life out as a 1975 Philco B&W portable TV model B370FBL. It featured a 9" diagonal picture, and all of the manual controls that were standard for TV sets in the 70's. It had a curvy egg-shaped shell that seemed more suitable for the 1960's or maybe late 50's. It had very Jetson's-like qualities.
STEP 2. EXPOSE THE GUTS. Once the TV arrived, the next step was to remove the inner circuitry and contents. Careful examination of the shell revealed the screws that held the shell to the chassis. With the screws removed the entire chassis and front faceplate/bezel were easily separated from the shell. I didn't have a detailed plan at the beginning of this project. Without a plan, I was uncertain as to which parts of the TV I'd need to preserve and which would be discarded. So I examined the construction of the chassis and components to determine the best way to dismantle the pieces with minimal destruction to the individual components.
STEP 3. DISMANTLE. With great patience and care I disassembled the components. At this point in time, I knew enough of my non-existent plan to know that I wanted to preserve every dial, knob, and anything else that would be visible on the exterior. That included the power cord. The chassis was surprisingly modular and so I was able to isolate and preserve the back frame of the chassis as a support for the rear adjustment knobs. All pieces were gently cleaned to remove decades worth of grime and dust.STEP 4. "STUFF" HAPPENS. Once the housing was separated from the rest of the chassis and components I was able to match the iPad up with the opening. It was a perfect fit... IF the iPad were to be centered in the opening. But because the housing was curved and the opening in the bezel was offset, it turned out that the iPad was too large to fit completely inside the TV housing. Had this been a more traditional rectangular case, the iPad would've fit completely and perfectly within. But this egg-type Jetsons TV offered less room. This meant that I'd have to cut an opening in the housing. Since the opening in the bezel for the screen was vertically centered that meant that a top or bottom cut would not allow the iPad to be centered in the bezel opening. The only option was a slot on the side.
So I installed the bezel into the opening of the housing and used a pencil to mark where the bezel ended. I ran a pencil line around the left half of the housing and used my dremel tool to carefully cut the first edge of the slot. I rechecked my measurement of the thickness of the iPad and then made a cut in the housing for the other edge... allowing enough additional space for the iPad to slide in without rubbing.
Once the slot was cut and edges sanded, I temporarily lined the slot with black electrical tape to give it a cleaner appearance and to avoid having any edges scratch the iPad. I will eventually use some kind of tubing to permanently finish it off.
There was a helpful side effect to this design hiccup. By having a slot to insert the iPad, the power button, volume rocker, and headphone jack are all exposed. That means that I can turn on the iPad, adjust the volume and even use headphones without having to open up the case to access the iPad. This is what the artist Bob Ross would call, "a happy accident".
STEP 5. MOMENT OF TRUTH. With the slot cut in the side of the housing and no real way of knowing beforehand if the cut was made correctly, I loosely assembled the bezel onto the housing and inserted the iPad in the slot. I sync'ed an image of a classic test pattern to the iPad just to see how things would look:
My initial response was that it looked amazing. The iPad was perfectly centered in the bezel opening. Only the iPad's screen was visible. The iPad's bezel was hidden by the TV bezel. Perfect! Even having the corner of the iPad slightly exposed on the left edge looked like it was designed that way. I was concerned that the iPad's single speaker would not be loud enough, but the sound escaped through the integrated speaker grill on the left side of the TV. The volume was more than adequate.At this point, I breathed a sign of relief and was then eager to get this thing finished.
STEP 6. FINISHING TOUCHES. From this point on, things moved quickly. I attached the rear adjustment knobs to the chassis rail and then using the original screws, attached the TV case to the rail... exposing the knobs exactly where they were supposed to be. I used florist wire (thin aluminum wire used by florists to create floral arrangements) to secure some of the free floating knobs to the chassis. I attached the terminal block for the telescopic antenna in its opening. I used E6000 glue to attach the power slider-switch to the bezel from inside.
For the front knobs and dials, I had considered simply hot gluing them into place from inside the housing, but I really wanted them to have some freedom of movement... even if I couldn't preserve the "click" of the channel changers. For the VHF and UHF knobs, I wrapped a few turns of electrical tape in order for them to snugly fit into the opening of the bezel. This worked as expected. The thumb wheels for "Briteness" and "Volume" proved to be a bit trickier. They were mounted to a long thin bolt with nuts used as spacers and holders to get them aligned correctly. Florist wire was used to attach the bolt to a support on the bezel.A 30-pin iPad cable was fed through an opening in the rear of the housing so that the iPad could be charged, run on electric, or synced.
STEP 7. PROGRAMMING. With the TV assembled and all of the knobs, dials, and cables attached, it was now time to produce some vintage programming. Since I already own DVDs of classic TV shows, movies, and commercials, I simply used the free tool "Handbrake" to rip the DVDs into media files that would be playable on the iPad.
Since I wanted this TV to work like a video digital picture frame, I needed an iOS player app that supported video playlists. After doing some research and experimenting with trial versions (where available) I decided on OPlayer HD. This app not only supports the creation of video playlists, but can loop the playlist and mix video, photos, and music in the same playlist.
The playlist that I created consists of a TV show episode, 3-5 vintage commercials, another TV show episode, 3-5 commercials, etc. To make the playlist feel authentic, I used video that was Academy ratio (4:3) and black & white. I have a few TV show episodes, like Batman and Star Trek that are in color, but I will re-encode them specifically for this application in B&W.
ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO MAKE ONE
Having gone through this process once, I have just a few pointers that might help make the process easier. I spent roughly 5 hours total on the assembling of the TV and another hour or so on researching the software to use. I will probably spend another 2-3 hours in selecting and ripping TV episodes and commercials.
The most important advice that I can offer is to have accurate and detailed measurements of the iPad and to be able to physically touch, handle, and measure the TV you will use before you buy it.
Additional advice is merely common sense that any DIYer already possesses... take your time, don't rush. If in the process of dismantling you are unsure of how things are assembled... wait, study, look for a service manual if possible. Keep in mind that vintage electronics can become brittle with age.
This project could also be scaled down to use a 7" Android tablet. There are vintage portable TV sets that contained a 5" picture tube that could enclose a 7" tablet. Most Android tablets are 16:9 but displaying a 4:3 image in "pillar box" would result in roughly a 5" image.
FINAL THOUGHT. I'm thoroughly delighted with the final results. By carefully creating a playlist of classic TV shows and commercials, the effect is complete. Watching "Avengers" with Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg on this hi-tech vintage TV teleported me back 40+ years. It was a trip... but I'll have to return soon. :-)
In my previous post I described a loophole created by teens in response to the "no dating" position of their parents. The "bestest friends" construct has some serious and significant consequences that can affect one's view of committed relationships. But this isn't the only loophole...
While "bestest friends" is a loophole devised by teens, "Church as a safe social hangout" is a loophole that has been accidentally created by their parents. Some "no dating" parents have resigned themselves to the reality that their teen has a special someone. So in order to deflect and reduce the tension caused by these two realities, these parents have declared that their teen may only spend time with their special someone during the time that the family is at church.
On the surface this sounds like a preferable compromise to supervised dating. They're at church. It is a public and safe place. As good as it initially sounds, there are unintended consequences associated with this decision.
The most fundamental consequence is that the emphasis of attending church is changed. It shifts from a destination to corporately worship God to a place to hang out with their special someone. They look forward to spending more time at the church simply to spend more time with their serious other. Every ministry event becomes a pretext for additional time together.
These teen couples don't simply sit together in the sanctuary... that would make it too obvious that they are a couple. Instead they pair off seeking out a quiet, private nook or corner in which to spend some time alone. Rarely does anything physical happen, but it does reinforce the natural tendency to hide. This establishes and reinforces the perspective that spending time as a couple is wrong and must be hidden... once again this loophole short circuits honoring the relationship, mutual accountability, and the opportunity to learn proper ways of interacting with a special someone.
From a ministry perspective, making the church a social hangout for teens who are not permitted to date results in difficulty in impromptu adult ministry and counseling. The quiet corners of a worship center become private spots for these young couples. It also sets a poor example for younger teens who see the older ones and conclude that it is an acceptable thing to do.
All things in the proper order at the proper time.
(concludes in part 3)
