I am really struggling with our church's choice of summer sermon series.  My attitude is bad about it right now.  I'm hoping by blogging about it I will get some clarity. 

      Our church is doing a 12 week series of sermons based on clips from movies.  This bothers me for a number of reasons:  what happened to expository preaching?  (we haven't had that forever), my family sees enough tv outside of church, my kids want to go to church to see the movie clips each week, my family comes out of church talking about the movie -- not what they learned, I feel like the sermons are very dumbed down,  I feel like the message given is, "In order to be culturally relevant you need to delve into worldly things," I feel like they are saying the Bible isn't relevant.  And at any given time I have more reasons, I'm just so tired right now and can't come up with any more.  I asked my dh if he would mind if I visited a couple of churches this summer during this series.  He said that we will all visit together.  I'm not considering changing churches.  First of all, that would be my dh's call.  Second, I don't believe in "church-hopping" unless there is a doctrinal issue (ex. a church we went to called the Holy Spirit "she" and referred to "Mother Earth").  So, how do I respect and submit to church leadership when I am so opposed to what is going on?  Does my dh relay how we feel?  Do we leave it alone because it's just for summer (even though we feel that we are headed toward "watered-down"?  I miss the rich teaching I had in Bible Study Fellowship.  I know that BSF is possibly an answer.  I wouldn't be as bothered by the sermons if I had a serious lesson with expository teaching each week.  Maybe I should consider returning to BSF in the fall.  Also, my husband received a book on how to conduct Family Worship for his birthday.  We also have the TAG (Truth and Grace) books that Voddie Baucham's church uses for family discipleship.  So that, too, may be an answer. 

      My MIL and I have been having a good time so far.  She has been buying treats for the kids and playing games with them.  She and dd13 leave for DC on Thursday.  I'm soooo nervous about this trip.  It's so hard to let my daughter go and do.  I know she'll learn so much, especially with having American History and Government this fall.  Pray for their safety, please.

      I have a new recipe to leave tomorrow --  healthy granola bars!  Yum!!