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Carmen
12-19-2005, 06:14 AM
Hubby just splurged on a tree this weekend. We wanted to save a bit of money, but the kids wanted one, especially since we will not be travelling this season. I had gotten some branches left over from someone's gardening work but they were not ideal. It will be pretty having a real tree, though. We will be putting it on top of a cabinet, just high enough for the cat not to be able to get to it.

Just Saturday morning I got news of a visiting pastor needing a place to stay, was visiting a church that I sometimes frequent. He was the one I was told to contact recently for Italian bible-study literature per internet. I took a chance, wanting to meet him, and said we would host him for one night, even Hubby agreed to do this.

The man is Calvinist, but much more refined and at the same time down-to-earth than the one that SA'd me. He thinks in a very different way, is much more tolerant and understanding and puts an emphasis on being Christlike without being legalistic. The guy was really nice. It is just that once I got him home, I could hardly get a word in edgewise. Had to go back to the houlsewife mode and get dinner, watch the kids and so on. He started discussing culture with Hubby, and then politics and then, gads, religion. The discussion went fairly well, though. He said some things I've said before but more smoothly. And coming from someone else it was different than coming from me. Maybe some long-needed progress was made.

I gave him my site address, that will be the test. I hope he will still be willing to give me advice after seeing it, and maybe even visit again. I'm praying that all goes well. Had to take him to the train station this morning. He should be getting home about now. I hope he can be a friend, he knows a lot about what I research and could give me tips on that as well.

Theodora
12-19-2005, 10:57 AM
I'm happy for you and the family that you got a tree!

AND..as for hosting a visiting pastor, all I can say is "WOW!!!" Good for you for taking that risk! Though you apparently didn't have all the interaction you might have wanted, it sound like things went relatively smoothly....and I'm so happy that is so too. Will be praying that "further developments" proceed as YOU hope they will!!!

Grace and peace--

Theodora

--


Hubby just splurged on a tree this weekend. We wanted to save a bit of money, but the kids wanted one, especially since we will not be travelling this season. I had gotten some branches left over from someone's gardening work but they were not ideal. It will be pretty having a real tree, though. We will be putting it on top of a cabinet, just high enough for the cat not to be able to get to it.

Just Saturday morning I got news of a visiting pastor needing a place to stay, was visiting a church that I sometimes frequent. He was the one I was told to contact recently for Italian bible-study literature per internet. I took a chance, wanting to meet him, and said we would host him for one night, even Hubby agreed to do this.

The man is Calvinist, but much more refined and at the same time down-to-earth than the one that SA'd me. He thinks in a very different way, is much more tolerant and understanding and puts an emphasis on being Christlike without being legalistic. The guy was really nice. It is just that once I got him home, I could hardly get a word in edgewise. Had to go back to the houlsewife mode and get dinner, watch the kids and so on. He started discussing culture with Hubby, and then politics and then, gads, religion. The discussion went fairly well, though. He said some things I've said before but more smoothly. And coming from someone else it was different than coming from me. Maybe some long-needed progress was made.

I gave him my site address, that will be the test. I hope he will still be willing to give me advice after seeing it, and maybe even visit again. I'm praying that all goes well. Had to take him to the train station this morning. He should be getting home about now. I hope he can be a friend, he knows a lot about what I research and could give me tips on that as well.

gwen
12-19-2005, 03:42 PM
Hi Carmen,

That's great that you were able to get a Christmas tree! When we were at our former "church", we didn't celebrate Christmas. Last year we just wasn't ready to reincorporate all of the Christmas traditions, so we didn't have a tree or do any decorating. Well, this year my nine-year-old asked if we could have a Christmas tree, so we got one. My mom gave me some ornaments that she no longer uses and I put them on the tree. I had gotten rid of all of my Christmas decorations while we were at our former "church". Anyway, we have our first Christmas tree in over 10 years! It's my nine-year-old's first Christmas tree. I did some other decorating and I really like how it looks!

I hope that this connection with this pastor goes well for you and that he can be a friend for you.

Love, Gwen

mstar
12-19-2005, 03:50 PM
Gwen and Carmen, so happy that you both have your trees and your Christmases look promising.

Congrats on the visiting pastor, Carmen. Hope he will become a friend.

Carmen
12-20-2005, 04:08 AM
Thanks mstar, Gwen and Theodora,

I just wanted to share my optimism. I tend to be more of a sceptic and this time I hope that sticking my neck out doesn't get it chopped. I was thinking about discretion, to mention what I really believe and do or not. I was so happy to talk to someone in RL that understands my line of thought, that I hope I didn't overdo it. I was planning to keep my "discernment" identity in the dark for a while longer, the few pastors I've met don't seem to like it, but this one seemed different. I hope my feeling was right. I really need help getting a bible-study going and I think he may be instrumental. I didn't want to play hide-and-seek with him but be really honest. I hope it wasn't just stupidity and that I was able to judge his character correctly. He gets along with non-Calvinists, so I thought there may be room for me, too. I'm a half-and-half. For some that is worse than either/or, but I hope he doesn't think so. Have not heard from him yet and am a little nervous.

At least we have a Christmas tree, will be setting it up in the next few days, the kids have no school Friday. After that can't post much until after New Year. There will be too much competition for the computer.

Carmen