• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
  • We hope the site problems here are now solved, however, if you still have any issues, please start a ticket in Contact Us

Recent content by Shane R

  1. Shane R

    What Did You Get Last Sunday?

    The wires were crossed this week. I was over at the Presbyterian church and they were scheduled for Transfiguration Sunday but I had prepped for the last Sunday of Epiphany. They also had no organist today so the secretary was struggling mightily to fill in on piano. So the service was a bit...
  2. Shane R

    Anyone up for a chat thread?

    Arizona is mainly a desert state. The temperature is very hot in the day but the shift after the sun goes down can exceed 60 degrees fahrenheit. There's also a mountain chain that runs across state and it's common to have snow in the mountains; of course, that's 4-5,000 meters of elevation. It's...
  3. Shane R

    Anyone up for a chat thread?

    I'm hoping church doesn't get cancelled this week. I've written what I think is a pretty good sermon and this church is the one that has the radio broadcast. The subject matter is the 1 Corinthians reading, which fairly naturally divided into 4 points.
  4. Shane R

    Anyone up for a chat thread?

    I made my kids some scrambled eggs, had them brush their teeth, and sent them out to wait for the school bus. I heard, "Daddy, daddy, it's snowing!" The old snow from last week is not gone because we haven't had a day over 25 degrees. But, the snow blower I ordered from a proper tool company...
  5. Shane R

    Anyone up for a chat thread?

    No. Here, many of these country parishes are sitting on large reserves of money. Money pledged or bequested decades ago by people who have been in the yard for 80 years. The one I was at Sunday is sitting on $330,000 in the endowment account. There was one I had a contract with for about 8...
  6. Shane R

    Anyone up for a chat thread?

    I have a problem with denominations that have an obvious vendetta against country parishes, which several American denominations do. But at the same time, it is not my place to enact change as a supply pastor. Now, if the congregation wants change, I might know a path for that but it's not my...
  7. Shane R

    Anyone up for a chat thread?

    My point is: a lot of times the big American denominations are ambivalent to or actively against smaller rural parishes but it's not my place to tell them to give up the 130 year old building and start anew smaller and leaner. 90% of the time it wouldn't work. For those where it does, it's a...
  8. Shane R

    Anyone up for a chat thread?

    So the big point of controversy was the synod asked this congregation for an additional $500 a year. The question was raised: What do they even do for us? Fair question. Answer: nothing at present. Logical follow-up: Why should we remain in the synod? My silent thoughts here: I could find you a...
  9. Shane R

    Anyone up for a chat thread?

    Usually I am asked to pray and then they leave me to my lunch. On rare occasions I am asked for an opinion about evangelism or the Sunday school program or youth catechism class.
  10. Shane R

    Anyone up for a chat thread?

    There was a luncheon after worship today. Whilst I was eating baked ham, chicken & noodles, creamed peas, succotash, cheesy broccoli rice, and brownies a congregational meeting broke out. The big annual one too; lots of numbers and reports and such and a bit of arguing.
  11. Shane R

    What Did You Get Last Sunday?

    Most Continuing churches should have had Septuagesima. A few might have had Candlemas. 3 year lectionary was 4th Sunday after Epiphany. Some might have counted 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
  12. Shane R

    Is a hot dog a sandwich?

    Cincinnati coney. Specifically the very picture from the Skyline Chili menu. Also available at Great American Ballpark, home of the Reds.
  13. Shane R

    What is Christmas about? Opinion Poll from Millennials.

    I did thoroughly enjoy company Christmas parties several times. The military typically spent a lot of money on them. But I've worked for a couple of businesses that would rent out a nice spot and host a fairly posh party too.
  14. Shane R

    About Lk 18 : 18-19

    This passage is in reverse order to stories like the healing where Jesus tells the recipient that his sins are forgiven and the Jews are offended because only God can forgive sin. Here, Jesus and the ruler are discussing the principle rather than an event that has already taken place. In both...