Re: your experience when you dropped "dress standa
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Rom.8:38,39-For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither heigth nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Re: Your experience when you dropped "dress standa
I always thought they were illogical and extra biblical.
The fantastical leaps in logic in application of scripture bothered me as far back as when I was ten years old and we had to throw away any dice that game with board games and substitute a spinner!
The first chance I had to express my views and live according to the principles of moderation and modesty is when I was 23 years old and moved to a city where I attended a large exUPC church.
Re: Your experience when you dropped "dress standa
Quote:
Originally Posted by stmatthew
For those of you that left "dress standards" please share with us standards keepers just how it came about and what you did.
When and How did it happen?
What was the first thing you did (what standard did you do away with first)??
How did you feel??
Hmmm. When I left the ultra con church we belonged to, I started wearing denim, took my hair down, and put on a knit t-shirt. (gasp) I put my wedding rings on, put on some chocolatey-smelling lip gloss, and watched a bunch of movies.
Seriously, matthew, I felt great--because I never believed in any of those "standards" anyway, so it was freedom for me to be myself.
I don't imagine that dropping standards you were never convicted of in the first place would even be a blip on the radar.
Now, if you are convicted about something in your heart, and you go against that deliberately or rebelliously, that's another story. Or if you believe scripture does teach one thing, and you deliberately do another....
Rebellion is not always in play, no matter what some would like to believe.
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"God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours."
--David Livingstone
"To see no being, not God’s or any, but you also go thither,
To see no possession but you may possess it—enjoying all without labor or purchase—
abstracting the feast, yet not abstracting one particle of it;…."
--Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, Song of the Open Road
Re: Your experience when you dropped "dress standa
Quote:
Originally Posted by CC1
I always thought they were illogical and extra biblical.
The fantastical leaps in logic in application of scripture bothered me as far back as when I was ten years old and we had to throw away any dice that game with board games and substitute a spinner!
The first chance I had to express my views and live according to the principles of moderation and modesty is when I was 23 years old and moved to a city where I attended a large exUPC church.
I thought I was the only kid that couldn't play with dice.
Re: Your experience when you dropped "dress standa
Quote:
Originally Posted by stmatthew
For those of you that left "dress standards" please share with us standards keepers just how it came about and what you did.
When and How did it happen?
What was the first thing you did (what standard did you do away with first)??
How did you feel??
When it happened and how was after studying for myself that it was extra-Biblical. I never felt convicted personally of trimming my hair or wearing slacks.
One major turning point was when we started our family. We didn't want to raise them with standards that we didn't agree with and confuse them.
I guess the first thing I did was wear pants outside the house.
How did I feel - - warmer.
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Master of Science in Applied Disgruntled Religious Theorist Wrangling
PhD in Petulant Tantrum Quelling
Dean of the School of Hard Knocks
Re: Your experience when you dropped "dress standa
The pastor where I was Music Director called a special staff meeting to tell us what God had been dealing with him concerning standards. Some were shocked, but I was relieved. I had questioned some of the standards since I was a teenager although I never publicly stated so. I was obedient to the rules.
He was very wise, in my opinion, as he chose not to announce his decision to the church. He chose just to not preach standards anymore and things would gradually change by itself. The transition took over a year and went smooth.
During this time, we experienced a mighty revival and saw our membership grow. Spiritually, nothing changed!
There were people who didn't like the change, but the change was so gradual that there was never serious opposition. We only lost one or two families.
Re: Your experience when you dropped "dress standa
Mine was about 2 yrs ago, but maybe closer to 1 and 1/2 yrs. It started when for me to be an issue years before though I still followed them out of fear. I did alot of personal devotions and prayer. There was no big flash of light or anything, but just woke up one day put on a pair of shorts and did not feel bad about it. Now I am wearing shorts around my UPC pastor...he does not care too much either. I do go to movies and things, but nothing too much different that before. One thing is for sure that when I started not following the 'dress code' I had to rely on a me and God walk not a me my pastor and God. It was not the easiest of choices, but it certainly was a good one. I wish I could say I feel a ton different and I really don't except for the mindset. I do have a more person walk with God and I do not feel that I have to measure up to anyone but the Lord. I don't have to measure to what some thinks the Lord said, but to what the Lord tells me through prayer, scriptures and revelation from prayer and scripture reading.
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"If we don't learn to live together we're gonna die alone"
Jack Shephard.