Church Ain't Out 'Till the Fat Lady Sobs You had to read that title twice, didn't you? Truth be told, that's why I put it up there, not because it's the best description of the subject matter. But it does relate; I was talking with a lively Asian-American today, and our conversation turned to the subject of emotion, and crying in particular, in church. The churches in question would be evangelical, denominational or non, and I guess para-church meetings as well. The fundamental question would be: Is it OK to cry in church? And the fundamental answer would be: YES. So did that merit a post? No. But like most matters of practice in Christianity the key is balance, and where that balance is. She said "i think crying is fine....just too much it is out of control", which obviously begs the question, How much is too much? I'd say it's pretty subjective. I was once on a missions trip where at our "Liefdemaal" (= agape feast), there was a lot of emotion in a very close setting. Two of my good friends that night began the process of forgiving their father, who had deserted their family after abusing their sister ten years before. They were 16 and 19 at the time; cool, strong Dutch guys, but they sobbed like babies, and it was beautiful that they were able to work through all that pain in a supportive environment where tough guys can cry. On the other hand, there is a danger of mistaking emotion for spirituality, and seeking emotional experiences instead of God. The divine maxim, "Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and [answers to your needs] will be granted to you." That applies to emotional needs, and the Lord is faithful to love His children by supplying emotional balance. For example, this past week I received a rather flattering (to tell the truth) email from a friend who God had used me to bless over the past year. Later the same day, I had to be confronted by another friend for some very insensitive remarks I had made. That's God's timing; to bless me and change me without either letting me get proud or feel defeated. Maybe it's not a great example, but it is very recent and personal, so I'll keep it. To try and coherentize (that's not a word) all this blather, I'll recap, at risk of being repetitive. A church or group needs to allow for emotion, since venting pent-up emotions is best done in that Christian setting and occassional tears are perfectly healthy individually and corporately. The important caveat is to not let emotion take the place of God. I, others, and perhaps entire churches are guilty of coming to church looking for an emotional high instead of for the Creator of the Universe. Only God can really fill that void that we feel like strong feelings, among other things, might. I was recently reminded of that by God, and by His grace I'm correcting that error in my worldview and trying not to judge the value of meetings or quiet times on emotional criteria. Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord Lift up your hands in the temple, bless the Lord! Working 24-7 in the house of the Lord! Hey, kinda strange? That's what we're made for! He deserves all you are Bless the Lord from your heart Bless, bless, bless, bless His name Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord Lift up your hands in the temple, bless the Lord! May the Lord bless you from Zion Maker of the earth and the skie May the Lord bless you from Zion Won't stop singing till the day that we die! Psalm 134 (Hip-hop/pop version)