After spending way too much of my life bemoaning that my little bungalow didn’t lend itself to “an open floor plan,” with a center island (popular since 1990) my anguish has ended. I’m reading now that designers have decreed that they are “out!” Veranda magazine (May 2020) explains
The open floor plan presents some serious design problems such as a lack of privacy, poor sound control, and a cluttered appearance (despite regular tidying).
Oh well, you can always put walls up and the designers will change their minds in a few years anyway. They always do.
Preachers have different feelings about relating Scripture to the popular culture. Some feel that the world outside of church is where people ARE most of the time and they are more likely to be interested when a tie-in or reference can be made. Others insist that it corrupts the holy texts if they are not discussed strictly on their own terms, with amplified theological comments along the way.
I am drawn to the historical aspect of the Bible, that book where part of it is sacred to the Jews, some of it to Muslims, and all of it to Christians. It can be a challenge to find the relevance to the present day of the ancient words, to learn how different sections of the Scriptures have been emphasized or fallen from favor over the years. I love that no matter how often you read a section of it, new things can still just smack you that you’ve never noticed before. One of tomorrow’s reading did that for me. Hmmm.. I never noticed THAT before…
As a preacher, I like to make “real-world” connections as much as possible, always using the text as a base. It’s amazing what can be brought in… and yes, there will be a brief mention of floor plans tomorrow! And yes it will be relevant and theological and Scriptural.
You’ll see us in church.
Barbara
