What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.

Eccl 1:9-10

It appears that there is a church in Portland that is non-demoninational, yet part of a denomination. The sermons are a bit odd sometimes, but the crowd loves them and the church is growing at an incredible pace. Thousands have left this church and its affiliates creating an entire subculture of those that feel fleeced emotionally, spiritually, and financially. All they need is a Delphi forum and it would be complete. (Argh! the Delphites!)

Sound familiar? It’s not who you think.

I found a part of the disaffected subculture here at their blog. I read a few posts and I couldn’t get over the similarity. I’m not suggesting people go there, church drama is plentiful. What I am saying is that seeing it has been helpful to me. In short, this type of conflict I feel is not singular to the ICOC.

The saying is that misery loves company – that is largely true. Get a group of miserable people together and you can almost see it circulate in the ceiling fans. I’m not miserable, though. Hurting, yes, confused, at times, more introverted, mo’ definitely, but miserable, no. Like my psychologist says, I do the healthy things needed to deal with the big issues of life. However, seeing a parallel situation reminds me that I am not alone. I couldn’t join their support group tomorrow, but I can see something of my friends and I in how they deal with their situation.

Because of this, it helps me to understand better what is petty, what is serious, and what is just goofing around. I figured out a while ago what vindictive is. Reveal.org is serious, My Evangelist comics are goofing around, looking for a needle in a haystack is vindictive. After a few posts, of City Business Church, I just have to cringe at myself for being obtuse at times.

Yes, I posted a comment there. They see the similarities, too.