Sex and other musings

Just got back from a two-day regional conference of our denomination. The meetings were okay (shorter, which is better), but the highlight by far is re-connecting with friends. Lots of fun. Some of us went out last night to a Mongolian Grill. You pick your ingredients, they grill them, and then you eat in a wrap. I tried to make mine as spicy as possible, and ended up making the place smell like curry. I loved the place. Our denomination is still struggling with knowing how to handle the gender and leadership issue. I respect what they’re trying to do, and it sure seems that they can’t win on this one. I don’t like where it’s heading, though. I’m not too far theologically from where they are (although I’m very much in flux), but that’s not my main concern. My main concern is that we’re going to draw a line in the sand, and if you don’t tow the line, you’re out. That should be done pretty sparingly, and I’m not convinced that it’s necessary on this one. Even if I end up agreeing with them on the issue, I’m seeing myself gradually pushed out. It’s not a great feeling. Last night, I drove the speaker back to the airport. He’s an internationally known speaker and author. We talked about many things, but then he asked about my family. Out of the blue, he said, “Pastors often ask me about when to have sex when you have young children. What do you do? Do you wait until they’re in bed and you’re dead tired? I can’t remember what we did when our kids were young.” It was so out of the blue and candid that I was waiting for the punchline, but it was just an observation. Another reminder that famous people are just people, with the same problems and random comments as the rest of us. P.S. After a slight uncomfortable pause (waiting for the punchline), I responded that maybe young children are one of God’s forms of natural birth control. Not terribly insightful, but the best I could come up with.