Saturday, January 10, 2009

Church-Hopping

Flabbergasted
By Ray Blackston

This was Christian chick-lit, written by a man. It gives the male perspective on dating and relationships. I expected this genre to be like a Seinfeld episode, "about nothing", but it was witty and insightful. When you finish it, you've come to some of your own conclusions about life.
In this book, Jay, a non-Christian stock broker, begins to attend church in a new town because he had heard it was a good place to meet women. What he ends up finding out is that most of the other singles in this South Carolina town already figured that out, and have all the churches rated, as to the best place to meet someone.
Now, on one level, I don't disagree with the practice. It's not unreasonable for Christian young people to go to places where they'll find other Christian young people, like churches retreats and conferences. Where else would they go? Bars?
However, I don't think church-hopping to find a mate is the best thing to do. The patterns you set as a young adult carry through into adulthood, and you could end up thinking the grass is greener elsewhere. It's better to find a church to get committed to and settle in. God can bring the person to you.
Otherwise you may both be doing "the circuit" and keep missing each other.
Jay meets a female missionary who is serving in Ecuador. He takes a trip to visit her and is flabbergasted by the depth that comes from simplicity. He must decide whether to stay there or take a new job in New York City.
I was also encouraged to learn that the author started his writing career because his "second grade teacher liked his stories and poems. He simply walked away from the corporate cubicle, bought a laptop, said a prayer, and began typing the first words of 'flabbergasted'. He does not recommend this method for the faint of heart."

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