Unfortunate Juxtaposition

How's that for a post title?

Judging from a couple of emails I received today, I have a sneaking suspicion that the juxtaposition of rumblings (an unfortunate word choice!) about the Easter service, handling critique, do-nothings and chasing lions, may have sent the wrong message to some. It really was more a stream of thought than a deliberate association, in case any of you are wondering.

One of the cool things about Five Oaks is the amount of feedback we get on our Communication Cards every week. To be quite frank with you, I have to admit that sometimes it makes me wince and sometimes I take things personally that were in no way meant personally. But for the most part, I appreciate the comments and learn from them.

This weeks' Communication Cards indicated that several people made first-time decisions to follow Christ or to re-commit their lives to Christ. Several comments complemented the service and the people who planned or executed it. And several made constructively critical remarks. For example...

I don't think the special music was really appropriate. Especially on Easter Sunday morning. It should be joyful, not a dark rock sound--no matter the words.

I'm not sure I'd take this advice and not use the Switchfoot song if I had it to do over again, but I would definitely consider how we could end the service on a high note of joy after talking about some tough topics. I always want our services to overflow with hope, and maybe we didn't achieve that as well as we could have this week. Just a thought as we evaluate.

Here's another one...

It would have been more inspirational to have at least one traditional Easter song and perhaps some flowers or other special decoration...

Point well taken. That one will definitely get some serious consideration.

Thanks for all the comments and keep them coming so we can keep growing and learning.