I have been feeling a lot of ennui toward my branch Church of Christ, Scientist, and my fellow members.
I'm weary of attending Sunday services and coming to committee meetings. I've looked for ways to handle this challenge spiritually, but the best I seem to be able to do is just distance myself. Can you offer any fresh insight?
A1 At one time, I felt just like you. I was tempted to distance myself, and I, too, felt unhappy about it. Walking away from church, though, just didn't seem to be the answer. Thinking about what I should do, these surprising words came to me: "heap coals of fire on their heads." That sounded pretty drastic! I realized that these words are from the Bible, in the book of Romans: "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head" (12:20).
