s/o--WHY is crocheting during a sermon or lecture judged so harshly by some?

[Harriet Vane]

I have to say it saddens me a great deal to read post after post of people who feel that knitting during a sermon is irreverent. It's not worship or prayer--it's sitting listening to a sermon. Why--please help me understand WHY--would it be irreverent to do what one must to listen WELL??

 

How could that be irreverent?

 

Because it seems to me that it is far more irreverent to miss half the sermon or more due to fatigue or attention issues. In my case, for example, the crochet helps with legitimate, physical issues (fatigue due to chronic anemia as well as dermatillomania). There is no way that someone looking at me would know of these issues.

 

It also seems to me that choosing not to do what is necessary to hear/benefit from the sermon means that I must choose to pay more attention to the people around me/their comfort than to what I am at church for--to learn about God and worship him.

 

I also don't understand why it is okay for those around me to sit in judgment of my choice (irreverent vs. trying my best to participate and benefit from the sermon). Why can't people give each other the benefit of the doubt and focus on making sure their own hearts are focused on the Lord?

__________________

[spaceman]

:grouphug:

 

I don't think it's irreverent.

[Thia]

I don't think so either. I am a crocheter...or used to be before the kids came along and always tangle my yarns. Anyways...I think it would be important to not be a distraction, so sitting in the back, sticking to small projects etc.

[Teachin'Mine]

It would be irreverent if someone is crocheting because they consider it too boring and/or a waste of time to sit and listen to the speaker. In your case, it would not be at all. :grouphug: If the speaker isn't already aware of your need to keep your hands busy in order to listen better, it might be nice to let them know so they don't take it the wrong way. God certainly knows what's in your heart. :)

[Moxie]

To me, it says, "You're too boring to have my full attention."

[Myeightkiddies]

To me, it wouldn't be about you crocheting. It would be about me. Why was I focusing on you crocheting instead of paying attention to the sermon? You crocheting in church is between you and God. Me watching you crocheting and spending time judging you (unless you were a very noisy crocheter) is between me and God.

[Dana]

Anyways...I think it would be important to not be a distraction, so sitting in the back, sticking to small projects etc.

 

:iagree:

 

I can understand how working on something can actually help with attention - but the danger is that it can be a distraction to others. If you're going to crochet or knit during a service, I'd be sitting at the back (or balcony) and in an aisle... basically wherever your actions aren't going to distract someone else.

[kalanamak]

To me, it says, "You're too boring to have my full attention."

 

Oh, but it MAKES you hear better. I was amazed at how this works. Something complex, like counting stitches, etc, no, but just rote finger movement and the EYEs trained upon it make my ears MAGICALLY alert. So, any who think they are being shunned are being ignorant.

 

One can explain how it trains the ears to the voice. If the person still doesn't believe it, they are calling me a liar, and I would then truly shun them. What fool does not know that people deeply resent being called liars.

[LostSurprise]

My husband is an aural learner with ADD tendencies. When we started dating and attended church together it used to bug me that he never looked at the speaker, never seemed to be paying attention, was always fiddling with paper making games for himself.

 

It took me several months to realize that those paper games were his way of involving himself with the sermon. He was making it all work for him. I found that very worshipful and beautiful, even though it was not anything like me.

 

Me, if I could put my little folded hands on the desk in front of me, I probably would. Eye contact means attention.

 

So forgive them. They just don't get it. They're probably stuck in their own point of view, and maybe distracted. They haven't learned what connects them to the service.

[Carol in Cal.]

Strider, as one of those people, I can honestly say that I really do get it. I hear and remember better when I'm doing something rhythmic with my hands. I knit during Bible class at our church, which is led by the pastor and takes place on Sunday mornings between our church services. I knit during a Bible study that I attend, somewhat sporadically, on Thursday nights. I knit when I am waiting for my DD and in the car when someone else is driving. I knit in my book group, when I'm not looking up references. And I actually would really like to knit during church, but I don't feel right about doing so.

 

The thing about the Divine Service is, I set it apart from other activities, very strongly. I view it as God, the King, my Savior, coming to me and to all present, to give us great gifts through His Word and Sacraments. When we worship, we join the worship in heaven that is always in progress. So, it seems to me indecorous to do anything but receive and participate during that time. It's not that it's sinful exactly. But it seems to me to be insufficiently honoring of that time, that process, and those gifts.

 

Furthermore, the entire Divine Service is worship. The sermon is integral to the Service of the Word, which precedes the Service of the Sacraments. I don't separate out an element of the Service as a study time or lecture. The Service should all be one. When it's right, the hymns/songs, Bible readings, prayers, and sermon all teach of the same things. That is crucial to my understanding of corporate worship, and it is why I don't make an exception for the sermon.

 

Having said that, I would not look at someone knitting in church and judge them, I don't think, unless they were noisy, not looking at the pastor while he preaches, or obviously reading a pattern (i.e. distracted). I tend not to look around much during church anyway.

 

That's how it seems to me--but I have great respect for you, and it is not diminished by this difference between us.

Edited December 3, 2011 by Carol in Cal.

[sweetTN]

To me, it wouldn't be about you crocheting. It would be about me. Why was I focusing on you crocheting instead of paying attention to the sermon? You crocheting in church is between you and God. Me watching you crocheting and spending time judging you (unless you were a very noisy crocheter) is between me and God.

 

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

 

I would rather spend my time crocheting in church than looking around passing judgement on others.

[regentrude]

To me, it wouldn't be about you crocheting. It would be about me. Why was I focusing on you crocheting instead of paying attention to the sermon? You crocheting in church is between you and God. Me watching you crocheting and spending time judging you (unless you were a very noisy crocheter) is between me and God.

 

OTOH, if somebody was constantly moving her hands at the periphery of my vision, this would be extremely distracting and would make it impossible for me to focus on the sermon.

Anybody doing these things should make sure to sit in the back.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Some people simply can't always pay attention to one thing at a time. If you can, then I'm jealous but just because you can't doesn't mean you should assume the same is true for everyone.

 

I recently read Dreamers, Discoverers & Dynamos in an attempt to better understand my DS8. I found many revelations about him and even more about myself. There is a form of mental multitasking called dyphasic thinking, defined in the book as "carrying on two lines of thought at the same time." The book discusses multitasking in this way: "The Edison-trait child uses stimulation as high-test fuel. For optimal performance she's got to go full throttle and mentally move at freeway speeds. If she goes too slowly, her mind sputters and stalls. That is why when she is understimulated--going school-zone speed--her mind starts to think of other things at the same time. The stimulation of multitasking revs her engine up for her, so she can pick up needed speed."

 

I have done this my whole life. I don't think I've ever had fewer than 2-3 thoughts in my head at a time. I specifically remember being called out by the professor one day in one of my college courses. He asked if I was paying attention because I was doodling away furiously in my notebook. I said I was. He didn't believe me and (rather pompously :lol:) said, "OK then, tell the class what I just said." I repeated about the last five sentences of what he had just said, verbatim, then asked if that was enough or if I should have gone back farther. He said that was enough. :tongue_smilie:

 

Anyway, simultaneously working at a quiet activity doesn't mean someone is too boring to warrant my full attention. It means that I can sometimes only give my full attention by diverting some of my excess mental energy. Honestly, the insult is made even more offensive by the fact that I am jealous of those who can make their minds be still. I crave a still mind. Truly.

Edited December 3, 2011 by Alte Veste Academy

[Myeightkiddies]

OTOH, if somebody was constantly moving her hands at the periphery of my vision, this would be extremely distracting and would make it impossible for me to focus on the sermon.

Anybody doing these things should make sure to sit in the back.

 

That's a good point.

 

Remember that not everyone looking is judging, especially children.

[tex-mex]

I think many people can crochet and focus on a sermon at the same time. In fact, for some people it might help them focus. Some people just don't understand that.

:iagree:

I despise taking notes during the service. I see no point in that. Yet note taking is acceptable form and the folks who take notes have input-output issues that note taking helps bring in info to the brain. It works.

 

I cannot just sit during the sermon (i.e. Powerpoint kills me... ;)) and I have been known to fall asleep. The guy is boring. So, one time I sat in the back and brought my crochet during a homechurch meeting -- to which the leader called me out in front of everyone as being uninterested to what he was saying. I felt like saying, "What? You prefer me to be sleeping during your sermon?" HAAAAAAAA :D

[Bluegoat]

Strider, as one of those people, I can honestly say that I really do get it. I hear and remember better when I'm doing something rhythmic with my hands. I knit during Bible class at our church, which is led by the pastor and takes place on Sunday mornings between our church services. I knit during a Bible study that I attend, somewhat sporadically, on Thursday nights. I knit when I am waiting for my DD and in the car when someone else is driving. I knit in my book group, when I'm not looking up references. And I actually would really like to knit during church, but I don't feel right about doing so.

 

The thing about the Divine Service is, I set it apart from other activities, very strongly. I view it as God, the King, my Savior, coming to me and to all present, to give us great gifts through His Word and Sacraments. When we worship, we join the worship in heaven that is always in progress. So, it seems to me indecorous to do anything but receive and participate during that time. It's not that it's sinful exactly. But it seems to me to be insufficiently honoring of that time, that process, and those gifts.

 

Furthermore, the entire Divine Service is worship. The sermon is integral to the Service of the Word, which precedes the Service of the Sacraments. I don't separate out an element of the Service as a study time or lecture. The Service should all be one. When it's right, the hymns/songs, Bible readings, prayers, and sermon all teach of the same things. That is crucial to my understanding of corporate worship, and it is why I don't make an exception for the sermon.

 

Having said that, I would not look at someone knitting in church and judge them, I don't think, unless they were noisy, not looking at the pastor while he preaches, or obviously reading a pattern (i.e. distracted). I tend not to look around much during church anyway.

 

That's how it seems to me--but I have great respect for you, and it is not diminished by this difference between us.

 

:iagree:

 

Yes, I also tend to doodle when listening to lectures or something like that, because I find it very hard to focus and keep totally still - my mind keeps wandering.

 

But I don't feel right doing it at church for similar reasons to yours - it would be too mundane somehow. The Eucharist service is when we all step into that part of Revelation with the angels and saints worship the lamb together, and somehow I don't quite picture any of them doodling or knitting.

 

But I wouldn't really think anything of someone else who did one way or the other.

 

And I can imagine that if I came from a tradition where there was no Eucharist and the sermon was the main event and more like a lecture, I might feel differently.

[Colleen in NS]

I have to say it saddens me a great deal to read post after post of people who feel that knitting during a sermon is irreverent. It's not worship or prayer--it's sitting listening to a sermon. Why--please help me understand WHY--would it be irreverent to do what one must to listen WELL??

 

I answered you in the other thread.

 

OTOH, if somebody was constantly moving her hands at the periphery of my vision, this would be extremely distracting and would make it impossible for me to focus on the sermon.

Anybody doing these things should make sure to sit in the back.

 

And on the third hand, lol, (speaking as a during-current-church-sermon knitter/crocheter) as a person who DOES pay better attention if my hands have something mindless to do - maybe if I didn't have something for my hands to do, I would be the one looking around the room and getting distracted by that person who seems to be able to just SIT STILL and stare at the preacher (or maybe taking notes - doing things with hands, hmm?) - my thoughts would be wondering, "How do they do that?? How can they just sit and passively listen (note-taking excepted - but classified by me under the same mental need as knitting/crocheting)??"

 

Everyone is different. And church cultures are different, too, in what might be acceptable. Like I said in the other thread, I for one couldn't knit without guilt in a Catholic Mass, but I can in my current church situation.

[Colleen in NS]

So, one time I sat in the back and brought my crochet during a homechurch meeting -- to which the leader called me out in front of everyone as being uninterested to what he was saying.

 

Nice. Not.

 

....and the sermon was the main event and more like a lecture, I might feel differently.

 

Exactly what I tried to say in the other thread.

[Laurie4b]

Some people simply can't always pay attention to one thing at a time. If you can, then I'm jealous but just because you can't doesn't mean you should assume the same is true for everyone.

 

I recently read Dreamers, Discoverers & Dynamos in an attempt to better understand my DS8. I found many revelations about him and even more about myself. There is a form of mental multitasking called dyphasic thinking, defined in the book as "carrying on two lines of thought at the same time." The book discusses multitasking in this way: "The Edison-trait child uses stimulation as high-test fuel. For optimal performance she's got to go full throttle and mentally move at freeway speeds. If she goes too slowly, her mind sputters and stalls. That is why when she is understimulated--going school-zone speed--her mind starts to think of other things at the same time. The stimulation of multitasking revs her engine up for her, so she can pick up needed speed."

 

I have done this my whole life. I don't think I've ever had fewer than 2-3 thoughts in my head at a time. I specifically remember being called out by the professor one day in one of my college courses. He asked if I was paying attention because I was doodling away furiously in my notebook. I said I was. He didn't believe me and (rather pompously :lol:) said, "OK then, tell the class what I just said." I repeated about the last five sentences of what he had just said, verbatim, then asked if that was enough or if I should have gone back farther. He said that was enough. :tongue_smilie:

 

Anyway, simultaneously working at a quiet activity doesn't mean someone is too boring to warrant my full attention. It means that I can sometimes only give my full attention by diverting some of my excess mental energy. Honestly, the insult is made even more offensive by the fact that I am jealous of those who can make their minds be still. I crave a still mind. Truly.

 

Dh had a high school English teacher who "allowed" kids to read as long as they were paying attention. She "got" everyone but dh for not paying attention. He was the only one allowed to keep reading because he could always repeat what she had been saying.

 

I used to read the bulletin during sermons to help me pay attention. Doing two things at once settled my brain so I could pay attention and not go off on some mental rabbit trail. Then they decided that they didn't want people reading the bulletin instead of listening to the sermon and now there is hardly anything in the bulletin. :/

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

:iagree:

 

I can understand how working on something can actually help with attention - but the danger is that it can be a distraction to others. If you're going to crochet or knit during a service, I'd be sitting at the back (or balcony) and in an aisle... basically wherever your actions aren't going to distract someone else.

 

:iagree:

[2cents]

:grouphug:

 

I don't think it's irreverent.

 

:iagree: I surprised that people would think that at all!

[LaxMom]

I don't think it's irreverent. I don't knit during mass because I feel like it divides *my* focus. I totally get how it would enhance your focus; I focused my way through college lectures making ordered patterns of dots on a notepad for that very reason.

[cbollin]

Strider,

 

(ETA, I didn't see the original post, but just had hugs for you....)

 

My oldest (only 10th grade age) has crocheted in sermons since she learned to crochet.

 

We got "looks" until one day my daughter was able to tell some of the adults every word in the sermon for several lessons. And that she was crocheting some baby bibs for a local service organization. Then, some of her work went to an online auction with proceeds to benefit a missionary.

 

Next thing we knew, several ladies in the "first service" had their hooks going too and even answered questions out loud when pastor asked. (Out loud answers was encouraged in that congregation and at "second service" it was common.)

 

On the other hand, I know I felt weird that my daughter always had her stuff with her.

 

So, if you're even visiting here..... you can sit with us. But my dd is left handed.

 

:grouphug:

-crystal

[Colleen in NS]

Then they decided that they didn't want people reading the bulletin instead of listening to the sermon and now there is hardly anything in the bulletin. :/

 

Rabbit trail - A little adult-group mind control going on there? So....what's the point of publishing a bulletin, then?

[CalicoKat]

I have to say it saddens me a great deal to read post after post of people who feel that knitting during a sermon is irreverent. It's not worship or prayer--it's sitting listening to a sermon. Why--please help me understand WHY--would it be irreverent to do what one must to listen WELL??

 

How could that be irreverent?

 

Because it seems to me that it is far more irreverent to miss half the sermon or more due to fatigue or attention issues. In my case, for example, the crochet helps with legitimate, physical issues (fatigue due to chronic anemia as well as dermatillomania). There is no way that someone looking at me would know of these issues.

 

It also seems to me that choosing not to do what is necessary to hear/benefit from the sermon means that I must choose to pay more attention to the people around me/their comfort than to what I am at church for--to learn about God and worship him.

 

I also don't understand why it is okay for those around me to sit in judgment of my choice (irreverent vs. trying my best to participate and benefit from the sermon). Why can't people give each other the benefit of the doubt and focus on making sure their own hearts are focused on the Lord?

__________________

:D:D:iagree: Well put. If I knew I could knit without controversy in church I probably would absorb more of the sermon.

[gardenmom5]

because NT people do NOT need to "do something else" in order to listen well, so it appears to others as if you are not listening at all. Most people would find doing something else while listening to a sermon distracting, and the constant motion of yarn and hook/needles can in fact be distracting to others.

[JFSinIL]

To me, it says, "You're too boring to have my full attention."

 

That, plus it may be distracting for folks sitting nearby. I would find the movement, caught out of the corner of my eye, a major irritant (like when folks kick their feet or tap etc.) I actually have been known to get up and leave a room (sensory problem, ya' think?)

[KungFuPanda]

I don't think it's irreverent really, and I certainly wouldn't call anyone on it IRL. (Wouldn't work in mass anyway with the stand-sit-kneel-shake hands-your hour is over format anyway). I do think the incessant repetitive motion is distracting.

 

If my 11-year-old tossed and caught a small ball during a sermon, everyone would take issue . . . even IF he did it noiselessly, never tossed the ball higher than his head, and was the type who could attend better while moving. It's the motion.

[6packofun]

But the reverse could be true. Why "share" your focus on God's word during church with anything else AND possibly be a distraction to others?

 

I'm sure some people are judgmental in a mean way and that's between them and God. But I tell my kids that they are part of a body of worshipers and we never want to hinder anyone from hearing from God. Yes, I get that some people like to use their hands and it doesn't necessarily bother me (it really depends on how fidgety and noisy a person is, knitting/crocheting or not), but I can see why some people might be opposed.

 

My dd16 loves to draw. She can do it quietly, however I've asked her to keep it to a minimum because she *could* be taking notes or reading along in her Bible more AND people tend to want to see what she's doing! The focus should not be on her and her hobby, but on God. Kwim?

[sparrow]

I've only attended church about a dozen times in my adult life, but I recall one woman, who sat in the front of the church, and crocheted through the service. I did find myself watching her, but I don't feel it distracted me from what was being said.

[Live2Ride]

To me, it wouldn't be about you crocheting. It would be about me. Why was I focusing on you crocheting instead of paying attention to the sermon? You crocheting in church is between you and God. Me watching you crocheting and spending time judging you (unless you were a very noisy crocheter) is between me and God.

 

:iagree: It is not our place to judge anyone and I've had to repent of it myself.

 

Atleast the person is there.

 

Everyone in my building knows that I am a super active, fidgety, brain going 90 miles a minute kind of gal. I bring small projects that will fit into my lap or bag laid next to me when I'm having a particularly hairy day (dishclothes, a small scarf, etc). If anyone has a problem then that's their issue. But, I do sit on the very front row with my family by ourselves and my good friend and her family sit behind us,lol...only the bishopric really see us and half the time I see their peepers trying to stay open :tongue_smilie: probably wishing they had something to do with their hands too. :D

[Teachin'Mine]

Just how long are your sermons??? It's sounding like they're way longer than the 15 minutes or so that I'm used to?

[mommaduck]

I grew up with some ladies cross-stitching in evening service. I have knitted and crocheted a few times in services, due to health issues also.

 

Chucki is right, the rosary is good for that (Orthodox have prayer rope instead of a rosary though). Also, having a more "congregational participation" type of service (crossing oneself, standing, sitting, kneeling, turning).

 

I don't think this is something we should be quick to judge though. Let it be between them and the pastor/priest. (though it would be awkward in our services...someone would get injured)

Edited December 4, 2011 by mommaduck

[kolamum]

*I* would not be bothered by it despite saying "not during a church service". I said that because I think that most people within a church would feel it was disrespectful and you not listening. I also thought with KNITTING needles they'd go "clickety clack" disturbing other people.

 

 

I don't think it would mean you WERE disrespectful or inattentive. Not like the lady writing Christmas cards to her friends because she all ready heard the sermon. ;) Not like the person making louds noises as they snore, or the person clipping their fingernails weekly in the middle of the sermon. :lol:

[mommaduck]

*I* would not be bothered by it despite saying "not during a church service". I said that because I think that most people within a church would feel it was disrespectful and you not listening. I also thought with KNITTING needles they'd go "clickety clack" disturbing other people.

 

 

I don't think it would mean you WERE disrespectful or inattentive. Not like the lady writing Christmas cards to her friends because she all ready heard the sermon. ;) Not like the person making louds noises as they snore, or the person clipping their fingernails weekly in the middle of the sermon. :lol:

Not wood needles :)

[Cindyg]

There is no question that cross stitching, or playing with a fidget, or combing out my dog's hair, or playing a simple game on my iPhone would help me listen significantly better. There's just no question. If I sit immobile, I drift off. I just can't help it. This doesn't happen only at church, but also during a movie or any other lecture of more than about 5 minutes.

 

Having said all that, there is no way in the world that I would do any of the activities I mentioned above during church. If I saw somebody else doing it, it would be very hard for me to not think poorly of them. (But I will remember what you said.) I just don't think it's proper church decorum.

 

It's part of the beauty of homeschooling -- that my son CAN play with Legos or juggle or stand on his head while he listens. I know that improves listening.

[joannqn]

Just how long are your sermons??? It's sounding like they're way longer than the 15 minutes or so that I'm used to?

 

15 minutes? Ours are about 45 minutes or so. The entire service is about an hour and a half with a rather unusual format: 2 songs, announcements, 1 song, sermon, 2-3 songs during which we take communion. We meet in a high school common area, sitting in really uncomfortable plastic chairs that I can't manage to sit upright in for an hour no matter how hard I try.

[Colleen in NS]

Just how long are your sermons??? It's sounding like they're way longer than the 15 minutes or so that I'm used to?

 

I don't know who you are asking, but ours are 45 min. - 1 hour.

[lllll]

..

Edited December 25, 2012 by ksva

[Harriet Vane]

To me, it says, "You're too boring to have my full attention."

 

I hope this thread, and my perspective/experience, can change your perceptions of this. Seriously--at least in my case, it's really not a matter of boredom. I get sleepy and fidgety no matter how interested I am in the subject matter. I have tried everything.

 

I spent literally decades trying to pay attention better, especially in church. It all came to a head several months before I was diagnosed with anemia. The all-encompassing exhaustion I was experiencing was my constant companion, and I was having real issues with focus and attention. At the same time, there were some unhappy issues at church that made our time there emotionally challenging. Yet, it was absolutely essential for me to continue in worship with my church. I took up crochet out of sheer desperation. The first 4-5 months my husband and I would sneak up to the choir loft (no-one sat up there) so that I could crochet secretly. It helped so very, very much. It actually kept me from leaving the church.

 

Because it helped so much, I grew braver about crocheting among the congregation. Yes, I sit in the back, and the projects I work on are uncomplicated and small. Even though the iron supplements I take have helped my attention difficulties, I do still struggle. My need to crochet has NOTHING to do with how boring the speaker is, and everything to do with my own, very real human failings. I wish it were otherwise.

 

I hope my experience can help you change your perceptions of someone who chooses as I have.

[Heather in Neverland]

For me the ENTIRE church service... The singing, the prayer, and the sermon... Is an act of worship and should be treated as such. YMMV.

[Harriet Vane]

Oh, but it MAKES you hear better. I was amazed at how this works. Something complex, like counting stitches, etc, no, but just rote finger movement and the EYEs trained upon it make my ears MAGICALLY alert. So, any who think they are being shunned are being ignorant.

 

One can explain how it trains the ears to the voice. If the person still doesn't believe it, they are calling me a liar, and I would then truly shun them. What fool does not know that people deeply resent being called liars.

 

:iagree:

[Harriet Vane]

Some people simply can't always pay attention to one thing at a time. If you can, then I'm jealous but just because you can't doesn't mean you should assume the same is true for everyone.

 

I recently read Dreamers, Discoverers & Dynamos in an attempt to better understand my DS8. I found many revelations about him and even more about myself. There is a form of mental multitasking called dyphasic thinking, defined in the book as "carrying on two lines of thought at the same time." The book discusses multitasking in this way: "The Edison-trait child uses stimulation as high-test fuel. For optimal performance she's got to go full throttle and mentally move at freeway speeds. If she goes too slowly, her mind sputters and stalls. That is why when she is understimulated--going school-zone speed--her mind starts to think of other things at the same time. The stimulation of multitasking revs her engine up for her, so she can pick up needed speed."

 

I have done this my whole life. I don't think I've ever had fewer than 2-3 thoughts in my head at a time. I specifically remember being called out by the professor one day in one of my college courses. He asked if I was paying attention because I was doodling away furiously in my notebook. I said I was. He didn't believe me and (rather pompously :lol:) said, "OK then, tell the class what I just said." I repeated about the last five sentences of what he had just said, verbatim, then asked if that was enough or if I should have gone back farther. He said that was enough. :tongue_smilie:

 

Anyway, simultaneously working at a quiet activity doesn't mean someone is too boring to warrant my full attention. It means that I can sometimes only give my full attention by diverting some of my excess mental energy. Honestly, the insult is made even more offensive by the fact that I am jealous of those who can make their minds be still. I crave a still mind. Truly.

 

VERY intriguing. Thank you for sharing this.

 

I especially appreciate the bolded.

[Caitilin]

15 minutes? Ours are about 45 minutes or so. The entire service is about an hour and a half with a rather unusual format: 2 songs, announcements, 1 song, sermon, 2-3 songs during which we take communion. We meet in a high school common area, sitting in really uncomfortable plastic chairs that I can't manage to sit upright in for an hour no matter how hard I try.

 

Teachin'Mine is used to the Catholic Mass, in which the sermon or homily is only a small, a relatively insignificant part of the the service as a whole. The Mass is focused on biblical readings in the first half, during the Liturgy of the Word, and on the Eucharist/Communion in the second half, during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. :001_smile:

Edited December 4, 2011 by Caitilin

[Harriet Vane]

That, plus it may be distracting for folks sitting nearby. I would find the movement, caught out of the corner of my eye, a major irritant (like when folks kick their feet or tap etc.) I actually have been known to get up and leave a room (sensory problem, ya' think?)

 

The thing is--people are all different. What is comfortable for one will be uncomfortable for another. Life truly is a series of compromises in order to get along together. I don't see why everyone in a group has to have things just exactly their way--we make compromises out of love for one another.

[Harriet Vane]

Just how long are your sermons??? It's sounding like they're way longer than the 15 minutes or so that I'm used to?

 

Goodness. Yes' date=' our sermons are much longer. At my current church and at my former church they are about [i']45 minutes[/i] long. Prior to that I spent seven years in a church with a 3-hour service, four hours if pastor was feeling inspired. At that church the sermon itself was more than an hour. At that particular church I actually would leave midway and eat a secret snack in a secret place because I just couldn't make it through BOTH Sunday School and that long service without something to keep my blood sugar going.

[Colleen in NS]

For me the ENTIRE church service... The singing, the prayer, and the sermon... Is an act of worship and should be treated as such. YMMV.

 

Our church went through a period of time of talking about wanting to see people doing artistic things as *acts of worship*, during the music and sermon times. (or maybe it was just during the music time, I can't remember) I remember them encouraging people to do things like painting, drawing, dancing (more common in some churches already anyway); so why not crochet and knit.

 

One thing is clear to me here - different people handle the sitting still parts of a church service differently, and different churches do, too. I don't think any of it is right or wrong.

[gardenmom5]

The thing is--people are all different. What is comfortable for one will be uncomfortable for another. Life truly is a series of compromises in order to get along together. I don't see why everyone in a group has to have things just exactly their way--we make compromises out of love for one another.

 

does that mean that you as a crocheter will make compromises for the distraction you are causing someone else by choosing to sit further back so your constant motion will not distract someone who needs quiet and calm in order to focus?

[Colleen in NS]

does that mean that you as a crocheter will make compromises for the distraction you are causing someone else by choosing to sit further back so your constant motion will not distract someone who needs quiet and calm in order to focus?

 

Yes. See what she already wrote.

 

The first 4-5 months my husband and I would sneak up to the choir loft (no-one sat up there) so that I could crochet secretly.

 

Yes, I sit in the back, and the projects I work on are uncomplicated and small.

[Harriet Vane]

does that mean that you as a crocheter will make compromises for the distraction you are causing someone else by choosing to sit further back so your constant motion will not distract someone who needs quiet and calm in order to focus?

 

Yes. I sit in the back, and always on the aisle. This is as much to give me easy access to the bathroom as anything else, though. :lol:

 

I also specifically choose small projects that are uncomplicated.