…In churches, that is. Chuck and I tried a few last year, and being the picky and critical little Christians that we are, we remained vastly displeased and gave up altogether.
Yesterday I tried one that I’d had a positive hunch about for a while – just a middle sized Methodist church near the beach. As soon as the pastor started talking about how life isn’t sunshine and roses just because you are a Christian, I was hooked. One of my biggest issues with churches these days is the false sense of security they’re giving people. I’m tired of all the “look to the Lord and He will fix your problems because we are special” bull crap. Umm, no. Doesn’t quite work that way, Reverend. Not even for the original Christians who were actually good at it.
Anyway, the service was Biblical, relateable, and even-keeled. I learned something from it. The community was not too big or too small. People actually noticed I was new and came to say hi. The congregation was mixed with the old, the young, and children. There were plenty of embedded support and mission focuses that I liked – hunger, children, military families (that’s me!)
Definitely beats the hokey rock star churches Chuck and I tried last fall, so I think I’ll just stick with this one. I hope it continues to please! I’m really just looking for a supportive community and an engaging approach to Biblical study. I would love to get some sort of intellectual connection with the pastor. I have so many questions and am fascinated by many religious/theological topics! I just have a hard time discussing it with the 100% spiritually focused… so I am encouraged by what I’ve seen so far.
Maybe now I won’t be such a lazy heathen anymore 🙂