Wow, Church has really changed you....

Two related questions that have also come up a lot in conversation have to do with my involvement with church and our large support network.  The reality is that when you treat your life as an open book, become very transparent and vulnerable with your feelings & situation, then people will respond in ways you could not imagine.  

It also took work and effort on our part to slowly build a support a network of friends, which we didn't know we needed at the time but sure has come in handy these last five years.  This is my lessons learned on how our circle of friends became what it is, and I am so thankful for that.  It is really about the role that church has played in my life. 

While it helps that I am an extravert, Nancy is definitely an intravert.   We offset each other pretty good. I am very public and she is very private.  I do not believe there is anything that unique or special about my personality that enabled this.  

Church is More Than Worship 

For many years, we thought going to church meant attending a worship service for an hour a week.   Then over the course of time and upon reflection, we realized that is such a small portion of what belonging to a body of Christ is so much more.  We also realize that belonging to a good church is like everything else in life.  The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.  

At Clear Lake Presbyterian Church in Houston (CLPC), we went from attending worship one hour a week to:

- Pre-Worship class on Sat at 5:00
- Family Worship on Sat at 6:00
- Dinner with friends from worship from 7:00 - ? every Saturday
- Sarah hung out with youth group after worship for dinner and a movie 
- Josh attended men's Sunday School on Sunday AM
- Sarah attended youth Sunday School on Sunday AM
- Sunday PM, Nancy &  Josh attended small group with 4 other couples 
- Wed PM, Sarah attended mid-week with youth at church 
- Thur AM, Nancy attended Womens BIble Study 
- Friday AM,  Josh attended Men's Breakfast at Denny's 
- In the past, I was also elected an elder and participated in multiple sessions and various committee's

This is all in addition to the social activities we did with the same people who not only we attended church with but also were our social friends.  

We were so inter-connected in multiple ways at CLPC that we can't help but build a close group of friends.   In all of these various interactions, Nancy and I were always pretty active, vocal, open, and transparent.   

I konw many people who are really just comfortable attending church for an hour once a week, sitting in the same pew spot, and just have too much going in their life to get that involved in other areas that the Body of Christ has to offer.   My only advice is still, you get out of church what you put into church. 

Here to Servce & Entertain Me or You or God?  

My views on worship and church also greatly evolved over the years.   I can distinctly remember searching for a church home and trying to find one that "fit me" and "my needs".   I was wanting a service that had music that I liked it (for my entertainment?), that had sermons that would not put me to sleep (again to keep my interest?), and people that would come up and talk to me (to fill my ego and make me feel recognized?).   If they didn't do this, then that church clearly didn't meet my needs.  

Now I know it's not about me at all.   We worship God at worship.   The music, the congregation, the pastor...they are all there to worship God.  They re not there to see how my personal needs can be filled, how can I best be entertained for an hour, and stay awake.  

As part of my other change in understanding, which like this entire topic, I have posted about before, my intentions changed .   I quit seeing who would come talk to me and made an effort to go talk to others.   I quit worrying about what others could do for me and made an effort to reach out to see what I can do for others.   This wasn't complicated to do and just required a little effort on my part to move beyond my seat.  Man, has it ever paid off. 

God Defiinitely Went Before Us

Finding a church home in Brownwood as soon as possible was clearly important.   Once again, God went before us and has provided and guided us in ways we could not possibly imagine.  We visited a few churches but quickly and naturally settled on the local Methodist Church and specifically their Common Grounds service.  This is a fairly new service that is contemporay and meets in their fellowship hall.  It is led by Scotty Crawford, the former youth pastor.   Perfect fit for our family.   Then, unknown to us at the time, Scotty and his family live just a few doors down from us.  In fact, several members of the congregation live on our block.  Things just could not have worked out any better.   We have already been adopted by the congregation and overwhelmed by the support we have received in such a short amount of time.  God continues to provides.

Please Find A Good Church Home

I know the vast majority of you that are reading this are people I konw from church and share these same views already.   However, if you are early in your faith journey, or feel stuck in your faith journey, and feel like it is time to start going to church again...then please seriously pray about it and think about some of these views with an open mind.   I promise that truely being a part of a large body of Christ can be one of the greatest experiences of your life.  You will grow spiritually, get closer to Jesus Christ, expand your support that will be needed at times you can't even imagine, and bring nothing but happiness to you.  That isn't so bad.  

From the Message

Hebrews 10:25
The Message (MSG)

22-25 So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.