An old friend of mine asked a question on FB this morning that got my wheels turning, and to be honest I'm thinking maybe it was a sign. This past Sunday night we went to church with my husband's parents. This is nothing out of the ordinary for us, and it's not unusual to find us in a church. Of course, it's also not unusual to find us at home in our beds on Sunday mornings instead of at a church service.
Anyway. Sunday afternoon was interesting to say the least. With a healthy theological debate between my husband and his mother (with myself very rarely putting in my two cents), then dinner in exchange for going to church with them (a trade not even necessary, lol), and then a message that was actually the first in a while of interesting sermons. It got my brain thinking about how much I used to LOVE being a part of my church as a teenager. I was very blessed to attend a church with some of my best friends, and grow up knowing that the rest of the congregation loved us and wanted us to excel in our Christian walks. I was never deprived of experience in missions, or of knowledge of the Bible. Our youth group was extremely small (consisting of maybe 5 or 6 of us) and we have all since grown up and grown apart. That doesn't change the fact that my biblical education was extensive and I had some of the best mentors for a walk with God that a teenager can ask for. Even now some of these adults who impacted my life may not realize that they did in such a profound way.
Which is why when this old friend posted to her wall asking everyone "What is your religion? What denomination? And Why?" it really struck a cord because I've been thinking on this so much lately. I have yet to find as an adult a church that stimulates me as much as I was a teen. I have fallen very far from God, not necessarily by choice alone. As an adult I have enjoyed going to Clarksville's First Church of the Nazarene, where I found the worship to be awesome and the people to be friendly and welcoming. However, I have had one issue that to some is small but to me is not. I want to learn. I feel as though while the sermons are entertaining, I'm not learning anything new! So when we attended church with the in-laws on Sunday evening it put me in a good mood. For the first time in a few years I listened to a sermon that was interactively showing me verses from the Bible. I heard "Stand with me while we read this passage" and I heard a pastor speak directly of Christ's love for us as his disciples. It was stimulating and joyful. I'm not going to lie. I've never been a fan of hymns, and the slower pace of smaller churches was once upon a time quite dull for me. But how intensely thought provoking is it that on the same day I tell my mother in law of my need for more biblical knowledge and opportunity to learn more, do we attend with them and I receive just that?
So I suppose in answer to my friend's question, I would say "I am a Christian, having accepted Christ as my Savior. I am a tried and true Southern Baptist, because it was my first, and now my last, way of teaching/learning about God where I felt I was truly getting what God intended for me to learn about His love for me. I don't have a church that I attend regularly because for so long I was in the wrong place. I hope to remedy that soon , because I'm eager to get back where I belong. Until then? I'll be exploring God on my own, with a Beth Moore bible study that one of my best friends as a teenager gave to me. Experiencing God, in case you were wondering. And yes, friend, I'd love to have someone join me in this if you are willing. "
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