When Church Actually Works

Many people turn their heads or up their noses when they hear the word “church”. For some, memories of starched pants, hard candy, and a red-faced preacher emerge. For others, nauseating feelings settle in as accusations of pedophilia are considered. And for others, the thoughts of church, God, and the Bible are merely preposterous.

There were times in my life where faith and God were not a part of it at all. Perhaps they were there in the back of my psyche, but they weren’t a living part of who I was. There were times where I prayed occasionally and went to church occasionally, but my faith wasn’t anywhere close to being an active part of my life.

Spirituality was absent from my life for various reasons. Many people I knew were skeptics and to be honest, I was too. It all seemed a little too good to be true, but isn’t that the point of faith? Further, I never felt completely comfortable in church. I felt like everyone was doing this and that during the week, then coming to church in their Sunday best hiding the truth behind straightened ties and heavy make-up.

Finally, within the past two years, I’ve begun a true spiritual journey that means something to me, that I can tell is affecting my life for the better. I owe all of this to finding a church and a pastor that have convinced me that church, God, and the Bible may not be so absurd after all.

Our church doesn’t only welcome the weakest and most hopeless, we seek them out and ask them to come sit beside us in the pews. This means something to me. My pastor who is well-educated, articulate, honest, and passionate encourages us to go into the world and live a life of intention, purpose and adventure. This means something to me.

I work out my thoughts and feelings through words. Whether I talk it out or sit down and write, words help me sort through the tangled mess in my mind. A number of people I’m close with have been struggling with illness or loss as of late, and I’ve felt more hopeful than ever before. Even more hopeful than at times in my life when everything was “perfect”.

I’m not sure what the point of this post is other than to tell one story out of billion.  Maybe it’s not the type of spirituality I’ve found that will help you be more calm and hopeful in a world that’s so horribly confusing, but there is something for you too. Don’t give up until you find it.