So yesterday I wrote about my last month of life which has all been linked with the same feeling of how a pea must feel...sitting in a pot of pea soup.  It's thick, its foggy, it's dark...and well, quite frankly... it's a bit lonely!  Of course, there are lots of other peas floating around with me... some more mashed than others (how punny) but all in all... unless I were to swim around, I wouldn't know there were any other peas in this big thick pot of "life."


At least let me say that based on texts, comments and FB posts... I am not the only one feeling like a vegetable these days...or feeling like someone shut the lights out on my world... so I think this is a post we can "go through together."  What do you say?  Let's do it.... lets be peas...and "filled with peas."  (Get it.... peas/peace?)  I might have lost it.


Okay, enough with the analogies... I'm either feeling sheepish for so much "close to potty talk" references to peas or feeling bloated at the thought of eating pea soup... how bout I get to the topic, eh?

Nope.  I have to go back to the peas.... but let's stop being like my kids who pretend to be Skippy Jon Jones for a minute and quit calling it "Inner Peas" and really talk about Inner Peace.

THAT IS HOW YOU KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE THROUGH PEA SOUP

Inner peace.

Not the kind you can get from smokin something.  Not the kind you can get from simply taking a few deep breaths.... (fine print... deep breaths are ALWAYS helpful to slow yourself down when you need it.) but that alone will not get you Inner Peace.

It only comes from within your spirit.... and in your spirit resides your creator.  Guess who?

(Perhaps I have watched far too much kids programming lately after having a sinus infection and flu for the last 10 days but I"m thinking of Phineas and Ferb's character Dr. Doofenshmirtz who might say something at this point "Why is this lady always talking about Jesus... I mean its like she can't have a blog post without mentioning the guy... as if he is the only solution.  I'll have to go make a Jesusinator."

Well, as much as I might be all over the place here... it's true.  Jesus is the only one who can satisfy that anxiousness or lost feeling in our soul.  If you believe in God and his son Jesus, then you know that he was the author and creator of you... he's the very center of you.  And if you don't currently believe in God and his son Jesus... now would be a great time....because He is the only thing that can offer you a ladle to climb on out of the foggy soup..... and transform you from "pea" to "peace."

One day I am convinced I will look back on this post and wonder if I got enough sleep last night.

Let me help you friends to get very practical with this.  I'm going to give you my "foggy" story (aka announcement) to help connect the dots... find the ladle... and walk in ASSURED peace.  Because like everything...there's a Jesus component and a "You" component to making this work.

At the end of November we were asked to take on a very big project.  Big.  BIG.

BIG.

Chris and I didn't want to.  We had just settled down... for a long winter's nap.  (Twas the night before Christmas line...did you catch it?)  Anyhoo... life was good.  We felt like we had just enough on our plate to begin to relax now that we were fully transitioned in Seattle, school, neighborhood, church, old friends, new friends... you get it.

But how many of us know "Good" can be the enemy of "Great?"

You see... we as people want a "good life."  But God promises us a "great life."  

"I know that my God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I could ask or imagine because of the power that works in me."  Ephesians 3:20

Mmmm... so I do I continue with "good" (comfortable) or do I go for "great" (stretching.)

Ahhhhh.... but life is so good when it's comfortable.

Truth be told... however... I believe so many of us don't make choices that move us from comfortable to stretching because it gets foggy... it gets scary.... we have to spend a lot of time in faith... in the darkness.  I also believe:

If you haven't seen fruit of things promised or hoped for and you give up....you will never receive it!

That's the price of staying comfortable.

So what did I do?  

1. I prayed... a lot.  Now don't get any funky "religious" ideas...the Bible says that God hates our "religious rhetoric" for the sake of being pious or looking "holy."  Prayer is just conversation with God.... like picking up a phone and talking to your perfect Father.  (Don't Facetime.... it won't work... you'll get that in Heaven... so for now, it's just cell time but the minutes don't go on your plan.)  We teach our kids to pray at night like they were reading a letter out loud to him... "Dear God... thank you for today... thank you for helping me with my test... please help me in "x" situation, etc."  So I prayed a lot about the choice in front of me.
2. I read my Bible.  Did you know that the Bible is a "LIVING, BREATHING" document?  Try praying for God to reveal himself to you and then read some of your bible (I recommend the gospels first) but you'll be amazed that words almost seem highlighted...your heart leaps... you see something in a new way that TOTALLY applies to your situation at hand.  Do you ever remember being in trouble as a kid or teenager and then you watch a show with your parents and it seems like the show was about the same thing you just got busted for?  (Anyone else get busted a lot... just me?   Great.)  Anyway, God does the same thing with the Bible.
3. Talk to wise counsel.  Hey, if they don't love God... they ain't counsel... they are just great friends and supporters...but don't confuse the two.

If you have done all these things... I promise you... God will give you peace (peas...tee hee) about the road you are to take.  Remember that: In all your ways acknowledge Him

And He will direct your path.  (Proverbs 3:6)

And so, we as a family chose to follow him.  Again.  Into new territory.  And I am doing it with Peace. A peace that surpasses all understanding.... that is inexplicable.... because on the outside it looks unexpected, surprising and wow... "didn't see that coming."  But on the inside... it's amazing peace.

THE TURNLEY'S ARE MOVING TO 

AUSTIN, TEXAS!

Yep...that is right, y'all!  We have been asked with the Malouff family (Children's pastors at The City Church to help them start a church in Austin Texas.  Chris will be serving as the Executive Pastor (aka C.O.O.) and continuing his NVP role at Iron Mountain.  We move in July after school and sports are out, but in time for my oldest to get plugged into "Football Country."  We are thrilled, excited, full of anticipation and wonderment.  Counting the cost was heavy...so many friends, our family, our church.... but when God puts the ladle into the pot to get you out of the fog and see your next step... you gotta take it!  

Check us out at: www.expressionchurch.com

Umm... and yes... I'll be writing more about this later... and I'm sure the mom stories will make a comeback next week... now that I'm not drinking NyQuil and Benadryl as a cocktail, my full brain-power should be alive and kicking within days!!!

Floating in Pea Soup

I can just hear it now:

9 year old: "Teeeee hheeeeeee heeeee"
6 year old: "Mom, you can't say that.  That is potty talk."
3 year old: "Mom, you just said Pee!" (Giggling)

No.  Not floating in pee... although I admit, I've seen plenty of pee where it wasn't supposed to be, but I'm talking about the vegetable pea for just a few minutes.

Why on earth would I blog about this?

Wind your memory back just a week or so ago when the Seattle area was snuggly wrapped up in the thickest layer of fog I can remember.  (For my loyal readers in other locales, just work with me on this.)  This was the kind of fog that wasn't all "majestic as the morning sun filtered through, illuminating the fog as if it were clouds from heaven."  No.  This was the " so thick you wondered if an asteroid hit the earth and the sun was gone forever, I-empathize-with-Triceratops-thick."  It was the "all of the light sensors are still on and the street lights couldn't tell if it was day or night" thick.

Bone chilling damp and cold.

Now, as I'm typing this, I realize that "chilling damp cold" has nothing to do with being in a hot pot of soup....but you know that saying when the fog is "as thick as pea soup?"  Okay, THAT was the connection I was going for.

After day six of solid fog, I finally decided that the fog must be the Ark of the Covenant of God... you know, in the old testament when Moses was leading his peeps through the wilderness out of Egypt... the presence of God hovered above his people to show the way... a cloud during the day and a fire by night.

(I realize so many of you are like, "No, Erin, I don't know" but isn't that GREAT that you got some bible in you today without even having to get off your chair?)

You're Welcome.

No, seriously, it hit me that the fog was such an illustration of my heart.  What do I mean by that?

Well, sometimes we have a period of our lives where things are crystal clear.  Clear as a whistle.  You get my point, right?  I mean, we know where we are at in life, where we are headed and what our target is.  We are driven, we are pushing hard, we are prioritizing, on task, and kickin' some tail.

Then there are times we feel quite the opposite... like we are in the spin cycle of life...getting tossed around and we don't know what side is up.  Man, I hate those times!

But in between the two spectrums, there is that foggy haze that we can sometimes find ourselves in.  No, it's not because we have a head cold, but it's as if we knew where we were headed, and we know where we want to end up but it's those next few steps that we can no longer see the ground.

I don't know about you, but when I have to walk in a space where I cannot see a bloody thing, I am hesitant to take steps.  (Ever had to stumble down the stairs in the pitch dark?)

It is in these times that we have a couple of choices:

1.  We can start running blindly, grasping for whatever we can hold onto...good... or bad.
2.  We can be patient and wait for the fog to lift.  Because eventually, it does.

"I am with you always, even until the end of days."  Matthew 28:20
"I will never leave you, nor forsake you."  Deuteronomy 31:8
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

You see, sometimes things aren't clear, because the road ahead of you needs to be repaired.  You can't walk there yet because God has to work some other things out...sometimes in you...sometimes in others.  And when we wait patiently for that fog to lift... the outcome is ALWAYS BETTER than when we try and force the issue.... race blindly through the fog, running into this or that.  You'll exhaust yourself and likely come out black and blue, quite frankly.

Now don't mistake what I'm laying down here... being in the fog can also be a time that God is asking us to "walk by faith."  I am certainly not encouraging you, if you find yourself in a patchy fog of life, to simply give up and go take a nap until it lifts.  No.

Instead, I'm asking you to be at peace during times of fog.  Know that your Lord will never leave you or forsake you.  Know that he's constantly working in your life.  Stay in the direction you were set to go.... and by faith.... continue your journey even though you don't know where your next step will take you.  That, my friends, is the "foggy" walk of faith.... the "being a pea" in the soup of life.

December was a very, very, very "pea soup" kind of month in my life....and the fog has lifted....and the path is clear.......


and...

You'll have to tune in tomorrow to hear what path was revealed...... but it's a BIGGIE!!!!

The (Un)Giving Holiday Tree

A post from December that succumbed to the busy holiday season and was left, pitiful, in the "draft" section of my blog.  I hope you'll find the post dated, but still appropriate~

I know a lot of people who seize the New Year with all sorts of resolutions and goals.  I think that is fantastic... a ship ain't going very far if you don't aim it in a direction.  Aside from overflowing Gym parking lots and ingredients like "whole grain, bulgur and Quinoa" flying off the shelf, a lot of people simply take the New Year to purge.

Perhaps it's because they need to make room for the gross, insane amount of presents that they have just accumulated (hmmm... opinionated guess?,) or perhaps it is just part of the "new year, new start" campaign.  Whatever the reason, I think it's great.  I'm absolutely blown away by the amount of things we keep and never use.  I have become acutely aware of this over the last four years, as our family has been professionally relocated twice.  (No, not part of the witness protection program... I know that is what many of you might have thought.)  Nope, God called us to Chicago and then God called us right back home, 3 years later.  Both times, we were fortunate enough to have a professional moving company that came in and packed every single possession of ours into a semi-truck.  I was amazed at how fast they could take a fully "lived-in" house and have it completely contained in boxes and shrink-wrap.  I was ALSO amazed at how much crap we owned... as I unpacked between dozens of post-it notes and empty binders.  (I cannot make this stuff up.)

Now you might be ready to nominate me for the show "Hoarders" but I will tell you, I purge all the time.  If you come visit my house, you will always find two boxes; one headed for Goodwill and the other for a local children's agency.  But when you are unpacking an entire box of empty binders, you start to get sick to your stomach... in a grossed out, over-indulgent, "what the heck was I planning on doing with these anyway?" sort of way.

I don't know, maybe it was because I got tired of trying to stuff and cram the clothes into my kids' dressers...or maybe it was remembering the infliction of pain a I stepped on one too many Happy Meal toys....but whatever it was, I was sick of it.  Sick of the "abundance" in our house.  Sick of the, "I'm so bored" response if the iPad or DS ran out of batteries.  God forbid, we had a "no electronics day;" despite my rattling off the 37 games or toys they could play with that were simply sitting idle in their closets.

And then there was the "gimme" monster.  Every time my husband came back from a week out of town, the kids would ask, "What did you get me?"  I really wanted to huck an airplane packet of salted peanuts at their heads by the 3rd week in a row.  How about this, "We got you a DAD!  How's that?  He came HOME...to see you.... to be in your life...THAT is what we got you!!!!!"

(Deep breath.  Quick...need some scripture.... feeling rage boil up....)


So, much like a fish headed up stream (shocking, I know,) I forced a family purge a few weeks ago...BEFORE the presents came in.

Now, I'm not dummy to the selfishness that dwells within us.  Add that reality with the fact that I'd be dealing with children and I knew I would have to start small.  My kids were not ready for my kind of purge.  After all, I come from a mother who will hold something up and if you can't tell her the last time you used the item in less than 2.3 seconds, she chucks it into the Plastic Bag.  (No, not the cute little ones you put in your bathroom trash can, I'm talking contractor-strength, big black ones.)

Baby steps.

So, I began with a small, clear, plastic bin.  I didn't have the courage to ask them to start bigger.

Okay...Okay... fine... I'll admit it...there was "slightly" less to go through because in an afternoon of disgust I grabbed a target bag and chucked a handful of God knows what into it and sealed the bag.  Okay...Okay...fine...so perhaps that bag contained a very small stuffed animal that my son realized was missing the very next evening while he was being tucked in.  (How, on earth, that happens (realizes one is missing), when the kid possesses about 47 stuffed animals and 15 of them are probably no larger than my fist, blows my mind.)  Like a good mom I dug into the trash can, retrieved the bag, found the missing "lovie" and returned him to his room without any further ado.  Not while he was there, of course....but the next day when I could covertly retrieve the chucked item without letting him onto the fact that there might be additional carnage in the garbage can.

Hey, let's get me off of the "mom of the year" chopping block, shall we?  Back to selfish little kids.   :) My husband and I sat our kids down with a clear plastic bin and proceeded into a long diatribe about starving children of the world, children without moms and dads who live in orphanages and a whole bunch of other stuff that I can't even remember.  I'm pretty sure at about the 1:21 mark my children's eyes had glazed over and in their heads, my voice was being translated like Charlie Brown's teacher: ("Mwaa waaa was, bwaa buh baaaaaa.")

I was losing them fast.

"Cut to the bottom line, Turnley," I thought.

"So we are going to bless some other children by giving them 5 of your toys, 2 books, 2 stuffed animals and a shirt."  We are generous and blessed to be a blessing."

Okay, this is months ago and I'm laughing as I'm writing this.  I cannot even begin to paint a picture of the panic-stricken looks on their faces.  I mean, you would have thought I just told them their entire bedroom just burnt down in a heap of flames.  Then came the mouths..... wide open..... oh....here come the tears.... now the "out-loud" sobs.....

"No.... Not our stuffed animals!!!!  Nooooooooooooo!"

I have to be honest with you; I just wasn't quite prepared for sobbing 6 and 9 year olds.  My husband and I just looked at each other quickly and caved as if we were sappy parents of a first-born.  "Okay!," we cried... "Just one animal...just one, but you have to increase a toy or book."

My six year old looks me square in the eye and says, "Fine.  I know what book I'm giving away.... my 'Mama do you love me?' book.  Because the answer seems to be 'NO!'"  With that, he stomped up the stairs, his sobbing brother close behind him.

Wow.  Where did we go wrong?  Did we not model being generous ourselves?  Clearly, we half expected Child Protection Services to knock on our door at any given moment!

To our surprise, our kids came down just minutes later with their "box" of giveaways.  

"Wow!," I thought, they had changes of heart....what great, GENEROUS boys we have!

A summary of the boxes:

• Silly bands from 2010 (you know the ones that are banned in school, gyms, etc? and serve absolutely no purpose at this point in time?)  The first time around, each band counted as a toy.  We said "no way" and sent them back upstairs.
• Lego Magazines as books
• Shirts?  Oh this was good...they donated their school shirts (we make them wear collared shirts for school despite the fact there is no formal dress code at their school.)  How generous to donate one of your collared shirts.  (still chuckling at that one)
• An army figure with missing legs. 
• A pokemon trading card
• Perhaps, just perhaps (my memory is getting fuzzy now), there was a car or two, some loose legos and whatever else happened to be under the night stand.

Hmmmm... maybe not as generous as I had hoped.

So why do I share this story of, what in my mind, was an absolute failure in terms of teaching my children to share and be generous?

We must learn generosity.  We are not born with it.

We were designed to live generously...but, we are no longer born with that original design.  (Darn that sneaky snake, Adam, Eve and their eviction notice from the Garden of Eden!)

I'll admit...whoowee...it's hard to be naturally generous.  In fact, I recently attended a good friend's birthday party and we took some time to go around the room and share the qualities we most admired in her life.  Time and time again, friends spoke of her generosity.  

(I prayed out loud that God would make ME a more generous person.)   

It's easy to give away our worn out clothes.  It's not as easy to give things that are most precious to us.

We could take a whole month to discuss generosity, but I think I just wanted to illustrate that generosity can never be emphasized enough.  The best image I have ever seen of generosity is learning how to live with an open palm, instead of a closed fist.

Let's face it...most of us live with a closed fist when it comes to our belongings and our cash.  But what would or could happen if we released our clutched fingers and began to live with an open palm?  And I'm not just talking about giving our old stuff away to the Goodwill truck instead of consigning everything.  That's a great start!  But what if we just adopted the attitude of letting things go when we felt our heart tugging?  How often have we discouraged our children to not give away their best lego set, favorite doll or toy away to a friend?  We are killing the very generosity they are trying to walk out in their own lives!  (Oh...conviction as I speak...there was 2-3 therapist appointment revelations right there!!!)  Who cares if they give it away?  If they want to bless someone, go for it kiddo... I want you to experience how good it feels to give!

What about you?  How can we, as adults, model open-handed living?  Can we pray that God would help us see more opportunities to give without strings attached?  To fulfill someone's need?  To not put limits on who, when or how often we give of our resources?

I'll admit, there are parts of the Bible that are like a warm, comfy blanket.  Then there are parts that can feel a bit like a frying pan on the side of the head.  Perhaps the sting comes from knowing I need to change that which is being spoken to me.  So, a warning...this may be a blankie or a pan:

Deuteronomy 15:10

The Message (MSG)

10-11 Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.

Now, if you are applying an ice pack to your head and clutching your heart... then take this in for some comfort:


Romans 8:32
32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Luke 6:38

38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

This last one is important because it's used a lot.  Let me explain the reference is comparing a merchant who is selling grain (the analogy used often in storing "treasure," aka cash.)  A fair or "good" merchant packs down the grain by moving it around in the container or sack before filling it to the top so that it is packed down, yielding the most bounty when they sell it to you.  

And that is how God wants to meet your needs when you live generously.  His blessings won't be full of air and fluff... no...they will be shaken down and pressed together....overflowing...even!

In a world where we, as Americans, live like royalty compared to other countries... I don't think I have to take my kids on an oversea missions trip to get them to catch this vision.  I could spend $6000 to go serve kids in Uganda with my family but then drive right past a man holding a sign on the side of the street.  What hypocrisy.  No, friends, it's easier than than taking a mission trip.  I can teach my kids a generous lifestyle TODAY just by handing out a dollar bill, a sandwich, a filled gas can, spare change, canned food, a coat, etc.  I can free myself and my children to give whenever and to whoever.  

I have a hunch, if I model life with an open fist.. the next time we hand them a plastic to fill up, we just might see a different outcome.

Hey....what about you?  How do you teach your kids to live generously?  What are two things you can do in your family to model "open fist" living?  Ask God to show you what that means for you and your family!

Get in the friggin house!

You know it's been awhile since you did something on your computer when it asks you to sign back in.  That was the case with Blogging... yeesh...ouch.  It wasn't that I had plenty to say (as if,) but rather a lack of time to put it into any coherent thought pattern in which someone could understand what I was trying to say.

More than likely, the combination of Dayquil, Nyquil and Mucinex DM was to blame.  I think between my youngest and myself, we completely ran the house out of kleenex, Lysol, toilet paper (when we ran out of Kleenex!) and Vicks Vapor Rub.  By the way, my son thinks the rub is Myrrh from the wise men.  He also told his preschool teacher that you can buy Myrrh in Nevada.  Sometimes I wonder what he learns about in school.  Hmmmmmm....

Anyhoo, my head is clear as a whistle and I'm all fired up.  What's new?  :)
I even met my goal of writing this week...albeit it was a tad late and I'd like to be doing more but I have to eat that elephant one bite at a time.

But, I'm sure, as you are reading this (which means you are scanning FB unless you "join this site" on the right hand side to receive my posts in your inbox... I highly recommend ESPECIALLY if you were hoping to spend less time on FB in 2013!)  Anyhoo.... AGAIN.... if you are reading this on FB then you have probably enjoyed reading everyone's resolutions.  My husband must have whittled off 5 appointments that he had been putting off all of last year... in the first four days of January alone!

Ahhh yes, the gym parking lots were maxed out again, vitamins and weight watcher entrees were on sale at Costco and I'm sure daily devotionals were flying off the bookshelves at the local book stores.

Sadly, maybe not the last one.  Isn't it amazing that we will spend hours and hundreds of dollars on getting our bodies healthy, back into ship-shape (after a full 5 weeks of gluttony, no less) but not invest in our souls?  I'm not saying it's one or the other... but I'm certainly challenging you to look at how you prioritize your goals and resolutions this year.  Yes, of course, I've committed to trying to wipe Gluten out of my diet...and I'm doing it with the full faith that my body will feel better and I will no longer suffer from what seems to be unexplained exhaustion on a daily basis.  But it can't just be about my body.  It can't just be about my diet and exercise.  It can't just even be about my health AND trying to stop watching trashy shows or reading social magazines (lol... AS IF I had time for either of those.)

The point is, our souls are starving.  It's why America is so funny at the beginning of the year... resolutions... go...go...go.... ahhhh...stink...fall off the wagon...darn...try again next year.

The truth is that our mind, body and soul are connected... and treating one while letting the others suffer is like putting a bandaid on your stomach for a stomach ache.  While my example may be preposterous, throwing yourself into a bunch of new habits without finding an anchor for your soul and mind is setting yourself up for the winds of life to blow you around.

I've said it before...(time and time again)...we were not meant to walk this earth alone.  You were created by God... quite frankly... for God so he could enjoy fellowship with you.  God wanted to hang out with you!  He designed you, with all of your quirks, traits and "you-isms!"  And he LOVES you.

But he also gave you free will.  After all, what fun is it to invite a friend over who just sits there and does everything you want to do without offering up any different opinion or personality?  (My oldest would think that ROCKS at first...but after about 45 minutes... having a wet noodle for a friend is no fun.)  So, we can choose to tap into the one who created us...or, slough it off.  It's up to you.

Ahhh.... but there is a catch... we can't just dial God and Facetime him...or Skype him.  We can't walk upstairs to our room and ask him for a hug, or cry on his shoulder.  That intangible essence of him is troubling sometimes, isn't it?  Sure, if we believe in God and accept the fact that he sent his son to abolish all of the laws in the old testament...that he lived a perfect life and died for our sins and then rose again to Heaven.... if we believe that... and believe that Jesus was in fact, the Savior for our lives...then we DO get to meet him face to face when we graduate into Heaven.

But truth be told?  I need a little help down here please!

I have nearly naked women on commercials while my 9 year old is trying to watch a college Bowl game.
I have citizens in my state passing laws to make it legal to smoke weed. Dude!
I have a calendar each week that looks like my mom, my aunt and my 2 grandma's combined.
I can text, tweet, post, poke and more, yet most moms I know are like me and feel isolated in this thing called "life."

So God, how do you propose I work on my mind and soul?

Allright, God was unavailable for comment at the time this article was written.  He did, however, leave instructions for me to forward along.  They are so simple, but I want to break them out into a few posts so I'll leave you with just one for today:

1.  GET TO CHURCH.  Get in HIS house.  THIS SUNDAY.

Why?

Okay, to sass this up a bit...why not?  You have nothing to lose.

Except... maybe... all the junk you've been carrying around with you.  And, I'll admit...that can be pretty scary... because we clutch onto rationalization, "gray area" and justification like a friggin security blanket.  Problem is, it's not a security blanket... it's a set of handcuffs holding you back from being free to do what you were created to do.....

THRIVE!

Look.  You aren't going to church to impress me, impress others or even impress God.  He's going to love you the same, REGARDLESS.  But, there is power, protection and equipping that you will receive when you can get with a bunch of other people, headed the same direction and listening to the word of God.  Find yourself a bible-based church and just go.  I double-dog-dare you to go.

Because friend, if this "I can do it myself" thing was working, publishing houses that churned out "self-help" titles would go out of business.  Last time I checked, they had a pretty healthy row of options at the Barnes & Noble.

Okay, still not convinced?  Chew on this...


Matthew 18:20 / Amplified Bible (AMP)
20 "For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I Am in the midst of them."

You see, when we visit the house of God, we are guaranteed to be in his presence.


Colossians 3:16 / English Standard Version (ESV)
16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

We are living creatures who need daily food to survive.  (I admit, there are times I WISH I could survive off the dew of the earth like the Great Dragon Warrior, but I can't make it more than 8 hours.)  The food is for our body, as a machine, but not for our soul.  Yet, our souls need daily food.  The great news is that we were wired to plug in, connect and receive from our Creator!

ONE PROBLEM

Very few of us really capture what church is for.  Church does not save you from going to hell nor does it  guarantee you into Heaven.  Church is not a place you go to "be seen" doing your good deed for the day.  Church is to:

• Gather with people who believe in God, strengthening your faith by association and time with like-minded people
• Be satisfied, built-up and fed by hearing the Word of God (The Bible)
• Pour yourself into the lives of others... loving your neighbor as yourself 
• Be resourced for the period of time you are not in the House of God

This last one is really critical because as I've mentioned before, let's face it...life looks pretty different Monday thru Saturday for a lot of us.  I mean, if you want to live to God's fullest potential for your life- you are a salmon swimming upstream in a river full of hungry bears!  In my opinion, church is as essential as an extra change of clothes for your potty-training kiddo on a long car ride or gas in your SUV... you just aren't making it much of anywhere without the two!

One last bit of totally unsolicited advice here and then I'll wrap it up:

If you don't find yourself totally satisfied from church...shop for a new one.  Now, hear me out on this.  I'm not saying that you need to become some ultra-demanding attendee at whatever church you go to.  Don't let me see you "rating" the sermons or filling out comment cards that the color of their carpet is soooo 80's.  (Maybe if you dropped something in the offering bucket they'd be able to update that, eh?)  

Because church isn't a "show" or performance.  You are a member,  you are not there just to "receive."  It's not "DANCE, MONKEY (Pastor), DANCE!"  No.  What I mean is that you should leave your service having spent time with God.... church isn't just about rituals... its about an encounter with the living God... a changed heart, not just a head lesson... we can get "head" knowledge from the internet or books.... but we can be changed from the inside out when we gather with others in the presence of God.  Church should encourage, bring hope, joy, grace and mercy to your heart and spirit!

So, it really doesn't matter how you were raised, if you were raised in a particular church or faith... if you don't feel like your soul is getting fed.  I am sad for the many I know who attend a church because it's "the one they grew up with."  But, they will be the first to miss church if their child has a sniffle on Tuesday morning.... or if they want to catch a yoga class. 

Hey, trust me guys, when my husband first made a push to go to church, we simply picked the one down the street from us.  (Believe you me, he did NOT talk about this during the courtship process!!!  I started going to church with him because I was still fresh off the honeymoon and all Innnnnn Luuuuhhhuuuvvvvv but in my heart I had no desire.)  We went for about 4 months but honestly, I would make up ANY excuse to stay at home and miss it.  When we visited another church (mostly to appease my new friend who wouldn't stop inviting us) we drove 25 minutes to this church and have rarely missed a service in the 5 1/2 years we have been there.  What a world of difference the right church makes!  

And... the good news... you'll know.  You will just know when a church is right for you.  I think God makes that really clear.... he doesn't like to play hide and seek with your heart.

Hey, I'd love to hear how church service has changed your life or even your perspective.  "Join" the site on the right to post comments and you'll get my posts directly in your inbox to read at your leisure in the future!