Disclaimer: this entry might shock you, it might want to make you slap me and it most probably will change the way you see me so be warned. It's still early to change the page. If you are still interested in reading, go ahead. But know this, I told you so!
Ok I am gonna come right out and say it: I HATE GOING TO MOST CHURCHES! I hate the fake beatific smiles (like putting on a church mask). I hate the tone of just about every pastor and I hate more than anything when I have the feeling like they are going through the motions without them being really in love with God. I hate how they sometimes interpret the Bible to cater to their point of view and I particularly despise them trying to change me into something I am definitely not! I can't live up to the idea of "after today you must sin no more".
Ohhh that felt good!
I am a sinner. I sometimes choose to sin, knowing full well that I am doing this and I will probably change when it pretty well pleases ME. My relationship with God, however, is intimate. It is sometimes very active, sometimes I don't talk to God for weeks and sometimes I even get mad at God because I just don't get what He is doing! I often act like a brat. I see God as my Father, but not a generic one. I have a relationship that has taken many hits throughout its existence, and mostly through bible-thumping preachers! I won't change most of my habits just because a pastor sees my attitude unfit. I rather walk out and find God through my own means instead of in a church.
The reason why I am so much against many churches is that I have been through a lot of them and have actually fallen for a lot of their twisted psychology. That false belief I found many times has made me cold towards false "religion", but has made my conviction about God very strong. Unfortunately, after a bad experience, some of the most well intentioned pursuits of God end here.
BUT as you might have read above, I did not say I HATE GOING TO ALL CHURCHES. I said "MOST". There are the small little gems. There are the small communities of friends who welcome you honestly into their midst and you know that when the rest of your life is going to hell, you can find a listening ear, a friendly word or a hug in these little precious Grace-filled havens. These are God-filled. They don't even have to be adorned with saints and frescoes on every wall to be God-filled. I have the honor of belonging to one of these little gems. And even when I can't go to church every Sunday, they don't condemn me. They open their arms out and welcome the sinner, the broken one, the sick one, and they all pray for me. I even enjoy praying for them too! And more Christian than any Bible verse, any gospel, any song, any testimony, any preaching ever held on a pult, I love my brothers and sisters because before anything, they accept me and love me as a person. They don't preach, they show me God's love through actions. And this, my friends, is what I call home. I have lost count of how many times I have experienced God's mercy fall on me through their willing hands. It always makes my eyes mist up, just thinking about it. This is the Christian life!
I really feel sad for a lot of people who haven't found God because of well meaning christians who force them into conversion and they instead just run the other way. God is not in "the perfect recipe" to becoming a Christian, in the prefabricated prayer booklet to become a convert. God is not into thomping you on the head with a bible to memorize its verses and make you "understand God's ways". God is in the kind words, in the attitude of giving and loving everyone around us. God is in the little details. And if and when you are in front of a non-convert and you want them to listen to you, listen to them first and find a way, as a person, to be Christ-like and plant the seed of LOVE before you start reciting verses.
And for crying out loud, you are human too so stop condemning!! It's really not cool!
Please remember this: We come from all paths in life. Some lives have been full of unpleasant experiences. Some have been very protected. And everybody has their soft spot in a different place. So before you start with giving me a Christian mug, a bible, a booklet on getting started on a religion, a key chain and a fish to hang from my bumper, ask me where I come from and then you'll know how to approach me, if you listen hard enough. God knows the path straight to my heart and if you want me to convert, ask Him to reach me.
To all non-converted people reading this post, please know that there are little church gems out there. Don't give up on your search for God out of a few bad experiences! God is awesome, fake religion is not God, and not all Christians are fake verse-reciting robots.
Have you ever had anybody try to "convert" you into anything you are sure you won't live up to? I'm sure you have wild examples to embellish my post. How did you convert?
Ok I am gonna come right out and say it: I HATE GOING TO MOST CHURCHES! I hate the fake beatific smiles (like putting on a church mask). I hate the tone of just about every pastor and I hate more than anything when I have the feeling like they are going through the motions without them being really in love with God. I hate how they sometimes interpret the Bible to cater to their point of view and I particularly despise them trying to change me into something I am definitely not! I can't live up to the idea of "after today you must sin no more".
Ohhh that felt good!
I am a sinner. I sometimes choose to sin, knowing full well that I am doing this and I will probably change when it pretty well pleases ME. My relationship with God, however, is intimate. It is sometimes very active, sometimes I don't talk to God for weeks and sometimes I even get mad at God because I just don't get what He is doing! I often act like a brat. I see God as my Father, but not a generic one. I have a relationship that has taken many hits throughout its existence, and mostly through bible-thumping preachers! I won't change most of my habits just because a pastor sees my attitude unfit. I rather walk out and find God through my own means instead of in a church.
The reason why I am so much against many churches is that I have been through a lot of them and have actually fallen for a lot of their twisted psychology. That false belief I found many times has made me cold towards false "religion", but has made my conviction about God very strong. Unfortunately, after a bad experience, some of the most well intentioned pursuits of God end here.
BUT as you might have read above, I did not say I HATE GOING TO ALL CHURCHES. I said "MOST". There are the small little gems. There are the small communities of friends who welcome you honestly into their midst and you know that when the rest of your life is going to hell, you can find a listening ear, a friendly word or a hug in these little precious Grace-filled havens. These are God-filled. They don't even have to be adorned with saints and frescoes on every wall to be God-filled. I have the honor of belonging to one of these little gems. And even when I can't go to church every Sunday, they don't condemn me. They open their arms out and welcome the sinner, the broken one, the sick one, and they all pray for me. I even enjoy praying for them too! And more Christian than any Bible verse, any gospel, any song, any testimony, any preaching ever held on a pult, I love my brothers and sisters because before anything, they accept me and love me as a person. They don't preach, they show me God's love through actions. And this, my friends, is what I call home. I have lost count of how many times I have experienced God's mercy fall on me through their willing hands. It always makes my eyes mist up, just thinking about it. This is the Christian life!
I really feel sad for a lot of people who haven't found God because of well meaning christians who force them into conversion and they instead just run the other way. God is not in "the perfect recipe" to becoming a Christian, in the prefabricated prayer booklet to become a convert. God is not into thomping you on the head with a bible to memorize its verses and make you "understand God's ways". God is in the kind words, in the attitude of giving and loving everyone around us. God is in the little details. And if and when you are in front of a non-convert and you want them to listen to you, listen to them first and find a way, as a person, to be Christ-like and plant the seed of LOVE before you start reciting verses.
And for crying out loud, you are human too so stop condemning!! It's really not cool!
Please remember this: We come from all paths in life. Some lives have been full of unpleasant experiences. Some have been very protected. And everybody has their soft spot in a different place. So before you start with giving me a Christian mug, a bible, a booklet on getting started on a religion, a key chain and a fish to hang from my bumper, ask me where I come from and then you'll know how to approach me, if you listen hard enough. God knows the path straight to my heart and if you want me to convert, ask Him to reach me.
To all non-converted people reading this post, please know that there are little church gems out there. Don't give up on your search for God out of a few bad experiences! God is awesome, fake religion is not God, and not all Christians are fake verse-reciting robots.
Have you ever had anybody try to "convert" you into anything you are sure you won't live up to? I'm sure you have wild examples to embellish my post. How did you convert?
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