Where I Have Been and Where I Hope To Go

Shows you how little I have been blogging, the layout has changed completely since I was last online. Anyway, I have not forgotten about this or you guys, the three of you that read this blog. Being back in school has taken up a lot of my time yes but I have let myself drift away from the things that really matter. Now that the semester is over, I'm going to focus on my relationship with Christ and moving that forward. I have mentioned that my job has me working Sunday mornings so I am never at physically at church worshiping. Yes, I stay plugged in with other things but it is not the same as being there every week and worshiping together. I never wanted to be one of those "Sunday-only" Christians but I have realized how much not having that weekly contact affects my faith walk and how I grow in my relationship with Christ. One of the hard things about staying plugged in with my home church is that services are offered only on Sunday morning. At different times but all before 12pm. That is the case with a lot of churches around here and it is very frustrating. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I'm not the only believer in town that can't go to church on Sunday mornings but still want to have a time to worship with other believers, not just for fellowship but for teaching of the word. I am exaggerating a little bit. There are churches that have night services but none of them are downtown. Since I don't have a car and the bus system is not running on Sunday, I am limited in my options. When I found out this little church that meets down the street from school and work was having evening services, I was so excited! I had been to other services of this church before and never felt 100% connected. It wasn't about denominational differences (I see myself as a Christian first, a Methodist second) or superficial differences, in regards to worship style. However, I had been saying that I wanted to have a chance to go to church, so here it is. I really enjoyed the message and everyone was really nice. It is forcing me out of my comfort level but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I was invited to bible study, and it was nice to meet new people. Viewpoints of certain members are different from my own but, again, that is not necessarily a bad thing. I was reminded of the chapter in Acts that talk about the importance of the fellowship with other believers. It is not just having someone to hangout with and laugh with. It is about being with someone who I can be honest with and they can be honest with me. It is someone that I can learn from and with. I do have those people in my life but we have kind of drifted apart as we have allowed life to get in the way. Actually, as I write this, I realize that I need to work on reconnecting with those people. Anyway, I realize as I get further in my faith walk, I can't help but to have questions. Not questions that make me want to lose my faith but questions about understanding certain things. It probably doesn't help that I listen to not just my pastor at my church but pastors on TV and the internet, as well as other pastors in town. Granted, I use discernment and don't take everything at face value, especially if there is not any significant scriptural backing to go with it. Ultimately, everyone comes to the Word and their views of it differently. We are all human and the Lord gave us free will and a brains and reason. I believe He wants us to use those gifts wisely. I'm not saying that I know everything, far from it. I just don't want to be so set in my ways and be so dependent on what one person says and not stay open to different views. If nothing else, this makes me be more diligent about reading the bible myself. After all, if I don't read the bible myself, then I am just believing what someone is telling me. When it comes to my salvation, that is not something I want to leave in the hands of anyone but God. Oh, it's late, and I'm starting to ramble. I'll finish this later. Have a blessed one!