A departure from the norm

I don't often talk about my faith. To me it is an intensely personal thing and is the absolute core of who I am. Not everyone gets to be that intimate with me. I will share what I believe to a certain extent, but what I pray about, what I struggle with, and my questions on how faith applies to the practical are for those closest to me. That said, this is something I want to share.

I don't know how long its been since I've been moved by a sermon. I have heard interesting sermons, and have liked some quotes, but not much more than that. Then I read a book called "The Velvet Elvis" and was blown away. For the first time in a long time I heard a new perspective on scripture. It is an incredible book and a fairly easy read. It reminded me that I used to have a heart for God and how strong my faith once was. I realized that I had been starving myself spiritually and a huge part of my unhappiness was a lack of actively living a Christian life.

When I moved to Seattle I was given a list of churches people recommended. One was called Mars Hill, and at the time I thought it was connected to the guy that wrote "The Velvet Elvis." Turns out its not, and the pastor has issues with that author, but this church is what I needed. I highly recommend checking out the sermons posted on line. The current series on misconceptions has been incredible, and very thought provoking for me. This is the first time that I have found a "lecture" outside of college that made me hungry for more information. What I really loved about it though was that for the first time a pastor gave a sermon directly aimed at singles. Most churches I've been to pretty much ignore the fact that there are people like me who are struggling with how to be a Christian adult and do things like date. It was amazing.

I am meeting with a community group from the church for the first time on Monday. I am hoping I will fit in and be able to make friends with other Christians. I want to have a place to call home again, and people that I know have the same core beliefs as me. It is something I have missed, and I'm not sure how I've gotten along without it. Then again maybe I didn't. Life got pretty bad, and I had to move two states away to start over. Maybe a church family can help me to live the life I want, and help me figure out how to become more like someone I can respect.

Here's hoping.