Still hopping

I'm still church hopping even though I haven't blogged about it for awhile.  I really enjoy writing down my experiences.  I've had a lot of, "a-ha" moments, and I've also had a few people say they miss reading about them.  So for those few people and for myself I'm going to do my best to keep up with it.  I'm really super excited to say that my church hopping and writing about it has helped a good friend of mine find a new home church.  I won't say which church he choose, but I'm really excited for him.  He's finding his way back to church and he thanked me for helping him do that.  I can't even begin to describe how thrilled I am for him.  I love hearing the enthusiasm in his voice about God, his faith and church.  So there's a major bonus that has come out of my church hopping.

I mentioned in the last blog that I have it narrowed down to two churches, Pine Hills and Central.  I've been going back and forth between the two and unfortunately, there is nothing pulling me towards one over the other.  I love everything about both churches.  Pine Hills will be moving in September and at that time they will be about 15 minutes farther from me then they are now Which is a real bummer, but I heard when they move they will have a slushie machine. Instead of singing my heart out with coffee breath, I could be singing with blue teeth and a blue tongue.  :) 

I've been to so many services since I last blogged I'm not sure which one to talk about.  How about I talk about the 2 that have really stuck in my head.  Ya know those church services that you go to and you could swear the Pastor must have been spying on you all week to know exactly what YOU needed to hear? Yeah, that seems to happen to me a lot lately. A few weeks ago I went to Pine Hills and the message was about marriage.  Ugh!!  I'm not even married so why would I want to sit and listen to a message about it??!!  Wowzers!! I loved it.  I took so many notes I ran out of room and had to find something else to write on. I really wish I would have blogged that week so I could fill this one up on just that one service, but I have another one to talk about so I won't do that to you. Here are a few of my notes though: 

*Marriage is a covenant not a contract. -A covenant is for the other person.  -A contract is for yourself. 

   -Contracts are temporary. -A covenant is unconditional love.  Not "If-thens!"  "IF" you do this, "THEN" I will do that. (this girl...guilty)  

*Don't be a file cabinet forgiver.  I think most of us have been guilty of this.  We tend to tell someone they are forgiven but at a later time we bring it back up.  That's not forgiveness.  All that's doing is letting the other person know that you can't be trusted.  "I'll forgive you, but if I ever get the chance you better believe I will bring it back up again!"  Alright Pastor Mike, you can quit talking to me now. You know what else Pastor Mike said?? He tells the married couples to have sex often and enjoy it.  Did I just hear an "Amen" from someone in the back? lol  I could go on and on about this service but I have another one to talk about. 

Last week I went to Central. On my way to church I was ready to snap, I was so angry at someone.  Had what happened any other time then when I was on my way to church it would have been ugly.  I was pushed to the limit and wanted to lash out at this person. I fought back tears as I walked into church, the whole time telling myself, "2 can play this game."  Well goodness gracious...here we go again.  Pastor Jeremy was talking directly to me.  What's with these guys? How do they do that? All I can say is, "Thank you God." The message was on the difference between being proud and being humble. The whole service spoke to me and yeah, I took many notes again.  As proud humans what's the first thing we tend to do when someone hurts us? Stomps on us? Attacks our ego?  I for one find it easier to lash back out at them AND defend myself. Come on now, we're not suppose to let someone attack us like that are we?  So here's what I learned and once again, perfect timing.  When someone stomps on our ego, continue to praise them and not defend ourselves.  I really wish I would have blogged this week as well. I could fill this blog up on this message. So in other words...I didn't play anyone's game. I didn't lash out.  I thought about it.  I prayed about it. Some people may see this as a sign of weakness but it's actually just the opposite. Not defending yourself when spoken badly about or retaliating with harsh words of your own is the easy thing to do. It takes strength to praise them and/or walk away. The situation I was in would have ended up so much worse had I went with my first instinct of hurting someone because they hurt me. It wouldn't have solved anything and I personally would have felt so much worse.  A few weeks ago I said on facebook, "It's easy to be nice to people we like. It takes skill to be nice to people we don't like." Oh how very true.  So I'll continue to work on being kind and humble.  It's so much more rewarding !!  

Thanks for sticking around and reading my blog.  I'm not sure which one of the two churches I will be attending next week.  I have contacted both of the churches to inquire about their Life Groups. I'm looking forward to being more involved with a church and that includes being in a small group bible study. So hopefully I will hear back from both of them soon about the different groups that they have to offer. 

Be great,  Be YOUtiful and Enjoy your week !! :)

"You can't brag that your humble and be humble." 

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. -James 4:10