So it's Sunday. I did not go to church today as I often don't. I just want to preface that I have nothing against church attendence. I think it's a great and healthy habit. For many people the only scripture they will ever hear will come from church sermons and worship music can be very powerful and healing...
The reason I do not attend church regularly is because 1) I need one day a week to fully relax and rejuvenate. This day is it for me. 2) I feel like I don't learn very much in church. The comradery can be nice if I'm in the mood for that, but as an introvert I feel more fulfilled giving myself a day of just me and God. 3) As an introvert, being blasted with a concert every Sunday (modern worship practices) can be very draining to my energy. 3.5) I think worship, reverence for God and getting in the spirit are just as possible (if not more so) in silence and stillness. 4) The church experience can be very repetetive in sequence, there's a lot of "filler" talk and the message usually borders on the bubblegum side of things. 5) I want to go deeper into learning without an hour long sermon on one segment of a topic. 6). I don't want a "new age" encouragement/self help speech. 7) I only have so much time to really learn so my time learning is valuable. I learn better by myself and seeking out explanations for things I don't understand through my own searching.
8) I appreciate hearing many different angles on all things important whether it's biblical, health related, political... I want to be well versed on all sides of an issue so I can decide for myself what I think.
I just want to reiterate that I take no issue with church sermons. I do go to church occasionally, I watch sermons on t.v, I'll listen to podcasts, radio you name it. I just like to mix up my sources of info. For me it's the same concept as diversity in the diet for different nutrients. Ideas are nutrients and we take them in and digest them and assimilate, just like physical nutrients. I find that approaching things this way allows me to be open to what God is speaking TO ME directly. If I wake up and he leads me to a link to a conversation, or suddenly I turn on the radio and hear something that answers a question I've been trying to get to the bottom of... It leaves more room for spontaneous answers than just routinly attending one church and hearing the ministry of one preacher. I never want to discourage anyone from going to church if it is enriching for you by all means keep doing it! I'm glad the churches are there for sure and have respect for what they do. On this Sunday morning I was led to this conversation. An Evening of Eschatology. As I'm very interested in knowing what will be happening in these end times and what to expect as much as humanely possible. I am gleaning ideas from all sources. I know 99.9999% of people won't sit through this video (probably because they're all routinely watching football all day) but I was spellbound the WHOLE time. I love the lighthearted nature and perspective of each of these men. I sense a genuine seeker and biblical scholar in each of them. For some reason the video doen't appear on the iphone so there is a link as well underneath the video. I dare you to sit through 16 minutes of it just to get a taste;-) Cheers!