I'm Just Not Feelin' It

When I was looking for a new church to call home, I was definitely feeling weary. My soul was tired and needed to be awaken from the deep slumber it had been in. My mind needed to be challenged and stimulated. My heart needed to be more than just an organ in my body.

Growing up and continuing to practice Catholicism into my early 30s I didn't need to 'church shop'. There was simply the church that you attended which was local to where you lived. As an adult, I chose to move and began to attend sister churches which were two parishes that shared the same staff amongst the two sites. That was as close to shopping around that I had ever done.

Those feelings of being at a stalemate continued. I became bored with my faith and tired of the predictability. I was far too familiar with the liturgy and could tell the different readings and recall the passages taken out of the Old & New Testament. I had long ago memorized the prayers. I was going methodically through the motions. Church was a building I would visit once a week. It was serious stuff and predictable. 

I knew friends who were different denominations of the Christian faith.  The Baptists seemed a little too hard core while the Lutherans were a little too close to what I was already experiencing. Afterall, that founder was just a rebellious Catholic who took what he wanted and left, right? The others like the Methodists and Presbyterians seemed a little too soft and Switzerland-like. Then there were the Jehovah's witnesses,  the 7th Day Adventists & the Mormons. Too much controversy for me. I never really had an interest in the non-Christian religions. All I knew is that I needed a change.  I didn't want to discard my faith and God was too far away from me. I felt like I was on the verge of something life changing. Little did I know what was in store for me and where I would meet up with my far away God.

A coworker back in 2003-2004 had taken me to my first non-Catholic  church service. I was so nervous. I didn't know the music or what to expect. The church had nice, comfortable seats much different from the hard, wooden pews I was used to sitting in. The music was contemporary and lively. And the sermon? It caught and kept my attention. It was so exciting!  Where had I been? I needed to try this church again but unfortunately it was several miles and hours away from where I lived. This first taste of life outside of my home parrish would mark the beginning of my search for a new church I could feel this same feeling of interest and excitement I felt when I left after that service.