Life
Life changes so quickly. Its funny because when you are young you always think at that moment you are wisest. At 15 no one can tell you this or that because wait you know it all. Then when you hit 20, well you still know it all but with in reason...some of it you have actually learned along the way from mistakes made. By 25 you realize that you really don't know it all and maybe, just maybe you don't know much at all. Then there is the whole slew of experiences good and bad that we've had. Throw in your own opinion and viewpoint on all of these situations. So really by 30 you don't know it all but you know what you want to know. You live how you want to live and you grow how you want to grow. In life we all make choices and our life is represented by the joining of all of these choices. Your life will represent the things that you value important. If you find materialistic things of importance you will either drown yourself in a collection of items you just don't know what to do with or it will be the other end of the spectrum. You will wallow in self pity about what you want or "need" and not be able to accomplish either. When we step away from dreams of large TVs and expensive furniture what else is there or rather what else should there be? Love, thoughts, spiritualism, family, adventures, travel, connections. There really is so much more to life than things. Objects.
It was funny I was reading the other day about this Christian Church that has put an "ATM" machine in their lobby. When did we get away from the classic hymn singing, sunday school going, actual bible reading Christian churches? It has been interesting watching the changes as I have grown into a person. When I was young we attended church. My mom taught sunday school. We sang classic, old school hymns from old school hymnals. There were hand bells (which I learned to play at a very young age). There was an organ, a piano, and a small choir. In my teen years I visited friends churches (I guess I should mention that we began at the Presbyterian church and then eventually changed to the Methodist church). A few of my friends belong to non-denominational churches and they seemed to be changing the quickest. Their music was always "cooler" with guitars and drums. They tried to involve teens a lot more. In my mid-teens because of certain circumstances we visited a rather large non-denominational type church on two different occasions. The first occasion I was overwhelmed by 1) the size of this church 2) that they were building an actual "starbucks" like coffee shop inside the church 3) the tithing dish was a BUCKET two feet tall and 4) the sermon. Oh that sermon that has stuck with me through the years. They actually had people get up on the stage and give testimonials about how attending that church and tithing to that church had made God get them a better job, or a better car, or a better house. I kid you not. (and people wonder why I am cynical now about Christianity) Having grown up hearing sermons like I had this caught me off guard. I thought church was about learning and growing as a person. I thought it was about the golden rule---you know treating others how you want to be treated?!?! I thought it was about using the symbolism in the Bible in a way that could be applicable to your daily life and aid all of us in becoming better people. A short while later we visited this church again. During that sermon they had a handful of teenagers my age get up on this huge stage with their "hellish" cds and destroy them. If it wasn't Christian music they destroyed them right then and there. Now don't get me wrong, all my life I was a Christian girl who loved old fashioned classic hymns as opposed to that new Christian rock crap they have now but come on...destroy my music collection? Destroy the cds that touched me in so many ways emotionally because they weren't of "Christian" origin??? I guess if the point of these sermons was to have it stick in your mind for a long time then they accomplished what they had set out to do because it sure stuck in my mind. I just find it interesting how many more of this style of church has come about. Obviously attracting a certain type of needy human being. But are they sending the wrong message about Christianity? (on a side note for those of you who are sitting there thinking I am the most cynical anti-Christian, I did teach 2nd and 3rd grade sunday school for 7 years religiously (no pun intended) and attended church and youth things on a regular basis. I was also awarded a scholarship and the Methodist church I was attending paid almost entirely for me to go to college). Things change and for me in my life right now I can have incredible spirituality without having a church home and without labeling myself a Christian. Actually, I do not label myself much at all. I'm just a normal person trying to do good things, think good thoughts, and live a meaningful life.
It was funny I was reading the other day about this Christian Church that has put an "ATM" machine in their lobby. When did we get away from the classic hymn singing, sunday school going, actual bible reading Christian churches? It has been interesting watching the changes as I have grown into a person. When I was young we attended church. My mom taught sunday school. We sang classic, old school hymns from old school hymnals. There were hand bells (which I learned to play at a very young age). There was an organ, a piano, and a small choir. In my teen years I visited friends churches (I guess I should mention that we began at the Presbyterian church and then eventually changed to the Methodist church). A few of my friends belong to non-denominational churches and they seemed to be changing the quickest. Their music was always "cooler" with guitars and drums. They tried to involve teens a lot more. In my mid-teens because of certain circumstances we visited a rather large non-denominational type church on two different occasions. The first occasion I was overwhelmed by 1) the size of this church 2) that they were building an actual "starbucks" like coffee shop inside the church 3) the tithing dish was a BUCKET two feet tall and 4) the sermon. Oh that sermon that has stuck with me through the years. They actually had people get up on the stage and give testimonials about how attending that church and tithing to that church had made God get them a better job, or a better car, or a better house. I kid you not. (and people wonder why I am cynical now about Christianity) Having grown up hearing sermons like I had this caught me off guard. I thought church was about learning and growing as a person. I thought it was about the golden rule---you know treating others how you want to be treated?!?! I thought it was about using the symbolism in the Bible in a way that could be applicable to your daily life and aid all of us in becoming better people. A short while later we visited this church again. During that sermon they had a handful of teenagers my age get up on this huge stage with their "hellish" cds and destroy them. If it wasn't Christian music they destroyed them right then and there. Now don't get me wrong, all my life I was a Christian girl who loved old fashioned classic hymns as opposed to that new Christian rock crap they have now but come on...destroy my music collection? Destroy the cds that touched me in so many ways emotionally because they weren't of "Christian" origin??? I guess if the point of these sermons was to have it stick in your mind for a long time then they accomplished what they had set out to do because it sure stuck in my mind. I just find it interesting how many more of this style of church has come about. Obviously attracting a certain type of needy human being. But are they sending the wrong message about Christianity? (on a side note for those of you who are sitting there thinking I am the most cynical anti-Christian, I did teach 2nd and 3rd grade sunday school for 7 years religiously (no pun intended) and attended church and youth things on a regular basis. I was also awarded a scholarship and the Methodist church I was attending paid almost entirely for me to go to college). Things change and for me in my life right now I can have incredible spirituality without having a church home and without labeling myself a Christian. Actually, I do not label myself much at all. I'm just a normal person trying to do good things, think good thoughts, and live a meaningful life.