It's interesting. Forty-six weeks into my experiment, I thought I had seen it all. In the process of going back and editing my earlier entries to prepare a manuscript for publication, I noticed it was so cute how I approached those early churches with wide eyes and a bushy tail (my clippers broke last winter).
People danced in church! How scandalous!
I was such an adorable kid.
Those details didn't mean as much to me by week forty-six. As I neared the finish line, I was getting more desperate to experience God. This week, I crossed the river into Kentucky to visit The Gathering Place Church. Someone recommended it on my blog a few weeks prior. I thought I would be walking into a charismatic church that valued miraculous healings, signs, and wonders. That may be true, but I didn't witness any evidence during my visit.
I assumed I was in trouble when the first worship song had a line saying, “I am souled out for Jesus.” Yeah, I used the correct spelling. There is nothing more lame than Christians using son instead of sun, souled instead of sold, and so on.
But that was the low point. Things got much better as the service progressed.
There were approximately 150 people in attendance, and almost every seat in the room was filled. A high percentage of the congregation was white, and ages varied. A couple of people stood out. First, the man next to me kept watching me take notes. But then, he pulled out a slip of paper and a pen and jotted down a few notes of his own! A fellow seeker? Someone obsessed with his grocery list? I may never know.
Second, one of the girls in the worship choir looked exactly like Blossom’s friend from that television show back in the nineties. I believe her name was Six. (As I did a Google search for a picture of Six, I discovered Jenna Von Oy posed semi-nude later in her career. There went an hour I’ll never get back.)
Focus, Stevie.
After twenty minutes of worship, Pastor Joyce came on stage and began her message. I assumed the worst, but I was surprised by how much her sermon affected me.
She titled the message, “Life is what you make of it.” The theme centered on attitude. As Pastor Joyce spoke, I realized my attitude is crappy. I’m a happy guy. I’m also a fairly grateful guy. I realize I have been blessed with an amazing life, and I thank God for that often. But I’m also critical and pessimistic. When I root for the Bengals or Bearcats, I’m always waiting for something bad to happen. (Of course, until recently, something bad usually does happen.) When I walk into a new environment, I look for flaws.
Pastor Joyce said, “No matter where you go, you take your attitude with you.” A light bulb lit up over my head. I have been visiting these churches ready to attack. I saw the word “souled” on their screen, and I wanted to bail out two minutes into the service. That attitude keeps me separated from God and others. I look for flaws in churches, leaders, girlfriends, friends, and myself. I focus on the bad. Not always, but too often.
Pastor Joyce also said, “When you’re self-centered, nobody can do anything right.” Bingo. Bull’s-eye. Booyah. And other words that begin with the letter B.
That sentence sums up my whole life. And not to point fingers, but it sums up the lives of almost everyone I know. When you’re self-centered, nobody can do anything right.
My default mode is “jerk.” It just is. I don’t think I’m a bad guy, but I have to work hard to be kind and gentle. It’s easier to be mean or sarcastic. Making a joke that puts someone else down comes naturally. I’m really good at it. But I don’t want to be that guy.
I don’t want to be fake either. I don’t want to lose my sense of humor or dispense phony joy. That’s not my personality. But I can work harder to control my attitude. There is a nasty arrogance that comes from thinking my way is superior to everyone else. I’m not smarter or better than anyone. Well, okay, I’m smarter than Carrie Prejean.
Dang … there I go again. I’m going to stop being a jerk starting … now.
Pastor Joyce seemed like a very genuine lady. My guess is that she really cares about her flock at The Gathering Place Church. They never did have a “ministry time,” so I definitely struck out on my attempt to experience miraculous healings, but I believe I found my way to Gathering Place for another important reason. Attitude is everything.
After taking an offering, shaking a few hands, and listening to announcements, the service wrapped up in eighty minutes.
As devastating catastrophes affected millions in 2009 and the early part of 2010 (most notably the earthquake in Haiti), it’s important to keep in mind that a healthy perspective is critical to a content life.
We take our attitude with us wherever we go.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
People danced in church! How scandalous!
I was such an adorable kid.
Those details didn't mean as much to me by week forty-six. As I neared the finish line, I was getting more desperate to experience God. This week, I crossed the river into Kentucky to visit The Gathering Place Church. Someone recommended it on my blog a few weeks prior. I thought I would be walking into a charismatic church that valued miraculous healings, signs, and wonders. That may be true, but I didn't witness any evidence during my visit.
I assumed I was in trouble when the first worship song had a line saying, “I am souled out for Jesus.” Yeah, I used the correct spelling. There is nothing more lame than Christians using son instead of sun, souled instead of sold, and so on.
But that was the low point. Things got much better as the service progressed.
There were approximately 150 people in attendance, and almost every seat in the room was filled. A high percentage of the congregation was white, and ages varied. A couple of people stood out. First, the man next to me kept watching me take notes. But then, he pulled out a slip of paper and a pen and jotted down a few notes of his own! A fellow seeker? Someone obsessed with his grocery list? I may never know.
Second, one of the girls in the worship choir looked exactly like Blossom’s friend from that television show back in the nineties. I believe her name was Six. (As I did a Google search for a picture of Six, I discovered Jenna Von Oy posed semi-nude later in her career. There went an hour I’ll never get back.)
Focus, Stevie.
After twenty minutes of worship, Pastor Joyce came on stage and began her message. I assumed the worst, but I was surprised by how much her sermon affected me.
She titled the message, “Life is what you make of it.” The theme centered on attitude. As Pastor Joyce spoke, I realized my attitude is crappy. I’m a happy guy. I’m also a fairly grateful guy. I realize I have been blessed with an amazing life, and I thank God for that often. But I’m also critical and pessimistic. When I root for the Bengals or Bearcats, I’m always waiting for something bad to happen. (Of course, until recently, something bad usually does happen.) When I walk into a new environment, I look for flaws.
Pastor Joyce said, “No matter where you go, you take your attitude with you.” A light bulb lit up over my head. I have been visiting these churches ready to attack. I saw the word “souled” on their screen, and I wanted to bail out two minutes into the service. That attitude keeps me separated from God and others. I look for flaws in churches, leaders, girlfriends, friends, and myself. I focus on the bad. Not always, but too often.
Pastor Joyce also said, “When you’re self-centered, nobody can do anything right.” Bingo. Bull’s-eye. Booyah. And other words that begin with the letter B.
That sentence sums up my whole life. And not to point fingers, but it sums up the lives of almost everyone I know. When you’re self-centered, nobody can do anything right.
My default mode is “jerk.” It just is. I don’t think I’m a bad guy, but I have to work hard to be kind and gentle. It’s easier to be mean or sarcastic. Making a joke that puts someone else down comes naturally. I’m really good at it. But I don’t want to be that guy.
I don’t want to be fake either. I don’t want to lose my sense of humor or dispense phony joy. That’s not my personality. But I can work harder to control my attitude. There is a nasty arrogance that comes from thinking my way is superior to everyone else. I’m not smarter or better than anyone. Well, okay, I’m smarter than Carrie Prejean.
Dang … there I go again. I’m going to stop being a jerk starting … now.
Pastor Joyce seemed like a very genuine lady. My guess is that she really cares about her flock at The Gathering Place Church. They never did have a “ministry time,” so I definitely struck out on my attempt to experience miraculous healings, but I believe I found my way to Gathering Place for another important reason. Attitude is everything.
After taking an offering, shaking a few hands, and listening to announcements, the service wrapped up in eighty minutes.
As devastating catastrophes affected millions in 2009 and the early part of 2010 (most notably the earthquake in Haiti), it’s important to keep in mind that a healthy perspective is critical to a content life.
We take our attitude with us wherever we go.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
