Church community

[Homesteaded]

My wife and I finally found a church that we like. Officially joined it about a month ago. We all enjoy it. The kids are even seeming to be okay with it, they do have donuts though.

We go to church on Sunday, we also attend a small group during the week. This is roughly 10-15 adults, everyone brings the kids, everyone brings something to make a complete meal. Hosting rotates around the group. The wife and I haven't hosted yet but we hope to soon. After the meal, the kids go and watch a show while an older child, usually the preachers daughter watches them. For about an hour, the adults sit around and have what I'll call adult, in-depth conversations about all sorts of things usually around faith and the church but it's impacts stretch well beyond those two topics.

We are relatively new to the group and so far I've heard some very intimate things about these people that I've just started to get to know. It's hard for me to be as open as they are, I'm really jealous and I hope to get to that point soon. This week two of the members opened up to us about what I would call serious issues they are having or have had. It's so great to be around this level of conversation and honesty. It's been great to be apart of a community where it's not all judgement and angling. The group and the church feel like home. I'm sharing this because I think it's something that we as a society need more of. Open and honest, judgement free talk about our inner thoughts.

It's certainly not my idea but I firmly believe much of our societal woes are due to the complete abandoning of faith. Jesus lived. Jesus laid a groundwork for the good life. It's not easy, in fact it's harder to life that life than not.

Thoughts and Prayers

[Encroaching Death]

Everyone is fake in the US. No one is actually religious except the Amish.

[Reiwa]

Congratulations you've formed a terrorist cell.

[Encroaching Death]

Originally Posted by Reiwa [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Congratulations you've formed a terrorist cell.

[Reiwa]

Originally Posted by Encroaching Death [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Evia]

This is awesome to read. Glad to hear that you've found yourself a community of like minded individuals. I've yearned to find something similar myself but it's sadly not commonplace to find a group of people willing to open up and truly connect with one another. Feels as if everything is divisive and confrontational that most people are afraid to be genuine or honest anymore and would rather just keep their heads down and themselves closed off and guarded. I'm guilty of doing this myself from time to time.

[unsunghero]

Going to Church is like going to work out, sometimes you really don’t feel like it and wonder what’s the point, but if you can force yourself to go, almost never will you leave thinking what a waste of time or feeling worse off for having went

I try to go every Sunday to a Lutheran church with my dad and grandma. It’s very traditional, everyone there is like 70+, it’s a dry sermon reading, hymns and communion. I would much prefer a contemporary Christian service, but this is what grandma prefers so it’s what we are doing with what time she has left

I personally am not big into the Bible as a modern guide for life. It’s an extremely old book written for an old time period and the more pastors try to cram it into real life the more mental gymnastics they seem to have to use. I’ve listened to many a service and thought “well that’s kind of stretch”. I also am not big into rituals like communion, and not to be too sac-religious but other humans throughout history have suffered fates worse than even Jesus….sometimes also as a sacrifice for others. So unless there was some spiritual suffering going on as well (maybe there was), Jesus is not the king of the physical suffering mountain. The realist in me cannot ignore this fact. Forgive me for saying it, Jesus

However, I want to believe in a higher power and maybe one day I’ll understand it better, maybe that won’t be until I die. I do agree that church communities are very wholesome, and it’s a great way to meet people either through Bible studies or singles groups or other kinds of meetups

[Reiwa]

Originally Posted by unsunghero [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Going to Church is like going to work out, sometimes you really don’t feel like it and wonder what’s the point, but if you can force yourself to go, almost never will you leave thinking what a waste of time or feeling worse off for having went

I try to go every Sunday to a Lutheran church with my dad and grandma. It’s very traditional, everyone there is like 70+, it’s a dry sermon reading, hymns and communion. I would much prefer a contemporary Christian service, but this is what grandma prefers so it’s what we are doing with what time she has left

I personally am not big into the Bible as a modern guide for life. It’s an extremely old book written for an old time period and the more pastors try to cram it into real life the more mental gymnastics they seem to have to use. I’ve listened to many a service and thought “well that’s kind of stretch”. I also am not big into rituals like communion, and not to be too sac-religious but other humans throughout history have suffered fates worse than even Jesus….sometimes also as a sacrifice for others. So unless there was some spiritual suffering going on as well (maybe there was), Jesus is not the king of the physical suffering mountain. The realist in me cannot ignore this fact. Forgive me for saying it, Jesus

However, I want to believe in a higher power and maybe one day I’ll understand it better, maybe that won’t be until I die. I do agree that church communities are very wholesome, and it’s a great way to meet people either through Bible studies or singles groups or other kinds of meetups

Hol' up hol' up, Lutherists do communion?

is this a joke?

[unsunghero]

I remember one of the sermons was about this guy who’s name started with an E, I think. Elijah? This guy had some serious connection to God

There were these false prophets worshipping false gods, and Elijah came to them and said that his God was the real God. They were like nuh uh, ours is, and Elijah said “ok then have your God light that pyre then”. So the false prophets prayed, and they wailed, and I think even whipped themselves but no fire came. Then Elijah said now watch me. And he prayed to God to light the pyre, and a pillar of fire came down

Then the pastor sort of under his breath said that Elijah then had the false prophets put to the sword, and he moved on to some other verse

And I’m sitting here thinking damn this dude Elijah calls down fire and then slays people? This guy is pretty metal

[unsunghero]

Originally Posted by Reiwa [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Hol' up hol' up, Lutherists do communion?

is this a joke?

Ya my grandma’s church totally does