Easter Church :)

Out of tradition for my Grandma, I always go to church on Easter Sunday.

My sister decided not to go. She didn't want to visit with my dad or step-mom. She said Grandma wouldn't mind.

Anyways, I got dressed up, hopped in my step-mom's car, and headed out. Initially I thought we were going to my grandma's church, but instead we drove right past it. Then it dawned on me e were going to the "rich people" church.

My parents live in Los Gatos so there's a church out there that rich people go to. Along the drive I kept looking at all the mansions we were passing and thinking, Great. I'm going to go to this church and be distracted by all the bling....

Then I thought, Well at least God made this a beautiful SunnyDay.

So we pull up to the church and there are a bunch of kids all dressed up running around and parents strolling down the sidewalks. The church was so big I thought we'd need to get a map to find the entrance. Then we went in and found 3 seats and sat down like we do at the movie theater keeping a respectful distance from other people sitting in the same row. I wishthey'd told us ahead of time, "Hey, Scoot down. We're all one people. You can sit together without fear. We don't have metal detectors but I'm sure no one has a gun or a bomb. It is o.k. to sit close to strangers."

What ended up happening was the Christian bad started playing some really good music I was getting into and then one of the church people kept telling us to scoot down to make room for people arriving late. It pissed me off. What if I'm having a moving religious experience here and you disrupt it to tell me to make room for tardy people???

Then the pastors started speaking. There were two of hem. The first spoke of his journey and how God had found His way into his life. He was 6 when his father died and had felt an empty hole inside himself he later tried to drown out with alcohol. He said he knew alcohol was making things worse but he was afraid to let over the reigns of control to God. He said he didn't want to become anything weird like a pastor. Finally he gave over control one night and after that his life completely changed. He says it hasn't been an easy journey, but it has been deep and meaningful.

The second man who spoke talked about the Bible -which he called a Romance Novel of God's Love. He said, like a play or any series of events or life it can be divided into several parts. Since some people aren't necessarily familiar with the Bible since you have to guided through it, he wanted o make sure everyone at least got the main points.

Part 1: God Creates Man.
Part 2: The Fall
Part 3: God Sends Christ The Savior
Part 4: God Prophecizes About Sending Christ The Judge
Part 5: Us Today

Many gerat points were brought up that I will mention later. A lot of what he said almost moved me to tears. It was just Truth.

He also mentioned the difference between reading and acknowledging Jesus and God and actually living In Faith with them in your life. He says it's not about religion or impressing your friends or stating your opinion or trying to fit in. He says it's God trying to form a personal relationship with each individual He created.

He said, God is so compassionate and loving that He created Hell. For every person that honestly wants nothing to do with God despite the fact that He loves them and created them, there is a place where they can go and be completely free of Him. As it turns out, Life without God is Hell.

The pastor also mentioned what happens when people choose the selfish path of deciding what to do with their lives instead of letting God lead them to theur true path of purpose. He said, You can live your own life by your own rules. You can build a company, call it Apple, and proclaim it your legacy. You can seek fame and fortune and romance. You can travel the world and worship other gods. But at the end of your time what will you have truly accomplished for your Soul? People focus too much on embettering their physical lives and then they leave nothing for their true selves. The Soul has nothing building it, guiding it, feeding it, loving it, or supporting it.

He also mentioned the 5 kinds of love. I was sooooo happy. It was awesome.

He mentioned how from birth kids reach out to find Familial love from their parents. Then Teens turn to Romantic love and Physical love. Then people get older and have families of their own and they seek love from their children. Then when they become elderly they seek the solace and love of close friends. And then, at the end, if they are lucky enough to see old age, they seek the love of their Creator. He said, the love of God will fulfill all other kinds of love and without the unconditional love given by God -to know His love and to love Him and yourself in that love -You will not love others that way and they will not be able to love you that way. You cannot give what you do not have.

For me it was definitely re-affirming. I loved the service. I don't like at the end of these sorts  services they make people pray and then raise their hands if they love Jesus and have Him in their life. I don't like the feeling of being obligated to pray -I'd rather do it on my own time when I genuinely want to connect to God, and not just because somebody told me to. I don't like being asked to raise my hand for loving Jesus. It seems like too much of a show. For me that kind of love and appreciation is internal and not something to be put on display because somebody asks you to.

All-in-all it was a very moving experience and I loved going. When it was over and we were leaving I thought, This is how you find people to connect to. Real people who share your passion or spirituality for the things you feel matter in life. You don't go to bars. You don't go to night clubs. You go to the places where you feel whole. Where you feel welcomed. Where you feel you belong.