Life

                          The Life Church

I grew up Catholic. We went to Catholic schools and attended various Catholic churches. We were Catholic. That was it. Period. End of discussion. 

As a child I even remember feeling a certain safety and comfort in that fact. I enjoyed the rituals. I enjoyed being a part of such a large group of people with the same beliefs. I love that my mother and grandparents made it such an important part of our lives. I even enjoyed going to church. Don't tell my mother that. 

The older I got though, I started to feel like I was missing something. Church became boring. I wasn't interested in hearing the same old thing week after week, year after year. I continued to go to mass, but less and less frequently, until I just quit going all together.

I missed going to church. That ritual and sense of tradition have been a part of me my entire life after all. All I knew at the time was there was a part of me looking for something more.

I never lost my faith,as some do. Quite the opposite in fact. I like to believe that my faith grew beyond the confines of a "religion".  It needed a place where it could continue to grow and thrive. I just didn't know where that place was.

I knew that I didn't want to convert to another religion. My beliefs are my own. I have never been willing to compromise them. They just didn't all necessarily align with Catholicism.

Years passed without finding my Church home. It's a good thing God was cool with my home, and my car, and the park, and the grocery store because they were the only places we ever seemed to meet.

It wasn't until I began home schooling my children that things changed.

We joined up with a group of other local homeschoolers for social activities. The kids and I met some wonderful families,several of whom attended The Life Church. They invited us to join them one weekend and  though I would usually have politely declined, something inside of me felt a spark. I decided to go on my own  because I didn't want to bring the kids in unless I knew it was going to be a permanent home for us. I wanted them to feel that same sense of ritual and tradition, the feeling of belonging, of being a part of something bigger than themselves.

I was hooked immediately. Everything I had been looking for was there. The sense of family, the awesome power of a group of people praying and believing. There were no judging glances being cast around the room. The pastor spoke with conviction and from the heart. The message was one that related to current events and every day life. I left with such an overwhelming feeling of peace. I was excited about my faith and going to church again. I couldn't wait to share everything about it with the kids.

It's not about religion. It's about faith. It's about Life.