It took a near tragedy for me to want to get reacquainted with God as an adult. We latecomers to the faith have to be desperate before we finally surrender.
As a little girl who went to church on Sundays and recited mindless prayers I was a tiny bit obedient because I had no choice. But God was scary back then. He was not my friend and I did not want a relationship with Him.
As an analytical teen I rebelled against the whole idea of being under God’s thumb, or anyone else’s, because hippie girls were all about freedom and flowers and ‘if it feels good do it.’ So I certainly did not want to be good.
Know that I allowed Jesus into my life in high school for a brief time. Just long enough to stop me from trying heroin one day and get a little gospel truth into my brain. Then a boy happened and Jesus got bumped. It wasn’t until one July day almost forty years later that I handed Him the reins again.
Pinned under a motorcycle trailer, barely able to take a breath, I begged Him to get me through one more mistake and I made Him a promise…
‘Ok God,” I said, “I can’t do this alone anymore. I need your help. I promise I’ll go to that church I was invited to. Just please help me out of this.’
It was that year everything went wrong and my head was spinning with all the new what-if’s. What if I couldn’t work? My world would finish caving in. What if I was crippled? What if I couldn’t pay my bills?
The church was five minutes from my house. By the way, if you feel like you don’t belong in a church, we have that in common. My edges are sharp, my demeanor can be rough, and I just didn’t fit with ‘church people,’ as if they’re any different than you or me.
As much as I dreaded going into a church, I owed it to God to keep the promise I made that day with my face in the dirt. I was walking, talking, and back to work in three weeks. He kept His promise. It was my turn.
It was nothing like my church as a kid. The people were warm and genuine. The building was a gymnasium filled with stackable chairs and a stage. The music was contemporary and impressive. Of course the woman who invited me took me under her wing right away, too.
The skinny, young preacher wrote his sermons just for me. Such a dynamic speaker whose words pierced my soul. I had no idea how badly I needed to hear them. And how badly I needed to become part of a church family.
We don’t learn to be better humans in isolation. God made us to be relational. My church people have become my most supportive and loving family ever. A good church family will do that for you, too, no matter how bad you or your relatives think you are. Your biggest hurdle is stepping out of your comfort zone and making the first move.
You can check out my local church online if you want to eavesdrop and know what to look for when you’re ready. Most churches stream their services on a Facebook page, a YouTube channel, or both. Click here to find Deep Creek Community Church (DC3 for short).
Look for a Bible-based, Christian church. Not that I have anything against Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc, but I prefer a church that doesn’t draw those lines and just teaches from the Bible.
Those lines are all of men, not God. He doesn’t care what camp you belong to. He only cares that He is your God, over and above all else. He cares that you love His creation, especially His humans. He cares that you accept Jesus into your heart and strive to please Him, to become like Him, and tell others about Him.
Believers attend a church because God wants us to, so we can benefit one another and the community around us. We can accomplish so much more as a united group of people using our gifts and talents to accomplish a goal. This concept isn’t new news. It’s been proven to work many times over.
Our church’s mission is to turn unchurched and unplugged people into totally devoted followers of Jesus. We are growing at a rapid pace these days because people are seeking. The chaos and uncertainty we’re facing worldwide is a huge motivator, but when they come through our doors they stay because of the atmosphere.
So it took a broken back before I finally made it to church. But it would have never happened had I not been invited by a woman in the dental chair. She actually prayed for me the day we met. Right then and there. Who does that?! Only people who strive to love like Jesus, that’s who.
When she returned six months later and I was out of work on an injury, she went to great lengths to reach out to me. She wrote me a letter and had my boss mail it. Because she stepped out and spoke up, my life was saved again by the God of a million second chances. And that was the beginning of my true Christian walk.
It’s been three steps forward, two steps back, ever since. I was baptized at that church, in July of 2010. Fully immersed in a baptistry, as it should be according to the Bible, proclaiming my belief in Jesus as Lord of my life.
God Never Stopped Pursuing Me
He chased after me my whole life. And He put some amazing people and circumstances in my path to get my attention. The countless miracles along that path give me pause. The more I learn about God’s character, His deep and abiding love for us, the more I recognize how many times I’ve been rescued and chased after.
We are so numb to those amazing, fleeting moments that prove God’s love for us. We are blind for many reasons, but mostly because we don’t know Him so we don’t know what to look for.
Getting to know God is so worth the time it takes. ‘Trouble is, how do you do that? Do you know where to begin?
There’s this collection of books God put together. We call it the Bible and it’s the best place to begin if you really want to know God’s character. Together all sixty-six of those books tell the whole story of God and His people, from the very beginning. It’s not arranged in order after the first five books. Most people just don’t read it at all because it’s so hard to understand and such a huge nut to crack, right? Wrong!
If you have twenty minutes a day you have time to get to know God. You can do it by yourself, but my suggestion is https://dailyaudiobible.com where you can have it read to you and unraveled for you by a knowledgeable Bible scholar who makes it come alive. You will have heard the whole story in a year. And you will understand it! And want to listen again 🙂
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For the true beginners that might have a dusty Bible sitting on a book shelf, here’s a tip on how to read and decipher the ‘address’ of a Bible verse: Num 6:24-26 = the book of Numbers, Chapter 6, verses 24, 25, & 26. It’s super easy if you just download a Bible app. There are many, but most popular is https://bible.com.
The Word of God is alive, dynamic, and relevant. Even in this world, today. Especially today!
God’s love for you is a never-ending source of peace, comfort, and deep down joy that cannot be taken from you. Not ever. In these uncertain times in our world wouldn’t it be nice to have an anchor somewhere?
If you want to make God smile, I hope you will consider starting this new daily habit of listening to His Word. And it is the only way to get to know Him. It’s how He speaks to us. The more we learn about God’s character, the more we want to know. You will develop an appetite for more knowledge down the road.
Feel free to shoot me an email if you’re too shy to post a comment.
https://lindapcat@godlovesbadgirlstoo.com
Link to my local church: https://dc3.tv
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/NUM.6.24-26
“Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other.” Ephesians 4:2 CEV
https://my.bible.com/bible/392/EPH.4.2.CEV
God Loves Bad Girls, Too! 