The Awesome God Project™®©

So, I’ve taken the last few weeks of The Project.  Went to church once (except the makeshift house church deal we got going on), written a half-post about my second venture to Base, and overall haven’t felt the need to do anything.  Churches are blending together, music sounds the same, sermons are just as engaging (or not engaging) and teaching the same message just different words.

This is the downside of Church-hopping, well honestly, church attendance.  After awhile everything gets dull.  It’s the nature of life, and relationships, you hit a rough spot, a boring spot, you start drift, look at another Church the wrong way, and before you know it, you’re Church-cheating.

Granted, SoulQuest was an interesting experience (flag-waiving, rocking and crying, CD-tracking, and Dominion theology preaching church; I think my reaction is obvious) but at the end I didn’t feel moved.   This could be because I think the name should’ve been a spin-off to the KingsQuest video game series, and not a Church.  I was sorely disappointed.

But Churches are becoming less and less interesting.  And all seem to be working for the same things: more people, better numbers, bigger buildings.  I’m beginning to think it’s no coincidence my most spiritual church moment came listening to Rob Bell’s sermon, “Christ in the Common” in my car.

I think I should clarify, at this moment; I’m referring to church as vehicle for teaching, not community.

The most spiritual teaching moment came in my car.  When Rob Bell was talking about how Christ is in the everyday stuff you usually don’t think about.  Your job, your interactions with others, your trip to the grocery store.  I was on my way to Mount Pleasant, stuck in some accident/rush hour traffic nightmare hybrid.  Trying to figure out if it was worth changing lanes, or would Murphy’s Law apply and I’d be stuck regardless.  I’d also remember getting angry at the gawkers who kept staring instead of moving, and the people who waited until the last second to merge.  It’s an accident, how can you not see the lane closure coming?

Then, it clicked.  What exactly Bell was talking about, and how it was more than just a good point, but something I could apply.  And it was a simple thing.  It was a stupid thing.  A really stupid thing.  But it worked.  It clicked.  I had transformative experience you always hear about, but I’ve never had in Church.  The point where you walk away and know the message is for you.  That this means something, and you have the uncanny feeling God smacked you around and told you to straighten up.

So, I took a deep breath.  Finished the sermon and cued up “The Treatment” with Elvis Mitchell on the next podcast.  And laughed.  And smiled.  And generally had a good time crawling in a long of line of cars for a half-hour on I-75.  I can’t identify with more people, bigger buildings, but I totally get finding Christ in the commute, your living room, or at your job.  This is what I’m noticing in several of the Church’s I’ve been too.  The messages aren’t for me; they’re for another Church goal, or the virtues of another Church function.

Just so you know—I’m taking next week off too.