Having two small children at home slowly but surely disrupted our regular attendance at church. One Sunday we’d be running late, the next week one of the boys would be sick, then another Sunday we’d be out of town. And then, we ran out of good excuses and eventually stopped making excuses all together. We just weren’t going. We acknowledged the problem and fixed it (happy to report that we’ve made it to church 3 of the last 4 weeks). Now the issue is where to call home. We have entered church hopping mode, trying to find the perfect fit for where we are right now as a family. We’ve had good experiences everywhere we’ve visited, and might still head back to the church we regularly attended before the drought. But for today, we are indeed church hoppers.

In the past, hopping would have felt like an impediment to my spiritual growth, but in my new journey, I think it has actually had a positive impact. In the past, I’ve looked to my church as being the center of my religious walk, the place where I can plug in, the place where I can get recharged every week, the place that will help guide me and direct me.  I think this approach is partly to blame for all those people who have stopped going to church because of a bad experience. After all, the church is made up of people and people are flawed, and so if you are aiming all your expectations in that direction, you are guaranteed to come up short. (see my post Isaiah Part One)

My new attitude about church is that it is a supplement to my walk, not the center of my walk. It is a vitamin, not the meal. It is part of the plan, not the plan itself. As I’ve church hopped, it has forced me to connect more closely with God to set my course. I think that has been a powerful scenario. It also has helped me reset my view about the church truly being the collective of God’s followers, not just a brick building or a specific congregation. It’s really easy to confine ourselves with the four walls when truly we should be living in community with all those around us. WE are the church after all. So there’s my silver lining. Church hopping can be good exercise.