It is time...

It is time for us to make a commitment to a church.

I was raised in a Christian family but only attended church on special occasions. My parents both attended the same church in Virginia when they were growing up and just never found one in North Carolina they liked. It was an almost a contradictory way to grow up. My folks didn't teach me about God, values, or morals; didn't take me to a church to learn those things; however, I was expected to know about all of them. When I went through my rebellious teenage years my parents had no idea what went wrong...but I did even then. I hadn't been given any direction.

As an adult, I have joined 2 churches, both of them very large, and not long after just kinda quit going. I think in the large churches it is hard to find a place to fit in....to find people to bond with. However, I have this deep need to be a part of a church family. It is something I long for. I need the guidance, the education, the accountability, the fellowship, the support.

We've been visiting a young church on and off for about 6 months now. Last night, hubby and I discussed it and we both enjoy the church. The kids love it. And I never fail to learn something new. But, we don't feel the Spirit of God in the services. Perhaps it is because they are currently meeting in a middle school auditorium. The pastor is very young, and I enjoy his sermons, but they feel very rehearsed. I do not ever feel God has inspired him to talk about something specific. All in all, my husband and I both feel that he is an excellent teacher, but not a very good evangelist or Spiritual leader.

So, I am a little perplexed as to what to do next. I don't see the point in continuing to go to a church that we know we don't want to become a permanent part of. At the same time, the kids love it, and are comfortable there, so I hate to start dragging them to a bunch of new churches.

Where we live there is pretty much a church on every corner. So, where do you start? I have several in mind I would like to visit. I'm just feeling sort of at a loss as to what to do next. I know what my goal is, just not sure how to get there.

The best place to start would be to pray, so I am going to try to make some quiet time later today.

On a different note, Autumn has finally arrived today. I am so thrilled. This has always been my favorite time of year. In the beginning of October, the air cools and gets a refreshing crispness to it, the skies are a perfect shade of blue, the fair comes to town, my birthday rolls around, the leaves start to change, and the apples become ripe for the picking. From October 1-January 1, I am in my prime.