What I Learned In Church

Yes. I made the morally correct decision and went to church at 11 this morning ... neglecting to watch the end of the Husky game. Pastor Paul made a reference to the game in his welcome...he rocks. I found out he is leaving in June however ... which is lame because I already feel so out of place there. Pastor Paul is my friend whether he knows it or not. The way he describes the bible and Jesus and the lessons we should learn makes me feel like he is just there for me. I think that means he's doing his job :)

BTW I go to North Creek Presbyterian Church. http://www.northcreekpres.org/
(I have to sound out Presssssssssssss by uhhh ter I A N everytime I spell it...thank goodness for those squiggly redlines under my words after I type them telling me I didn't learn that much in school).

As I mentioned in a previous post (SO GO READ ALL OF MY RANTINGS SO YOU'RE UPDATED)I wanted to try mindful meditation.

In mindfulness meditation we are learning to pay attention to our current experience, whatever it may be, without judging it, changing or distracting from it,

explains Jade Pryzgoda, a psychologist. I got this from this magazine....

Which is not usually sideways...I just can't figure out how to make it go upright.

ANYWAY. The whole point of this is that while I was listening to Pastor Paul pray my mind was going a million miles a minute in every direction. I WENT TO CHURCH TO PRAY AND LISTEN TO THE WORD OF GOD AND I'M NOT EVEN PAYING ATTENTION. Then I thought hmmm I should blog about mind my wandering ... yet again making my mind wander. Ugh.

So today this 10 year old girl in a bright pink skirt and matching glitter head band was baptized. She accepted God as her savior...she knows why he is in her life and how she wants him to be in her life. She's 10. I am too scared to even write my name on the attendance sheet. I'm too scared to stop the habits that I have that separate me from God. But itty bitty tiny (we'll call her Abby) Abby knows what she wants and is not afraid.

HOW COOL IS THAT?
or rather inspiring.

This is the second Sunday of Lent so we talked about when Jesus told the criminal next to him "TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE." WHOA. Paradise? My paradise is eating peanut butter and oreos (double stuf thank you) and not gaining a pound. My paradise is full of luscious greenery sun life animals (NOT SNAKES) and flowers. Or maybe after listening to the biblical version of paradise my paradise is heaven.

There were two men (and please do not quote me because well this is my 3rd day at church and I may not be as reliable as I like to think) next to Jesus on the cross...both criminals. One was griping about how Jesus wasn't trying to save himself the other shut up and realized who Jesus was. He understood that he was close to God, that he could ask for forgiveness, that he was not alone in death or life, so he said to Jesus, "Jesus remember me."

That man could have been forgotten...he would have gone down in history and stayed there as no one ... nothing special ... nothing remembered. BUT BECAUSE HE HAD THE COURAGE! (please note the emphasis on courage) to speak up and say something he was saved ... he is now remembered as a man of faith.

Abby also had courage today.

It takes courage to change. I'm finding that the thrill and adrenaline of doing something that has a risk with it and unknown outcome is me practicing courage.

Like now...I am taking the time to sit in church alone trying to figure out my life...I am taking the risk of putting this out for you to read...I am risking not blow drying my hair in hopes it turns out ok and you know what these risks feel good.

So find your own courage and take a risk today <3