Nashville, TN: Yesterday I put a the following as my status update on Facebook:
I was amazed at the response I got. From "LOVE it!" to suggestions of which church to try to a friend's text to say she wants to go too... people seemed to be really receptive to the idea. One friend's comment was a bit more curious:
Why the search?
What a great question. I had put SOME thought into it when I initially came up with the plan, but then got a little swept away by the Facebook buzz. So why would I delve into such an experiment? There are a variety of reasons:
1) Community. I miss the community a church has to offer. Granted, my real community in Nashville for the last four years has been Thistle Farms. And I am definitely not ending that anytime soon. But I like the idea of having an extended church family that I see each week and have a chance to grow in relationship with others.
2) Routine. When I'm not on the road, I feel a little out of sorts. It's important that I have a routine, something to mark the time. Knowing I have a thing to do each week - and then doing it - gives me a sense of purpose.
3) Gaining knowledge. I don't know the "right" way to God. No one really does. There are so many different religions -- who's to say which one is the ONLY way? I believe there is a God but I'm not convinced there's only one way to know God. Problem is: I don't really know much about any religions. So why not learn about different religions and discover how God is found in each of them? Maybe that way I can figure out what is the right way (for me) to get to God. In the words of GI Joe, "knowing is half the battle."
4) Writing. My blog has gotten really lame lately. It's hard to share really personal feelings because I don't want to haphazardly hurt anyone else. And because I don't want to sound like a crazy person. Most of my writing has focused on the 100 Little Pleasures of (Touring) Life and it's helpful to have a subect. This way, I have at least one blog each week that I know will have some sort of thread / meaning from the previous week's post. And I won't sound like crazy person. (hopefully)
5) Do What I Do, Not What I Say. I talk a good game. I say I want to share my spiritual journey with others. I say I want those who meet me to immediately know the importance of faith in my life. Well, how about instead of just talking about this journey that I'm on, live out this journey that I'm on? I can sit and talk about it all day long (and trust me, sometimes I do), but until I'm out in the world, really trying to learn what it all means, it's simply just talk.
(That being said, once I go to a church each week, I plan on blogging and talking about it.)
But the MAIN reason behind this weekly call to action is simply: I want to grow closer to God. I know God lives in us and all around us, but considering religions and churches have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, God's got to also be hanging around these holy places too.
So now is the official introduction of my once-a-week (when I'm in town... giving myself a bit of grace here) feature on my blog called:
The Great Church Search
(aka The 2012 Spiritual Establishment Hopping Project)
My hope is to find a different church each week to attend, pay attention the building / people / message, research the denomination, reflect on the overall feeling I got there, then blog my results each week. As the journey unfolds each week, it will be interesting to see how I'm feeling with progress and perhaps how others respond to my musings.
Although I would love to say at the end of this experiment, I'll find the perfect church for me. But even if that doesn't happen, I'm excited about all of the knowledge I'll acquire and the stronger relationship I hope to form with God. Plus, it's about the journey, not the destination.... right?
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