Going Deep

This is our churches new motto or saying for 2007. Each year our church picks a new one to live by for the year. Last year it was leaving a legacy, but I'm really into this one!

I always say that when I go down to Seaside I come back more spiritual then I was before. This last time we went down for the New Years weekend, Friday thru Monday & just spent a relaxing weekend with the dogs (I have 2 by the way for those who were stuck on that question on my friendship quiz).
I just wanted to get away from everything & I was already stressing about all this job stuff so I needed the break!
Anyway so we went to church that Sunday & it was actually our first ever time going to church when we were in Seaside. After all these years, I have never gone.
We went to a little Christian church just outside of town. Its been a long time since I'd been a new comer at church. The worship was ok. I'm spoiled I think. Well, that and I need to expand my worship songs beyond Hillsongs! (Sorry Jess, but its true for me!)
It was actually more the sermon then anything else that really started me thinking. The sermon was one those types of sermons that makes you think, "I've heard this one before!"
Ok now don't get me wrong, I definately subscribe to the thinking of you should hear things over & over especially if God think you didn't get if the first time. But for some reason this time, it really rubbed me the wrong way.
And honestly the sermon wasn't anything bad at all. It was good in fact!
I was talking with James about how tired I was of hearing the same 'ol same 'ol sermons. Those sermons that I could literally get up & teach because I've heard them over & over again.
(Again, Please don't think that I'm thinking in any way that I'm better then anyone who preaches because clearly I'm not & I'm in no way better then them)

I guess what came more clear was today when our Pastor introduced the new theme of going deeper & he was talking about how it was time to stop being so surface with our lives in every area. What was clear was I was tired of all those usual sermons we hear over & over again. Sermons that seem more like motivational talks with scriptures thrown in.
I'm done with that type of lesson. I could hear things like that on Oprah if I wanted to hear that.
That is what truly made me want to go to Bible college after I graduated from technical college. I wanted to learn about God & go way deeper then I've ever been. But somewhere along the way of realizing I couldn't afford it or it didn't fit in with my lifestyle....excuse after excuse....you know how that story goes.
And yet here I was not doing the simple stuff like pick up my bible & star self teaching with God's most amazing tool--aka: the bible. And look at all the time that has passed. I did ok with my devotional time. But I'll be honest, I sucked at it & didn't get into it.
Of course I go round & round about this every year & keep coming back to knowing it all starts with reading my bible.

So as Pastor brings us deeper into a new relationship with God, I will look forward to it. He's going to start with a study on the Entire book of Acts for the next 28 weeks. Wow that is a long time, but I'm excited because to me its like bible class. A free bible class. I think for me I'm going to read the book of Acts in my new Message bible so I won't get into the mentality of "I've heard this one before.." This way I'll have a whole new way of looking at scripture along with my regular NLT version.

I have a lot to be thankful for this year. God has abundantly blessed me already this year & we are only 7 days into it. ALready I had free service on my car, got a new position at work, will make a steady paycheck again (thank you Jesus!) & am going to go deeper at church.
Now I just need to go deeper with God is knowing what he wants me to put my hand to this new season.
Its beginning to look like a new beginning already....But everyday is a new beginning.


"It is Christ Himself, not the Bible, who is the true word of God. The Bible, read in the right spirit and with the guidance of good teachers, will bring us to Him. We must not use the Bible as a sort of encyclopedia out of which texts can be taken for use as weapons." C.S. Lewis