Faith and Religion

A friend of mine said something wise to me, he said, “people don’t go to church because of church people.” now that’s hitting the nail on the head, it should be on a t-shirt or something. People don’t go to church because of other people, not so much because of the clergy but because of the people sitting in the pews. You know why God takes care of drunks and fools? I used to go to this all night diner to drink coffee with some friends, it was our hangout spot. The waitresses there that had the most seniority got to pick their own schedules, they always picked Friday and Saturday nights when the bars let out and shied away from the Sunday and Wednesday church crowds. A drunk would chose from the buffet, drink a cup of coffee and leave a big tip. The church crowd would ask for a lot of extra everything, order a single hamburger for three kids have you cut it up and then deliver it to the three different tables where they were sitting , leave a huge mess and a .37 cent tip from ten people
I was Baptized when I was thirteen years old in the Methodist Church. I was raised Baptist at home but we did not attend church as a kid. I wasn’t sure about getting Baptized because I wasn’t sure what it meant. I talked with some friends at church, our youth minister, and even some of the Elders. I wanted to make sure I was doing it for the right reason. Looking back, that was pretty wise for a thirteen year old boy. A few years later I started going to an Assembly of God Church with my older brother, I liked it quite a bit though I never could get used to people speaking in Tongues. My bother told me to keep an open mind and just do what my heart told me to do. So I let people do what they wanted to and I remained silent. Eventually for one reason or the other I stopped going to church. Looking back it was always because of the people I stopped going (I know that’s a poor excuse) I used to worry about what people thought too much. Through the years I would always pray, not everyday but occasionally. I was always a little apprehensive about giving myself completely to God, I thought I would miss out on the fun stuff or that I would fail and not be worthy of Heaven. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes and then some. I’ve done a lot of things that I’m not proud of. I’ve sinned with the best of them and still do (I’m working on that) Almost two years ago I finally got the nerve to give myself to God. I still don’t go to church, I have the Don Williams outlook on that, “I don’t believe that Heaven waits, for only those who congregate” I speak of the Lord and share with other as much as possible, I try and teach my daughter. I’ve put it all in Gods hand’s and he has done a remarkable job in taking care of me. I’ve gotten through every obstacle in my life and I know that I will continue to do so. All I have to do is my best. Be honest, be helpful, be forgiving, say my prayers, and just do the right thing. I work on my short comings and try and include God in all of my decisions. It’s really pretty easy and I wish that I would have figured this out long ago. I miss out on nothing and the reward is grand. I’m no Holy Roller, I am who I am, and as long as God knows what’s in my heart nothing else matters. He will see to it that I get what I need, maybe not what I want but always what’s really important and I’ll always get by, and the day when I don’t, it’s ok because I’ll be in Heaven and it can’t get better than that. BTW, J.E. Cook is my friend and Brother and a Christian too. I hope he finds happiness along his path. Peace.