uncomforable…like I need to recharge after going to the service.
jud
feel? I feel? nah.
I like what Paul Washer said one time (to paraphrase)….
“When we come out of church talking about how HOLY God is instead of how we feel or “what we got out of it” THEN we will know we have been in a place where Jesus Christ is truly proclaimed.”
Unfortunately most churches today are focused on men and feeding peoples senses rather than breaking people down with truth. If changed dentists because my hygenist kept asking me how I felt. She was more concerned with my comfort than what might or might not be under my gums. Her job was to prepare my mouth to be inspected by the dentist. It’s the incredible responsibility of the Church to prepare people to be inspected (eternally judged) by a HOLY God.
So my answer is that I feel very uncomfortable, and rightly so.
…slightly disappointed but still hopeful. Church on Earth is like everything else – a fraction of how wonderful it will be when God comes back and redeems the world and everything in it.
Excited to be there to learn something new.
On edge because I wonder what others are thinking about me and I know I shouldn’t.
Uncomfortable sometimes because I don’t know very many of those around me.
Anne…Maybe you should define “go to church.” My comment was in response to the traditional location, at 10:00 am on Sunday morning, where I’ve been going for the past 15 years.
However, my response would have been different if we were talking about every Tuesday night when we hang out with inner city kids. We always feel like we’ve been “to church” at the end of the evening and if we miss our time with the kids we feel like we’ve missed church that week.
I’m not sure I needed to clarifiy my statement, but I certainly feel differently based upon the context or definition of “church.”
When I go to the church building on Sunday I’m getting the icing on the cake. Church is what happens all week long, in community, in “our communities”, in our home, our workplace, our schools, in friendships, etc. That’s the “cake” of church. Sunday morning is the icing on the cake; our time, as THE CHURCH, to recognize and worship the holiness of God (as Jud said!)
– excited to worship with my church family.
– anxious to see what God will do.
– expectant for people to turn their lives to follow Christ.
– unworthy to lead such an amazing church.
– humbled because the vision is so huge.
– uncomfortable because of change.
– grateful that Jesus saved me.
– nervous because I don’t want to screw this all up.
I’m tired of pop-culture sermons, but I am admittedly in a funk when it comes to church. But as the social freak I am, I love seeing and connecting with people.
When I go to church, I feel like praising and worshipping God and wonder why someone who is soooooo faithful will be absent. They are definitely missed!
P.S. I love your new look, Anne! Awesome!
heather
like its a great ending to my week and it then its the best start to my week. I feel so renewed and I really listen to what the message is & how it relates to me
very excited to see what God is going to do…anxious, hoping that i won’t be a hindrance to anyone during the service as i lead the music, i don’t want them focusing on me or on my mistakes but on God…
So much of what I experience at a church service in no way echoes the realities of the Biblical community of people called the ekklesia I so often read about.
lost. I don’t know anyone and everyone seems in a hurry to get somewhere else.
Jodi
…like I could be doing some of the things I see other leaders doing there, and be darn good at it. But, I want to make sure I am in the right place spiritually and have pure motives before I jump in. I don’t want to burnout again….
I home when I am in church, where i can be me and even though others don’t understand me. God knows me and he knows my heart and where i need to be when i am home with him
Scott Spiker
like there is a fire on stage and all I have is one bucket of water.
same as some others..”frustrated that I can?t stop picking the service apart in my head” and “invisable”. Yet I also feel blessed to be with my family, wanting to be faithful, glad my children know God and often times tearful.
Like I’m sneaking in and out (I’m visiting new places these days).
SO excited to enjoy the music, but a little hesitant to ‘let go’ and worship openly. I haven’t found the right place to sit so I don’t feel like I’m intruding on the peace of those around me by raising my hands, etc. I know it’s my hangup. I’m dealing with it the best way I know how.
Intensely interested in the sermon. I love to hear a good teacher.
Peaceful and rejuvinated at times. Kind of isolated and out of place at others. RIght now, I’m going to a church that prides itself on being welcoming–but a lot of times, no one even says hello to me when I’m there. I’ve felt like God was calling me to that church for a reason–but now I am beginning to question that.
creative. My mind often wanders and wonders at the enormity of God and thoughts about family, friends, new ideas, inspiration, ways to do business etc.
All strength to those who feel judged. I read a book by Phillip Yancey called “Soul Survivor” about how he “survived” church which may be good.
one other comment. I asked some people recently if they had problems with the church. They said they did have problems and I (gently) told them that we are the church. Not the building, not the denomination, not leaders but all of us. People standing together…for each other. No a system, a rite, a ritual or order of service. If a church is not welcoming then maybe we’re not welcoming. If a church is judgemental, maybe we’re a little on the judging side. Don’t make me pull out Gandhi quotes and say that you have to be the change you want to see in the world….oh no…too late.
I agree with someone who posted earlier. I am in the process of finding that church [read: body of believers] is more effective outside the four walls that house the building. So anymore these days, when I gather for church inside a church building, I feel like I’m wasting the time that has been given to me.
Tired, in need of caffeine, no where near ready to begin praise and worship cause its too darn early……..and then, like a bolt of lighting from the heavens……the coffee kicks in (thank you Lord Jesus!) and,well, I’m probably the loudest. =)
I USED to feel like I had a bullseye target on my back; like a runaway bride; like a victim returning to the scene of torture. I wanted to quit the ministry, but I was married to it…I’m a pastor’s wife. :-)
Thank God for healing me of depression, and for removing the bitter, toxic poison that entered through the venomous bite of a rabid sheep (church member). There are wounded sheep all around, but when they bite, it hurts!!!
Now I enter the church, wearing the full armor of God (Eph. 6; shield of faith, etc.) but still wary of “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” (Matthew 7:15)
like I want to add on to what the Pastor (who is my father is saying). Like yeah, but I read where it says this too! Or remember the homeless and Hispanics and various other marginilized groups in our area that tend to be forgotten by churches that don’t cater to just one group (we’re all human!).
mamaof2boyz
…like I fall in love with Jesus again…
Amanda
When I go to church I feel…
-hurt
-abandonment
-betrayal
-anger
-confusion
I once was an on fire Christian, shooting for the heart of God. When it became common knowledge that I am a lesbian, my family, friends, and church turned their backs on me. Isn’t is Jesus who once said that those without sin cast the first stone? Why is your sins any lesser than mine? It is because of people who claim to love the sinner but hate the sin that my fire was practically extinguished.
When I go to the church building….if I sit in the back…I feel a huge responsibility to pray for the needs of the people that are there. Plus I am so ADD I can’t listen to the message. If I sit in front…at times I feel stared at. I don’t really care about that…I try to come expecting. But as I am thinking about it…I would think Jesus would have me sit in the back more.
Anne, you know I just finished a 3 month sabbatical. I went back to church on a Sunday to lead for the first time last Sunday (August 3) and it felt like I was COMING HOME. After such a difficult time and much heartbreak, it is good to be able to say that. When we worshiped together it was like we were very much one body and that was exciting.
i want to echo Joe……
i love coming in, meeting friends, listening to others hurts and joys, resting in his heart for me…..
there is nothing better then taking a much needed deep breath in his presence!
annoyed. At the money spent on all the things that are supposed to make it look amazing. If I wasn’t a Christian, I wouldn’t be caught near a church building for anything. (Um, and actually, I’m kind of this way even though I am a Christian. Just left a full-time job working in church communications, to go to a state university for grad. school and pour myself more fully into a house church.)
Now, when I am BEING the church, I feel excited about how God is working, alive, ready to bring hope, love and change to those on the margins.
sad because we could be doing so much more if leaders would let go of their pride, need for control and male egos.I left the corporate world to “make a difference” by working in ministry. Most days now I think I made a bigger difference for God in the secular workforce.
….space and compulsion to be honest with God if I neglected/avoided him during the week.
…sometimes disappointed – but isn’t even disappointment a reminder of hope and thirst?
…sometimes I wonder what on earth we are doing, am embarrassed by ridiculous and/or close-minded things that are said or done…but still, it comes back to valuing that anchor, even if at times there are weird barnacles attached!
Tanya Riches
… obvious, because everything I do matters to someone else in the team.
… proud of the people that I call my church family
… frustrated that pulpits don’t move themselves and we have to remember to turn the special lights on and clean the windows
Comments
133 responses to “when i go to church, i feel…”
anxious. about the people, not about the service.
…encouraged and motivated to make a difference
…frustrated that I can’t stop picking the service apart in my head
…blessed that I have a building I can worship in unlike millions of Christians around the world
…surprised that God would call a ragtag bunch of misfits like us his ‘bride’
when i go to church, i feel less than usual
excited to talk to people
manilpulated and bored in the service
alive to the possibilities
Part of God’s family. I love my church. It’s awesome! I hate to miss it.
blessed to be surrounded by such authentic people
faith-full
A whole smattering of different things on different days.
loved.
pumped up
thrilled to be on staff and part of a growing children’s ministry.
blessed to work with such amazing volunteers who sacrifice their time each week for the kids.
claustrophobic…
…ready to be refueled.
…like I’m being judged.
excited about what God’s going to do
. . . like I have to be on guard.
excited, tingly, like crying, all smiles, all needy, closeness, happiness, loneliness, like singing, and the list goes on…
uncomforable…like I need to recharge after going to the service.
feel? I feel? nah.
I like what Paul Washer said one time (to paraphrase)….
“When we come out of church talking about how HOLY God is instead of how we feel or “what we got out of it” THEN we will know we have been in a place where Jesus Christ is truly proclaimed.”
Unfortunately most churches today are focused on men and feeding peoples senses rather than breaking people down with truth. If changed dentists because my hygenist kept asking me how I felt. She was more concerned with my comfort than what might or might not be under my gums. Her job was to prepare my mouth to be inspected by the dentist. It’s the incredible responsibility of the Church to prepare people to be inspected (eternally judged) by a HOLY God.
So my answer is that I feel very uncomfortable, and rightly so.
frantic trying to get things done before the first service starts.
…broken by the Law but healed by His Grace, every time. And sometimes I feel like a stage manager…which could be a good or a bad thing :-)
@Jud – good stuff. Right on.
I want to feel connected with a group of people, but I ussually feel like I don’t belong.
excited and hopeful at another opportunity to grow in my relationship with God
Connected… to God, and to people on similar journeys.
At home. Filled. Warm. Happy.
excited, eager
anxious because its also where i work.
like i’m where God wants me to be.
connected
…slightly disappointed but still hopeful. Church on Earth is like everything else – a fraction of how wonderful it will be when God comes back and redeems the world and everything in it.
Excited to be there to learn something new.
On edge because I wonder what others are thinking about me and I know I shouldn’t.
Uncomfortable sometimes because I don’t know very many of those around me.
Anne…Maybe you should define “go to church.” My comment was in response to the traditional location, at 10:00 am on Sunday morning, where I’ve been going for the past 15 years.
However, my response would have been different if we were talking about every Tuesday night when we hang out with inner city kids. We always feel like we’ve been “to church” at the end of the evening and if we miss our time with the kids we feel like we’ve missed church that week.
I’m not sure I needed to clarifiy my statement, but I certainly feel differently based upon the context or definition of “church.”
invisible.
When I go to the church building on Sunday I’m getting the icing on the cake. Church is what happens all week long, in community, in “our communities”, in our home, our workplace, our schools, in friendships, etc. That’s the “cake” of church. Sunday morning is the icing on the cake; our time, as THE CHURCH, to recognize and worship the holiness of God (as Jud said!)
– excited to worship with my church family.
– anxious to see what God will do.
– expectant for people to turn their lives to follow Christ.
– unworthy to lead such an amazing church.
– humbled because the vision is so huge.
– uncomfortable because of change.
– grateful that Jesus saved me.
– nervous because I don’t want to screw this all up.
I am letting you define going to church how you define it. :) There is no expectation set. I am just observing your thoughtful comments. :)
Blessed
…like I’ve been an ungrateful wench Monday through Saturday.
…lately bored.
I’m tired of pop-culture sermons, but I am admittedly in a funk when it comes to church. But as the social freak I am, I love seeing and connecting with people.
creative.
expectant
bored. i sit in 5 (or so) services a week….4 of them exactly the same. Because of it i have learned to tune it out…which is probably not good.
frustrated.
alive.
When I go to church, I feel… like if Jesus was sitting next to me I;d have to nudge Him to wake Him up (if I was still awake).
Tymm…I felt like that this past Sunday! : )
Like going right back home again. Is this really the way its supposed to be? (I’m supposed to be?)
When I go to church, I feel like praising and worshipping God and wonder why someone who is soooooo faithful will be absent. They are definitely missed!
P.S. I love your new look, Anne! Awesome!
like its a great ending to my week and it then its the best start to my week. I feel so renewed and I really listen to what the message is & how it relates to me
…that this is not what God meant for us to be doing as THE CHURCH.
excited to lead others in worship through song.
ready to learn what God has for me.
eager to meet new visitors.
very excited to see what God is going to do…anxious, hoping that i won’t be a hindrance to anyone during the service as i lead the music, i don’t want them focusing on me or on my mistakes but on God…
like i’m home,
like i can be real with myself, others, and God. love my church.
Disappointed that more folks don’t put more effort into serving during a service.
worried
Wondering if I’m in the right place, a bit frustrated.
I feel confused.
So much of what I experience at a church service in no way echoes the realities of the Biblical community of people called the ekklesia I so often read about.
Like, Why do all of these people look just like me?
ALIVE! REFRESHED! RENEWED! CLOSER TO GOD and HIS PEOPLE!!
ps…I love my church.
empowered.
Burned out.
depressed……it’s so utterly uninspiring. I want out.
…bored. In a rut. I’m finding the Church outside the church building much bettter these days!
glad to be able to serve.
at home.
and anne, you know this is a change of heart for me. God is good.
…like an outcast.
Dido Crystal: at home!
Refueled and refocused.
lost. I don’t know anyone and everyone seems in a hurry to get somewhere else.
…like I could be doing some of the things I see other leaders doing there, and be darn good at it. But, I want to make sure I am in the right place spiritually and have pure motives before I jump in. I don’t want to burnout again….
Like I’m watching a beautiful idea floundering in a sea of blah.
There’s to many organized things and not enough people time.
Depends on the day… here are a few:
loved.
uplifted.
strengthened.
frustrated at times.
too busy.
distracted.
at home
http://www.generatelife.com
Like I’m at a sales convention or concert.
excited! i love my church family, it took us almost 1yr to find a local church w/ a vision that matched ours and beyond.
I home when I am in church, where i can be me and even though others don’t understand me. God knows me and he knows my heart and where i need to be when i am home with him
like there is a fire on stage and all I have is one bucket of water.
I feel relaxed. I feel thankful to be entering His presence with His people publically without fear of reprisal.
I’d agree with Billy’s comment (#9)
…safe.
…on display…I’m a pastor’s wife.
panic and frenzy.. aren’t i supposed to be playing the drums in Church?!?
Refocused
usually one of these …
hurried
unprepared
loved
happy
at home
refreshed, loved and encouraged.
same as some others..”frustrated that I can?t stop picking the service apart in my head” and “invisable”. Yet I also feel blessed to be with my family, wanting to be faithful, glad my children know God and often times tearful.
Like I’m sneaking in and out (I’m visiting new places these days).
SO excited to enjoy the music, but a little hesitant to ‘let go’ and worship openly. I haven’t found the right place to sit so I don’t feel like I’m intruding on the peace of those around me by raising my hands, etc. I know it’s my hangup. I’m dealing with it the best way I know how.
Intensely interested in the sermon. I love to hear a good teacher.
Energized afterward.
I feel at peace when I’m walking in the Spirit and uneasy and sometimes frustrated when I’m walking in my flesh.
Good thing the focus of church isn’t about me!
Peaceful and rejuvinated at times. Kind of isolated and out of place at others. RIght now, I’m going to a church that prides itself on being welcoming–but a lot of times, no one even says hello to me when I’m there. I’ve felt like God was calling me to that church for a reason–but now I am beginning to question that.
creative. My mind often wanders and wonders at the enormity of God and thoughts about family, friends, new ideas, inspiration, ways to do business etc.
All strength to those who feel judged. I read a book by Phillip Yancey called “Soul Survivor” about how he “survived” church which may be good.
one other comment. I asked some people recently if they had problems with the church. They said they did have problems and I (gently) told them that we are the church. Not the building, not the denomination, not leaders but all of us. People standing together…for each other. No a system, a rite, a ritual or order of service. If a church is not welcoming then maybe we’re not welcoming. If a church is judgemental, maybe we’re a little on the judging side. Don’t make me pull out Gandhi quotes and say that you have to be the change you want to see in the world….oh no…too late.
…overwhelmed.
…underwhelmed.
…like there is something more than is present.
Worried….Did I unplug the Iron???
… at home! No doubt about it!
Excited
@GI that’s only because you get to see me
Dread…because I feel like I have to put on the happy mask…
…not quite part of the group.
I feel reconnected…both to God and to others.
I agree with someone who posted earlier. I am in the process of finding that church [read: body of believers] is more effective outside the four walls that house the building. So anymore these days, when I gather for church inside a church building, I feel like I’m wasting the time that has been given to me.
When I go to church, I feel re-energized, uplifted, and blessed!
I feel like I can just be me in Gods world
Unprepared and unworthy, but ready for God to use me to speak His message and love His people.
gaj
Tired, in need of caffeine, no where near ready to begin praise and worship cause its too darn early……..and then, like a bolt of lighting from the heavens……the coffee kicks in (thank you Lord Jesus!) and,well, I’m probably the loudest. =)
gretchin
Lonely, but recharged
refueled at lifechurch
at past churches, I felt uncomfortable and that people weren’t friendly.
Like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
ready to meet the Lord with my brothers and sisters…
expectant
Expectant, that God will let me worship Him… and that He is gonna rock my world!
fired up because I get to worship with peeps, listen to teaching, meet other people AND get to pray over people.
HOLLA!!!!!!
Obligated.
I USED to feel like I had a bullseye target on my back; like a runaway bride; like a victim returning to the scene of torture. I wanted to quit the ministry, but I was married to it…I’m a pastor’s wife. :-)
Thank God for healing me of depression, and for removing the bitter, toxic poison that entered through the venomous bite of a rabid sheep (church member). There are wounded sheep all around, but when they bite, it hurts!!!
Now I enter the church, wearing the full armor of God (Eph. 6; shield of faith, etc.) but still wary of “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” (Matthew 7:15)
like I want to add on to what the Pastor (who is my father is saying). Like yeah, but I read where it says this too! Or remember the homeless and Hispanics and various other marginilized groups in our area that tend to be forgotten by churches that don’t cater to just one group (we’re all human!).
…like I fall in love with Jesus again…
When I go to church I feel…
-hurt
-abandonment
-betrayal
-anger
-confusion
I once was an on fire Christian, shooting for the heart of God. When it became common knowledge that I am a lesbian, my family, friends, and church turned their backs on me. Isn’t is Jesus who once said that those without sin cast the first stone? Why is your sins any lesser than mine? It is because of people who claim to love the sinner but hate the sin that my fire was practically extinguished.
…at home. Maybe too at home at times.
When I go to the church building….if I sit in the back…I feel a huge responsibility to pray for the needs of the people that are there. Plus I am so ADD I can’t listen to the message. If I sit in front…at times I feel stared at. I don’t really care about that…I try to come expecting. But as I am thinking about it…I would think Jesus would have me sit in the back more.
…like we are all still missing something.
like approaching the throne of God.
Engergized
Anne, you know I just finished a 3 month sabbatical. I went back to church on a Sunday to lead for the first time last Sunday (August 3) and it felt like I was COMING HOME. After such a difficult time and much heartbreak, it is good to be able to say that. When we worshiped together it was like we were very much one body and that was exciting.
… relieved to begin a day of rest.
i want to echo Joe……
i love coming in, meeting friends, listening to others hurts and joys, resting in his heart for me…..
there is nothing better then taking a much needed deep breath in his presence!
Wishful, disappointed, and misunderstood.
annoyed. At the money spent on all the things that are supposed to make it look amazing. If I wasn’t a Christian, I wouldn’t be caught near a church building for anything. (Um, and actually, I’m kind of this way even though I am a Christian. Just left a full-time job working in church communications, to go to a state university for grad. school and pour myself more fully into a house church.)
Now, when I am BEING the church, I feel excited about how God is working, alive, ready to bring hope, love and change to those on the margins.
I’m home
sad because we could be doing so much more if leaders would let go of their pride, need for control and male egos.I left the corporate world to “make a difference” by working in ministry. Most days now I think I made a bigger difference for God in the secular workforce.
….anchored – in God, faith, community.
….space and compulsion to be honest with God if I neglected/avoided him during the week.
…sometimes disappointed – but isn’t even disappointment a reminder of hope and thirst?
…sometimes I wonder what on earth we are doing, am embarrassed by ridiculous and/or close-minded things that are said or done…but still, it comes back to valuing that anchor, even if at times there are weird barnacles attached!
… obvious, because everything I do matters to someone else in the team.
… proud of the people that I call my church family
… frustrated that pulpits don’t move themselves and we have to remember to turn the special lights on and clean the windows
… breathing space
… the presence of God.