i made it through last week's party. in fact, i had a great time. weather caused several people to cancel, but i had fun getting a chance to hang out with those that did make it. and i got $300 in free jewelry as an added bonus.
this week i'm upping my interaction with people from one night to two nights. though, happily, neither night involves people coming to my house so that will make it a lot easier. at least for one of the nights out. wednesday i'm meeting with my book club. i haven't been in several months so i'm looking forward to some adult discussion about books. as much as i love my job, i spend my day with toddlers so there isn't much chance of stimulating conversation so when the chance comes around to discuss a book that doesn't have pictures, i try to jump at it. and i'm even ahead of the game...i've actually finished reading the book up for discussion. normally i'm finishing the book in the car on the way to the meeting.
thursday will be a different kind of fun and a little more challenging. i'm heading out to play some volleyball on thursday night. i love volleyball. i watch as much as i can. but i haven't actually played in 10 years. should be interesting. and tiring. good thing i've been working out.
volleyball is going to be my first adventure at getting to know people from church. i've been attending the same church since moving to GR, but i haven't done anymore than attend sunday morning services in that time. there are a lot of reasons for that, some good, some bad. i'm not a joiner if i have to do the joining by myself. i'd rather take a leap into the new with someone else. it is much easier to show up to a sunday morning worship service by yourself than it is to walk into a sunday school class or other church activity by yourself. which is one of the bad reasons as i knew a LOT of the people at my church before i even started going there. being honest with myself (and with you), i'm not so good at the 'church' thing so i've found it easier to not be involved. people have asked me to join their sunday school classes, but i've found reasons not to without having to admit that i've been kicked out of almost every sunday school class i've been in as an adult. i've been asked to work with the children's activities, but have received a lot of weird looks when i say no because i already work with kids 5 days a week and i'd like to have my weekend off. i've had a lot of church people become incredibly uncomfortable around me when they learn that one of my good friends is gay.
i love the denomination i grew up in. when it comes to basic doctrine, i believe as the church does. however, while i am by no means liberal, i am not as conservative as my denomination as a whole. i've spent time attending other denominations, mainly the united methodist church, but i always come back to the good ol' church of the nazarene. even though i've been told i'm going to hell because i went to prom in high school (not just once, but twice). i've been told i'm going to hell because i drink the occasional glass of wine. i've been told i'm going to hell because i like to go out dancing every once in awhile. i've been told i'm going to hell because i've put money into slot machines. wow...the more i type, the more i wonder why i am going to church at all. i'm kind of a heathen.
i go to church because i believe in a single God who created everything, who had a Son he sent to earth to die for the sins of mankind. i believe that Son was sacrificed on a cross and rose from his grave and ascended into heaven. i believe in the ten commandments. i believe in loving my neighbor. i believe in the golden rule. i believe i do my best to live by the commandments in the bible. i don't believe that having a gay friend who i occasionally have a glass a wine with while dancing to 80s music condemns my soul to eternal burning(my belief in hell is a whole other blog). though i do believe a lot of people would disagree with me. and i do believe a lot of those people attend my church or one of the other many nazarene churches in the world. and i do believe all those people love me and mean well.
here is where i get to the point of this unplanned little speech...
i believe firmly that while all those people mean well, they are not God. they are not without their own sins....many of which coincide with my sins. i believe that unless you are free of sin, you have no right to judge me of my sin. i believe you have the right to love me. i believe you have the right to pray for me. i believe you have the right to discuss with me your thoughts and feelings towards my actions. and i believe you have the right to forgive me. but please don't cast stones at me unless you have no reason for me to cast them back. i throw hard.
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