Church People

 In regards to church, it is easer to watch pastors online because I don't know them personally. They haven't screwed me over in any way. I have a love hate relationship with the only two churches in my town. At one, the worship pastor flirted with my ex bf a lot. They were on the worship team together. I always felt like she was trying to steal his heart away from me. So I kind of resent her for that. 

At the other church, the pastor could be blamed for the reason me and my ex husband broke up. He told him to go home to his mom's for awhile to clear his head. He only got more crazy in that time, so that was bad advice. I have had to fight away feelings of bitterness and betrayal toward him the past 2 years. 

But both those churches felt like my family for awhile, so part of me wants to go back to both of them. 

I have been burned by plenty of church people. One guy was an assistant pastor at a church I went to for 10 years. I decided to go to a different church. I was going to join a leadership team at the new church. The pastor at my former church called and told them to not let me on any leadership teams because I was a flake. It was so odd. The pastor at the new church asked me, "Did you date him or something?" I guess he was acting like a crazy ex lover. But no, he was married and had kids. I had always had a crush on him, but we were always were just friends. 

When I was 15 I was on the youth worship team, missions team, and leadership team in my youth group. My youth pastor kicked me off all of them after she found out I had gotten high with a guy I worked with. She talked to me one day and said she didn't think I was really saved because I did that. Years later she apologized and said she realized David committed adultery and murder but he was called a man after God's own heart. It was nice to see her see the light on that. No one is perfect. Don't let anyone expect you to be perfect. Or if they do, ask them when the last time was they were perfect for a day. 

I got up and gave a testimony about this in my next church. I told the story and said, "God loves us no matter we do." That church was more focused on grace so it went along with how they taught. That was why my mom had us switch churches. She knew we needed a grace church after a Baptist judgmental church. This second church was like a hospital. I never got burned at that church. It was a beautiful experience and people were happy there 24/7. It was a wonderful sanctuary. That is probably why they kept growing so much. 

I suppose the lack of grace is why most people avoid churches. Some churches are always ready, it seems, to beat you over the head with a Bible when you do the slightest thing wrong. To which I would want to say, "Really? Are you perfect? I highly doubt it. But keep pretending. Go ahead and keep pretending." 

Jesus had a problem with church people too. They were called the Pharisees. He was constantly correcting them and getting in their face. He basically said to them every time he saw them, "You think you are so awesome? No. I am awesome. Get it right." They wanted to challenge him and he wanted to challenge them. Who was right? Obviously Jesus was. But the Pharisees never stopped thinking they were the right ones. That was why they crucified him. They couldn't handle anyone saying they weren't doing it right. They knew they were wrong, or else they wouldn't have gotten so mad and felt so threatened by Jesus. Good job Jesus for standing up for yourself against those jerks. :)

You can find prideful people in any area of life, not just in church. In the last days people are lovers of self. You can see that anywhere you look now. 

If you have been burned by church people in the past, just know they aren't all bad. Maybe some of them are, but not all of them are. Try to trust some of them. Some people hurt you, but others can help to heal you. You can forgive those who hurt you, but you don't have to trust them anymore. God will send new people that are good that you can trust. 

God bless!